GP2 news

First Main Series pole for Nico Hülkenberg

Nico Hülkenberg has claimed his first ever GP2 Main Series pole position in qualifying for Saturday's feature race. The ART driver will start from the front at the circuit on which Lewis Hamilton stormed through the field to snatch second place for the team in 2006. Luca Filippi impressed with a front row slot as championship leader Romain Grosjean lines up third.

21-year-old German Hülkenberg bided his time throughout the session before unleashing a lap of 1.34.404, setting all three fastest sectors with just five minutes remaining, and with Vitaly Petrov and Pastor Maldonado stopping on track immediately after with mechanical gremlins there were two yellow flag zones, and the session was effectively over.

With the drivers taking to the track once again in steaming conditions Hülkenberg set an early quick lap before Petrov took the top spot: the Russian driver looked untouchable, but his competitors kept nibbling away at his time, with Lucas di Grassi, Filippi and Karun Chandhok all closing in from behind.

Grosjean finally bested his teammate with six minutes remaining, but Hülkenberg was already on a charge, taking the top spot seconds later with Filippi in tow: Petrov suddenly slowed from a quick looking lap and pulled off to the side of the track, and when Maldonado's car started smoking there was no chance for anyone else to improve their times.

Petrov will nevertheless start from fourth tomorrow, ahead of Chandhok, Andreas Zuber and Alvaro Parente. With a number of drivers caught out of position on the grid, there promises to be fireworks when the lights go out in Istanbul tomorrow afternoon.



See the provisional starting grid for Saturday's race

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