Lundgaard storms to maiden F2 pole at Mugello

ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard will start Saturday’s feature race from pole position after claiming top spot for the first time in his Formula 2 career.

Lundgaard set the pace after the first runs ahead of Dan Ticktum, with the top two remaining the same come the end of the session.

Ticktum - who was disqualified from the Monza sprint race for being unable to provide a fuel sample - missed out on pole by just 0.005s.

It was a good day for points leader Callum Ilott with the Ferrari junior set to start third, missing out on top spot by less than a tenth.

Ilot’s main title contenders - Robert Shwartzman and Mick Schumacher - endured a difficult qualifying, only managing ninth and 15th respectively.

The tricky Mugello circuit caught out a number of drivers, including Schumacher.

Schumacher spun 360 degrees on his first run, sustaining bargeboard damage in the process, while Luca Ghiotto had a trip through the gravel as well but got away unscathed.

Juri Vips had a trip through the gravel at the second Arrabbiata corner on his penultimate run but managed to improve to seventh fastest having set the morning pace.

Marcus Armstrong qualified fourth behind the top three of Lundgaard, Ticktum and Ilott, with Felipe Drugovich the lead MP Motorsport in fifth.

Jehan Daruvala will line up sixth ahead of Vips, Ghiotto, Shwartzman and Jack Aitken, who had an off in practice.

Yuki Tsunoda could only manage 11th with the Japanese driver currently fourth in the championship, while Louis Deletraz, Guanyu Zhou and Nikita Mazepin were just ahead of Schumacher for 12th, 13th and 14th respectively.