Alexander Dunne didn’t just take pole at Spa. He owned it.
The Rodin Motorsport rookie dominated Formula 2 qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday afternoon, blitzing the field with a final time of 1:57.151 — over four tenths clear of his nearest rival. It marks Dunne’s second pole of the season, and comes after he also topped the earlier Free Practice session.
On a track known for punishing hesitation, Dunne was clinical. Every run he completed put him at the top of the timing screens. His final effort was more than a statement — it was a warning to the rest of the field heading into the weekend.
A Session That Built to a Boil
The opening phase saw a flurry of early laps, with Hitech’s Luke Browning initially going quickest on a 1:58.537. But the benchmark wouldn’t last long. Times tumbled as drivers found rhythm on the soft tyre, with Dunne, Fornaroli, and Lindblad all trading fastest laps.
Dunne edged ahead with a 1:58.340, just 0.003s clear of title rival Leonardo Fornaroli. But it was only a hint of what was coming.
On the second push lap, Fornaroli momentarily took back P1 with a 1:58.284. Then Dunne fired in a stunning 1:57.863 – purple in all three sectors and over four tenths quicker than the Invicta Racing driver.
After a pit stop for fresh tyres, the field returned with under 10 minutes to go. Most found improvement. None could touch Dunne.
His final lap, a 1:57.151, stretched the gap to second-placed Ritomo Miyata to 0.419s. It’s Miyata’s best F2 qualifying performance to date, and marks a strong recovery after a low-key weekend in Hungary.
Key Grid Movers and Shakers
Behind Miyata, Invicta’s Roman Stanek grabbed third, just ahead of Victor Martins in the second ART Grand Prix car. Campos teammates Arvid Lindblad and Josep María Martí continued their consistent form to line up fifth and sixth.
Title contender Fornaroli ended up only seventh, followed by Gabriele Minì, who salvaged eighth for PREMA Racing.
Rodin’s Amaury Cordeel made it two cars in the top 10 with ninth. MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe rounded out the top 10 — and that earns him reverse grid pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Championship leader Richard Verschoor could only manage 11th and will need a fightback in both races to preserve his points lead. Luke Browning faded to 12th after setting the initial benchmark, with teammate Dino Beganovic in 13th.
Further down, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford and Kush Maini were 14th and 20th, while Sebastián Montoya could only manage 16th in the second PREMA.
What’s Next
The Sprint Race gets underway at 13:45 local time on Saturday, with Goethe starting from pole under the reverse grid format. Sunday’s Feature Race will see Dunne lead the field into La Source.
With changeable weather expected and the championship fight tightening, Spa is set to deliver. And Alexander Dunne is making it very clear, he plans to be the one setting the pace.