Baku: Jak Crawford earned the Aramco Pole Position Award in Baku for DAMS Lucas Oil, a 1:54.791 handing the American his first pole since Jeddah, according to the Formula 2 official website. Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli had to settle for second, the Invicta Racing driver just 0.019s off the top spot, with Gabriele Min¬ third for PREMA Racing.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the first round of laps saw Roman Stanek set the initial benchmark with a 1:55.985 for Invicta Racing. Alexander Dunne then improved on this, clocking a 1:55.843 to lead the pack. However, a crash by his teammate Amaury Cordeel at Turn 13 brought out the Red Flags, causing session-ending damage for Cordeel.
Once qualifying resumed with 22 minutes left, Dunne was at the front of the queue. He managed to improve his time to a 1:55.569, but Browning matched that time to slot into second. Fornaroli then took the lead with a 1:55.191, only for Crawford to surpass him by 0.399s to secure provisional pole. Gabriele Min¬ from PREMA Racing split the top two, placing second by just 0.001s over his compatriot.
Dunne attempted another lap with a strong first sector but clipped the wall, resulting in damage and an aborted lap. Most drivers returned to the pits, but Fornaroli managed an improvement to claim second, just 0.019s behind Crawford.
As the session neared its end, drivers equipped fresh Supersoft Pirelli tyres and returned to the track. Dunne rejoined last after Rodin Motorsport repaired his front-right suspension. The next laps commenced but were halted when Victor Martins hit the barriers at Turn 3, causing another Red Flag.
Once barrier repairs were complete, the session resumed briefly before another Red Flag was caused by a crash involving Roman Stanek and John Bennett at Turn 1. This confirmed Crawford's pole position, followed by Fornaroli and Min¬. Martins finished fourth, Dunne fifth, and Browning sixth. Josep Mara Mart, debutant Martinius Stenshorne, Stanek, and Sebasti¡n Montoya rounded out the top ten.
The Formula 2 Sprint Race in Baku is scheduled for Saturday at 14:15 local time.