Trident dominates qualifying session at Imola circuit, securing the top three positions. Santiago Ramos emerged as the fastest driver, setting a time of 1:31.767, ahead of his teammates Fornaroli and Meguetounif.
As soon as the green lights came on at the pit lane exit, most drivers immediately hit the track to make the most of the 30-minute qualifying session.
The MP Motorsport trio was the first group to set a quick lap, with Trident and Prema drivers closely following suit.
There was a significant amount of traffic at Rivazza corner as drivers waited for the opportunity to start a fast lap during the first attempt.
Both Prema and Trident were expected to be the favorites in terms of lap times, with Dino Beganovic securing pole position in the first round in Bahrain and Fornaroli achieving the same feat in the last round in Melbourne.
After the first attempt, Gabriele Mini from Prema set the benchmark with a time of 1:32.598, closely followed by Fornaroli, who was less than a tenth of a second slower.
With 20 minutes remaining, all drivers were improving their lap times, but the session was temporarily interrupted when Callum Visin’s Rodin car got stuck in the gravel trap at Variante Tamburello (Turns 3-4).
Once the crane removed Visin’s car, green flags were waved again, and most of the grid returned to the track to avoid further interruptions in the qualifying session.
During the second attempt, Red Bull junior driver Oliver Goethe secured provisional pole position with a time of 1:32.517, before many drivers went back to the pits to switch to new sets of tires for the final attempts of the session.
However, Fornaroli remained on track and took over the first position from Goethe, setting a lap time almost four tenths of a second faster and claiming the fastest time in all three sectors.
Newly-signed McLaren junior driver Alex Dunne also completed a lap while most drivers were in the pits, securing the provisional second position in his newly-styled McLaren car.
During the first attempt on the second set of tires, Prema secured the top two positions, with Lindblad grabbing the provisional pole position, closely followed by teammate Beganovic.
In the end, Trident drivers found the extra pace during the final quick lap, securing the top three positions in the standings.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Fornaroli who set the fastest time, but his teammate Santiago Ramos, who claimed his first pole position in Formula 3 with a time of 1:31.767, with Meguetounif completing the top three for Trident.
The Prema trio closely followed Trident, with Lindblad leading the way in fourth place, followed by Beganovic and Mini. Dunne split the Prema drivers, finishing in fifth place.
Goethe, Van Hoepen, and Browning rounded out the top 10 in the qualifying session at the Italian circuit.
