After a quiet practice session which saw AIX Racing’s Joshua Dürksen (DUR) topping the timesheet on a drying track, qualifying gets underway at the Silverstone circuit. Conditions in qualifying are significantly drier than they were during the practice session with a track temperature of 26.9 degrees Celsius. With a 40% chance of rain predicted for the session, the drivers are eager to get onto the track, hoping to set a good enough lap time before any potential rain. The soft tyre appears to be the tyre of choice for this part of the session.
MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger (HAU) is the first to put a time down. His time of 2:02.434, however, is soon overtaken by the 2:00.341 of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford (CRA). The other drivers are quick to add their own times to the board as the first reports of rain come in.
Six minutes into the session and all drivers have set a time. Invicta Racing’s Kush Maini (MAI) now goes fastest with a time of 1:41.042. He soon drops to second as Oliver Bearman (BEA) of Prema Racing sets a time of 1:40.918. F2 championship leader, Paul Aron (ARO) of Hitech Pulse-Eight goes up second with a time of 1:40.958. Maini is now down to P3. Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney (MAL) and ART Grand Prix’s Zak O’Sullivan (OSU) round out the top five, sitting in P4 and P5 with times of 1:41.056 and 1:41.153 respectively. Dennis Hauger, who set the first lap time of the session is now down to P6 with an improved time of 1:41.153. Campos Racing’s Isack Hadjar (HAD) who finished P19 in the first Formula 1 practice session with Red Bull Racing, sits in P7 with a time of 1:41.189. MP Motorsport’s Franco Colapinto (COL), who also returns to F2 after his FP1 stint with Formula 1’s Williams Racing, sits in P8 with a time of 1:41.268.
Ten minutes into the session and the standings are BEA, ARO, MAI, MAL, OSY, HAU, HAD, COL, VMA, BOR, STA, DUR, VER, CRA, FIT, JCO, BAR, MIY, JMA, ACO, VIL, and ANT.
Bearman sits at the top of the timesheet with his set time of 1:40.918. Bearman, like Hadjar and Colapinto, is also returning from a session in Formula 1. The nineteen-year-old finished FP1 in P14 with Haas, his employer from the 2025 season. Aron retains the second position, only 0.04 seconds behind Bearman. Bearman’s Prema teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ANT), however, sits at the bottom with a time of 1:43.109.
The positions do not remain fixed, however, as the drivers work on improving their lap times. Hauger goes top with 1:40.554 with Invicta Racing’s Gabriel Bortoleto (BOR) getting up to P2. Hauger’s time is soon overtaken by that of Maini. The Invicta Racing driver goes up to P1 with a time of 1:40.378. Maloney takes P2 with a time of 1:40.546. Maini and Maloney then drop to P2 and P3 respectively, as Aron sets the new fastest time of the session, 1:40.181. O’Sullivan goes up to P3 with a time of 1:40.437, knocking Maloney down to P4.
Bearman, who held on to the top time for most of the first ten minutes, is now in P6, with his improved time of 1:40.595. His teammate, Antonelli is in P10 with 1:41.005 after Dürken and Josep Maria Martí (MAR) have their lap times deleted for exceeding track limits. The AIX Racing and Campos Racing drivers have subsequently been knocked to the bottom of the timesheet and sit in P21 and P22 respectively.
With fifteen minutes of the session now completed, the drivers are halfway to the session. The current standings are ARO, MAI, OSU, MAL, HAU, BEA, HAD, BOR, VMA, ANT, ACO, FIT, CRA, COL, VER, MIY, JCO, BAR, VIL, STA, DUR and JMA.
As the drivers get into the latter half of the qualifying session, Maloney improves his lap time but remains fourth on the time sheet. Bearman and Antonelli, both currently in the top 10, were on a fast lap but have aborted these and come into the pit lane. With thirteen minutes remaining, all twenty-two drivers are now in the pit lane.
After a tyre change, the drivers are making their way back onto the track with just under twelve minutes to go. They will be attempting to set their fastest laps of the day to secure their starting positions in Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s feature race. Some extra work is being done on the cars of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez (VIL) and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Juan Manuel Correa (JCO). However, both drivers are expected to rejoin the track soon.
The drivers have now completed two-thirds of the qualifying session. With ten minutes remaining, the standings are ARO, MAI, OSU, MAL, HAU, BEA, HAD, BOR, VMA, ANT, ACO, FIT, CRA, COL, VER, MIY, JCO, BAR, VIL, STA, DUR, and JMA.
A yellow flag is brought out in Sector 1 as session leader, Aron, spins off the track. His team goes on the radio asking him to return to the pits. The track returns to green as Aron returns to the track, limping in the direction of the pits.
Hauger takes Aron’s position at the top of the timesheet with a lap time of 1:39.835. This time is quickly topped by Colapinto who sets a time of 1:39.711. Hadjar improves on Colapinto’s time, getting up to P1 with a track time of 1:39.368. ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins (VMA) goes P2 with a time of 1:39.619. Bearman is now up to P4 with a time of 1:39.726.
Maloney goes up to P7 but has his lap time deleted. Aron, who remained on track, is now down to P10. Rodin Motorsport’s Ritomo Miyata (MIY) goes up to P10, knocking Aron down to P11. The Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, however, will attempt another flying lap. He is, however, unable to improve his position, and as Maloney goes up to P9, Aron drops to P12.
Hadjar, who has retained his lead over the rest of the grid has now returned to the pit lane, confident that no other driver will top his fastest lap time.
The checkered flag falls as the remaining drivers on track complete their final laps around the Silverstone circuit. Hadjar holds on to the top position as a yellow flag is brought out and the drivers cross the line for the final time of the session.
The final standings of the session are HAD, VMA, HAU, COL, BEA, BOR, CRA, MAI, MAL, ANT, MIY, ARO, VER, OSU, JCO, DUR, VIL, ACO, JMA, FIT, BAR and STA. Hadjar, who set the fastest time of the session will start Saturday’s sprint race in P10 under the reverse conditions. He will, however, start Sunday’s race on pole. Antonelli, who ends the qualifying session in P10, will start Saturday’s sprint on pole.
