Already present a little earlier during Free Practice 2 for the Australian Formula 1 race, the rain intensified when the F2 pole chase took place on Friday.
An added difficulty for drivers new to Albert Park Road, a newcomer to the calendar.
Théo Pourchaire had long struggled with behavior hitting his No. 5 single seater on the Melbourne Ice Rink, and sailed beyond the top ten until his last attempt.
A synonymous lap rested for the driver from Grasse for the ART Grand Prix team who, in time, posted the second fastest time. Finally, only Ayumu Iwasa (DAMS) did better at 1’45”118.
After being overtaken by more than 6 tenths (0”614), Pourchaire called himself onto the front row of the main race scheduled for Sunday as the curtain raiser for the Grand Prix. He preceded his compatriots in the same time: his team-mate Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix), third despite a slight violent crash against a wall at the end of the session, Issac Hajjar (Hitech), fourth, while Monaco rookie Arthur Leclerc (DAMS ) ranked seventh.
The resident of the Sauber Academy on the Côte d’Azur is second in the provisional hierarchy, a short distance from Swiss leader Ralph Boschung (Campos) … and one point in front of Iwasa, an equally serious contender for the crown.
After impressing during the opening stage in Bahrain (one pole, one victory), he missed the next round entirely, scoring no points in Saudi Arabia.
He will have the opportunity to resume his run forward during the sprint (the reverse grid for the top 10 in qualifying) as he will start in 9th on Saturday.
