Honda and Red Bull protege Yuki Tsunoda converted his practice pace to take pole position for Formula 2’s Feature Race in Austria.
The Japanese driver fought it out with the UNI-Virtuosi pilots of Guanyu Zhou and Callum Ilott throughout qualifying during the 30-minute session at the Red Bull Ring.
Zhou was two tenths clear of Tsunoda in the first part of running, with Jack Aitken, Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman making up the top five.
By the time the chequered flag fell, F3 graduate Tsunoda went to the top by only 0.038 seconds, setting a time of 1:14.803.
Renault junior Zhou was a close second, followed by championship leader Ilott in third, while Luca Ghiotto edged Jack Aitken for fourth, the Briton fresh from his FP1 duties with Williams in Formula 1.
Reigning F3 champion Robert Shwartzman, Red Bull-backed Jehan Daruvala, Renault junior Christian Lundgaard, Mick Schumacher and Felipe Drugovich made up the top 10.
Subject to rain forecast, the race start for the Feature Race is at 16:45 local time.
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y. Tsunoda | Carlin | 1:14.803 | – |
| 2 | G. Zhou | UNI-Virtuosi | 1:14.841 | 0.038 |
| 3 | C. Ilott | UNI-Virtuosi | 1:14.888 | 0.085 |
| 4 | L. Ghiotto | Hitech Grand Prix | 1:14.974 | 0.171 |
| 5 | J. Aitken | Campos Racing | 1:14.976 | 0.173 |
| 6 | R. Shwartzman | PREMA Racing | 1:14.978 | 0.175 |
| 7 | J. Daruvala | Carlin | 1:15.063 | 0.260 |
| 8 | C. Lundgaard | ART Grand Prix | 1:15.099 | 0.296 |
| 9 | M. Schumacher | PREMA Racing | 1:15.141 | 0.338 |
| 10 | F. Drugovich | MP Motorsport | 1:15.189 | 0.386 |
