Trident’s Beckmann claims first-ever GP3 pole at Spa
David Beckmann left it late to score his maiden GP3 pole position and claim Trident’s first pole of the 2018 season in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
The German, who headed a Trident 1-2-3-4 in practice on Friday in Belgium, turned in a pair of laps that would have been good enough to seal pole, with his fastest effort – a 2m04.335s – putting him 0.144s clear of the field.
David Beckmann left it late to score his maiden GP3 pole position and claim Trident’s first pole of the 2018 season in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps.
The German, who headed a Trident 1-2-3-4 in practice on Friday in Belgium, turned in a pair of laps that would have been good enough to seal pole, with his fastest effort – a 2m04.335s – putting him 0.144s clear of the field.
Beckmann’s lap ended championship leader Anthoine Hubert’s run of back-to-back poles, with the ART Grand Prix driver denying an all-Trident front-row by out-pacing Pedro Piquet, who scored his best qualifying result of the year in third.
Jake Hughes will join Piquet on the second row as times tumbled in the closing minutes of the session, ahead of fellow ART teammates Nikita Mazepin and Callum Ilott in fifth and sixth respectively.
Simo Laaksonen put his Campos Racing machine seventh on the grid, while Ryan Tveter and Giuliano Alesi ensured all four Trident cars will start from inside the top 10. Alesi shot up to second place in the final stages with an improvement, only to see his laptime deleted for abusing track limits.
Arden’s Joey Mawson rounded out the top 10, while GP3 newcomer Richard Verschoor impressed with a solid display to end up 15th and the fastest MP Motorsport runner in his first qualifying appearance, having been a late call up to replace F2-bound Dorian Boccolacci.
