Filippi prevails in Turkey tussle.

Luca Filippi gave his fading GP2 title hopes a significant shot in the arm after scoring an impressive pole position at the end of a fraught qualifying session at Istanbul Park, Turkey.

Filippi has been on a run of dismal form in recent races and after failing to score in the last four races has slipped 20 points behind championship leader Timo Glock.

However, the Super Nova driver put that behind him during qualifying around the Turkish circuit, a session defined by the hard compound Bridgestone tyres that allowed drivers to get a more than a single flying lap at a time into the bag.

Filippi's pole position was made all the more impressive by the fact that the top spot - and therefore two additional points - could have gone any one of six ways as Filippi, Lucas di Grassi, Andreas Zuber, Timo Glock, Giorgio Pantano and Adam Carroll all disputed the top spot.

The iSport duo of Zuber and Glock set the early pace and, together with di Grassi, managed to annex the top three positions. However, when Zuber produced a provisional pole position lap on his second attempt using new tyres, it prompted a flurry of activity.

Filippi repeated Zuber's method after running wide at turn eight on his first run before assuming the top spot on his second attempt.

Although it was a lap that appeared as though it had pushed pole position out of reach, championship leader Glock responded with the fastest time of the day.

Nonetheless, a quick change of tyres saw Filippi reclaim the top spot and when he went even quicker on his very final attempt, it would prove his first pole position since the Bahrain season opener.

Glock also went faster on his final attempt but was forced to contend with just a spot on the front row instead, ahead of team-mate Zuber. Pantano ruined his chances when he spun at turn one after clipping the inside kerb, the scuffed tyres on his Campos car preventing the practice pace setter from going any quicker than fourth.

Still, that was ahead of Carroll, who recorded a solid fifth on the grid, while di Grassi was a disappointed sixth, four positions behind arch-rival Glock.

Behind the feuding sextet, Xandi Negrao recorded his first top ten starting position since his front row start at Bahrain, edging out Kazuki Nakajima in the best of the DAMS entries, while Sebastien Buemi and Borja Garcia rounded out the top ten.

Elsewhere, there was disappointment for three-time winner Javier Villa, who continued to suffer problems when he spun after just four laps, the Spaniard qualifying down in 24th place as a result. However, on a lighter note, home favourite Jason Tahinci produced his finest qualifying effort in GP2 yet, his previous best of 20th being improved to 15th for FMSI.

The trio of newcomers meanwhile will all start this time, with Ricardo Risatti, in for Pastor Maldonado at Trident, 22nd on the grid, Marcos Martinez, who failed to qualify in Hungary, 23rd and Henri Karjalainen, who sliced three seconds off his practice time to sneak onto the grid for BCN, in 25th.

To view the qualifying times for latest round of the GP2 Series at Istanbul Park, Turkey click here