Maiden fastest qualifying time for rookie Pascal Wehrlein

Pascal Wehrlein (Mücke Motorsport, 0:49.100 minutes) became the first rookie to claim pole position in a Formula 3 Euro Series qualifying session this year. At the 2.3 kilometres long Norisring, the German demoted Italian Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam, 0:49.120 minutes) to second place and will start from first place into Sunday’s race as a result. In warm conditions, William Buller (Carlin, 0:49.238 minutes) and Daniel Juncadella (Prema Powerteam, 0:49.328 minutes) ended up third and fourth in the field of 28 drivers. In the ranking of the second-fastest lap times, Marciello came out on top and will thus be starting from pole position into the first race of the weekend.

In qualifying, which had to be postponed to today because of damage to the track, the ambitious young drivers turned out to be very disciplined. Initially, William Buller, Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello were battling for the lead. Only a few seconds before the end of the 30 minutes’ session, Pascal Wehrlein moved up into first place and defended this position until the end. After Carlos Sainz (Carlin, 0:49.571 minutes), Daniel Juncadella and Felix Rosenqvist (Mücke Motorsport, 0:49.864 minutes) is the fourth different driver in as many qualifying sessions held this season to come out on top of the time sheets.

At the Norisring in Nuremberg, the lap times of 25 of the 28 drivers were within one second from first-placed Pascal Wehrlein.

Pascal Wehrlein (Mücke Motorsport): “With the first set of tyres, it wasn’t optimal, but with the second set, it went better. I only managed to find a clear lap just before the end and I was able to claim first place. This is my first time at Norisring and I have to admit that the track is more difficult than it looks at first sight.”

Raffaele Marciello (Prema Powerteam): “My qualifying was good, I am happy with second and first place. Being on one of the positions in front is important. I was able to do consistently fast lap times for three or four laps in a row, although finding a clear lap with 28 cars on track isn’t easy. The track is particularly challenging because of its many bumps, but since Pau, I like street circuits.”