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In a nail-biting qualifying session in Jeddah, Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford clinched Pole Position with a breathtaking final lap, narrowly outpacing his ART Grand Prix rival Victor Martins by a mere 0.022 seconds. The session was a rollercoaster of excitement, with Martins initially taking the lead after a stunning flying lap. However, Crawford’s exceptional 1:43.579 lap sealed the top spot, while Leonardo Fornaroli of Invicta Racing completed the podium.

Martins set the early pace with a 1:44.559 lap, leading Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport by a significant 0.323 seconds. Despite this early advantage, drivers had a chance to make a second attempt on their Supersoft tires. Arvid Lindblad of Campos Racing then took the lead with a 1:44.250 lap, but Martins held onto his second-place position by a slim 0.073 seconds.

Several drivers, including Lindblad, attempted a third flying lap but abandoned them as they headed to the pit lane for fresh tires. Lindblad had previously set the fastest time in the middle sector during his second attempt.

With just over 11 minutes left, drivers returned to the track with new Supersoft tires. Gabriele Minì of PREMA Racing surged to the top, but Luke Browning of Hitech TGR quickly challenged him, overtaking by 0.105 seconds with a 1:43.737 lap.

The session was abruptly halted by a Red Flag after John Bennett’s crash at Turn 17, creating a safety hazard. Once the track was cleared, drivers had just five minutes for their final laps, leading to a flurry of activity. On his last attempt, Crawford triumphed with a 1:43.579 lap, securing DAMS their first pole since Melbourne in 2023.

Fornaroli initially held a provisional pole but finished third for Invicta, trailing Crawford by 0.092 seconds. Browning claimed fourth, while Lindblad secured fifth, ahead of Dunne and his Campos teammate, Josep María Martí, in seventh.

Minì rounded out the top 10, finishing eighth ahead of MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor. Roman Stanek completed the top 10 for Invicta.

Stanek will start on the reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race, set to begin at 18:15 local time.

Steward Update 

 Following the conclusion of the FIA Formula 2 Qualifying session in Jeddah, Invicta Racing’s Roman Stanek has been penalised with grid drops for both the Sprint and Feature Races.

Stanek was summoned to the Stewards after the session for allegedly impeding Car 17 driven by Alexander Dunne of Rodin Motorsport.

After listening to both drivers and their respective team representatives, the Stewards concluded that Stanek unnecessarily blocked Dunne through Turns 7 and 8, violating Article 31.6 of the FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations.

Consequently, the Stewards imposed a three-position grid drop for both races this weekend. Initially set to start the Sprint Race from reverse grid pole, Stanek will now begin from P4 on the grid.

This promotion elevates MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor to P1 for Saturday’s Sprint Race. PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì and Josep María Martí of Campos Racing also advance one position each, securing second and third places on the grid.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett has lost his fastest lap time.

The Stewards determined that Car 24 was solely responsible for the Red Flag stoppage during Qualifying. In accordance with Article 33.5 of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Sporting Regulations, they imposed the penalty of deleting Car 24’s fastest time from the session.

As a result, Bennett is demoted to 22nd in the Qualifying classification. AIX Racing’s Cian Shields gains a position due to this penalty.