France F3: Mercedes junior Vesti beats Hauger to pole
ART Grand Prix’s Frederik Vesti took pole in FIA Formula 3 qualifying at Paul Ricard, beating Prema Racing’s Dennis Hauger to the top spot.

The Mercedes junior went quickest with a 1m50.882s with less than five minutes left of the 30-minute qualifying session, almost two-tenths clear of Hauger, who made a minor error on his last lap while attempting to take back pole.
MP Motorsport’s Victor Martins came in third, with Trident’s Jack Doohan ending up fourth ahead of MP Motorsport driver Caio Collet and teammate Clement Novalak.
Doohan was out on track first, leading the 30-strong pack around a very bunched up first lap.
ART Grand Prix’s Juan Manuel Correa managed to find space to take the first flying lap, but went wide and had to take the run off on the way down to Turn 3, forcing him round the bollards to return to the track the long way round. This caused a yellow flag as a large portion of the field were about to start their first fast laps.
His teammate Alexander Smolyar was the first to set a fast lap, with a 1m52.393s, before Vesti set a 1m52.395s.
But they were the only two drivers to set fast laps before there was a red flag eight minutes into the session after Prema Racing’s Arthur Leclerc came to a halt on the circuit with a locked front-left wheel.
The disappointed Ferrari Academy driver was unable to get the car going again and was pushed off the track by the marshalls, ending his qualifying before he was able to set a time.
The lights went green with 22 minutes to go, with the times then tumbling, with Hauger, Collet, Martins and Doohan all quickly breaking into the 1m51s.
By halfway through the session, the top 15 was separated by just one second.
This session sets the grid for Sunday’s feature race, while for Saturday’s sprint race, the top 12 will be reversed.
This will see Jenzer Motorsport’s Calan Williams start on pole tomorrow, with Trident’s David Schumacher in second and Charouz Racing System’s Logan Sargeant in third.
Correa, who was confirmed today to be rejoining the Sauber Academy, will start fourth, with Hitech Grand Prix’s Ayuma Iwasa in fifth.
Paul Ricard qualifying results:
Cla | # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | |
|
1'50.882 | |
2 | 1 | |
|
1'51.063 | 0.181 |
3 | 17 | |
|
1'51.122 | 0.240 |
4 | 4 | |
|
1'51.165 | 0.283 |
5 | 18 | Caio Collet | |
1'51.187 | 0.305 |
6 | 5 | |
|
1'51.213 | 0.331 |
7 | 8 | |
|
1'51.269 | 0.387 |
8 | 11 | Ayumu Iwasa | |
1'51.484 | 0.602 |
9 | 9 | |
|
1'51.503 | 0.621 |
10 | 29 | |
|
1'51.525 | 0.643 |
11 | 6 | |
|
1'51.550 | 0.668 |
12 | 26 | |
|
1'51.575 | 0.693 |
13 | 14 | |
|
1'51.613 | 0.731 |
14 | 3 | |
|
1'51.648 | 0.766 |
15 | 19 | Tijmen van | |
1'51.669 | 0.787 |
16 | 10 | Jak Crawford | |
1'51.718 | 0.836 |
17 | 12 | |
|
1'51.772 | 0.890 |
18 | 21 | |
|
1'51.809 | 0.927 |
19 | 22 | Amaury Cordeel | |
1'51.929 | 1.047 |
20 | 27 | |
|
1'52.051 | 1.169 |
21 | 30 | |
|
1'52.334 | 1.452 |
22 | 24 | |
|
1'52.453 | 1.571 |
23 | 25 | |
|
1'52.453 | 1.571 |
24 | 15 | Oliver Rasmussen | |
1'52.475 | 1.593 |
25 | 20 | Pierre-Louis Chovet | |
1'52.564 | 1.682 |
26 | 31 | Reshad de | |
1'52.795 | 1.913 |
27 | 28 | Filip Ugran | |
1'52.823 | 1.941 |
28 | 16 | Rafael Villagómez | |
1'52.946 | 2.064 |
29 | 23 | Ido Cohen | |
1'53.023 | 2.141 |
View full results |
Related video

France F3: Hauger tops practice times with last-gasp effort
France F3: Smolyar takes dramatic last-lap win from Martins

Latest news
F3 Hungary: Smolyar takes lights-to-flag win in feature race
Alexander Smolyar cruised to a lights-to-flag feature race victory at the Hungaroring ahead of Zane Maloney, as Zak O'Sullivan and Juan Manuel Correa produced late charges on slick tyres.
F3 Hungary: Collet takes maiden win as title rivals tussle on last lap
Caio Collet took his maiden FIA Formula 3 win in a dramatic damp race at the Hungaroring.
F3 Hungary: Smolyar takes pole as red flag causes traffic chaos
Alexander Smolyar took his first FIA Formula 3 pole of the season in Hungary after many of the front runners failed to make it across the line for their final lap.
F3 Austria: Hadjar wins chaotic wet feature race
Isack Hadjar sealed his third FIA Formula 3 win of the season in Sunday’s feature race with a lights-to-flag win at a wet Red Bull Ring.
What racing in Australiar the future of F1's junior series
The announcement that FIA Formula 2 and 3 would race alongside the Australian Grand Prix from 2023 came as a surprise, not only to fans but to the series’ teams too. But with Formula 1’s boom in popularity bringing more fans to the championships, team principals are relishing the opportunity
How the ultra-tight F3 title fight is taking shape
With just five points separating the top five after two rounds, FIA Formula 3 looks set for another thrilling season in 2022. But who stands the best chance of pulling away from that pack, and who are the contenders bubbling under?
Gregoire Saucy: How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
His career has been a slowburner but Gregoire Saucy trounced a collection of F1 juniors in Formula Regional by Alpine last year, and now he’s preparing to do it again in FIA F3. Here’s how the Swiss caught the world by surprise in 2021 and how he plans to do it all over again.
The hardships that haven’t dented Logan Sargeant's F1 dream
Faced with “no options” for 2021, Logan Sargeant’s Formula 1 dream looked set to crumble. But a last-minute Formula 3 seat and a strong season secured him a Formula 2 drive for 2022. He told Motorsport.com how his transformative season affected both his personality and his future.
From zero to hero: How F3's 2021 champion bounced back
After a disastrous 2020 in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech, Dennis Hauger began to doubt himself - with the self-belief he had built through success in junior series evaporating. But after regrouping, he stormed to the F3 title in 2021. Here’s how he did it...
How Campos Racing has bounced back from its devastating loss
After the sudden death of its founder in January, Formula 2 stalwart Campos Racing was left facing its hardest season to date. But new team boss Adrian Jr is determined to honour his father’s legacy and has returned the team to its winning ways
How F2 and F3's flawed format changes could prove shortlived
After a chaotic 2020, marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the FIA brought in radical changes to Formula 2 and 3. But less than 12 months later, there are talks of them being reversed after all did not go to plan…
How the latest 'son of' youngster found his feet in F3
After a promising start to his single-seater racing career, life in the Formula 1 feeder series gave Jack Doohan a reality check. But, following a year of learning and toiling, the driver with one of the most famous surnames on the Formula 3 grid isn’t feeling the weight of expectation pushing down too hard on him any longer