Jak Crawford was blisteringly fast in qualifying at Albert Park and set the third fastest time but will start the Sprint Race from 18th place at the F2 Australian GP.
The American driver would have started eighth due to the reverse grid element. However, he is taking a 10-place grid drop in both races due to an infringement in pre-season testing.
Crawford was very quick and narrowly missed out on pole position by three tenths as Victor Martins will start Staurday’s race on pole position.
Jak Crawford still confident despite the penalties
The DAMS Lucas Oil driver is adamant he can storm through the field and score points in Melbourne despite the added complexities created by the grid drops.
Albert Park is one of the easier tracks on the calendar to make overtakes with four DRS zones and multiple long straights.
He has competed at Melbourne twice and Crawford scored a podium for Hitech during his rookie F2 season in 2023.
The American driver told Pit Debrief and other outlets that Albert Park can be dramatic, but DAMS have had good race pace in the past.
“I started last year in the race, both races, and I scored points both times. So, we’ll see, anything can happen at this track.
“I think it’s usually quite a chaotic race with lots of overtaking, lots of fighting. So, I’m looking forward to making up positions.
“We’ve always been really strong, especially in race conditions. So, I see no reason why we can’t fight for good points still.”
Gabriele Mini held up Jak Crawford in qualifying
The track was very busy at the end of the session with the circuit at the peak of its grip level and the drivers looking to improve.
Crawford attacked the 14-turn circuit but was blocked by Gabriele Mini. The Italian set the pace in qualifying but lost top spot after receiving a three-place grid drop for the incident.
The DAMS driver explained there was little Mini could do to avoid getting involved during qualifying in Australia.
“I was at the end of the run, was going for one last kind of glory lap and, unfortunately, just came across Gabi. I don’t think there’s a lot he could do at the end of the day.”
