F2 | Qualifying | Saudi Arabian GP | Crawford pips Martins to claim pole

A flurry of activity in the final minutes of the 2025 Jeddah F2 Qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian GP saw Jak Crawford claim a surprise pole position, pipping Victor Martins in the final moments of the session. Leonardo Fornaroli finished P3, ahead of Luke Browning, who had seemed set to claim pole position before John Bennett brought out the Red Flag.

Track limits an issue in Jeddah Practice session

ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins topped the timesheets during the earlier Practice session, holding on to the top time after DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford saw his final attempt deleted for exceeding track limits. It was a chaotic end to what had been an eventful opening session at the 2025 Saudi Arabian GP.

Crawford was not the only driver to struggle with track limits. Rodin Motorsport teammates Alex Dunne and Amaury Cordeel both received black and white flags in the final minutes of the session and lost their lap times, leaving them at the bottom of the timesheets. TRIDENT’s Sami Meguetounif also picked up a black and white flag, while AIX Racing’s Joshua Dürksen, Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Kush Maini, Van Amersfoort Racing’s John Bennett, and PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì all had lap times deleted for track limits violations.

The drama did not end with the chequered flag, however. After a post-session investigation, the Stewards disqualified PREMA Racing’s Sebastian Montoya for breaching Article 6.3.1 of the FIA Formula 2 Technical Regulations. Montoya’s car had less than the required 0.8kg of fuel onboard at the end of Practice.

Montoya sets the early benchmark; Martins has a strong start

As Qualifying got underway, Montoya, who was disqualified from the earlier Practice session at the Saudi Arabian GP, led the drivers onto the 41° Celsius track. With track limits having been an issue during the earlier Practice session, and with such little time separating the grid, the rest of the pack soon followed, with the drivers eager to get some times on the board with time to spare.

After just about five minutes of preparation laps, Montoya set the first representative time of the session. His 1:44.982 saw him atop the timesheets as his teammate Minì settled for second with a 1:45.33. Minì, however, quickly dropped down the order with drivers quickly improving to split the two PREMA Racing cars.

With the first third of the session complete, Victor Martins claimed P1 with a 1:44.559, with Dunne in second, 0.323 seconds behind, and Montoya in third. More than three seconds separated the top two as Browning improved to P2 with a 1:44.566 before dropping to P3 as MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe went second. Goethe’s teammate, Richard Verschoor, then went P1 with a 1:44.488, before Campos Racing rookie, Arvid Lindblad, went top with a 1:44.250. Martins then improved to 1:44.323 to claim P2, ahead of Dunne in P3 with a 1:44.404.

Lindblad top as MP Motorsport pits both drivers

Lindblad held on to P1 as MP Motorsport brought Verschoor and Goethe into the pits. The rest of the field stayed out for a third push on their older tyres but soon returned to the pit lane with just under half the session remaining, gearing up for their final runs.

Minì leads the pack on track for final 10 minutes of action

With just under 10 minutes remaining, Minì — sitting down in P17 — led the field out for their final outlaps, gearing up for a last shot at pole position. As the track cooled and the wind eased, a frantic end to F2 Qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix loomed. A Yellow or Red Flag could spell disaster for many, including both PREMA Racing drivers.

Minì struck first, clocking a 1:43.842 to jump up the order. Browning immediately responded, posting a 1:43.737 to take provisional pole. Goethe slotted into P3 with a 1:44.086, while Hitech TGR’s Dino Beganovic grabbed P4 with a 1:44.161.

Bennett brings out the Red Flag

However, the session ground to a halt when Bennett hit the barriers and stopped on track, bringing out the Red Flag with just over five minutes left on the clock. Bennett lost the rear of his car out of Turn 17, and while he escaped the incident unscathed, the incident brought his F2 Qualifying session at the Saudi Arabian GP to a premature end.

With five minutes left on the clock, the Jeddah F2 Qualifying Session resumed, with Browning holding on to the lead as the drivers put in their outlaps. Into the final two minutes of the session, however, the on-track action heated up, with the drivers improving their lap times.

Martins claims second F2 pole position

Within the final sessions of the session, Invicta Racing’s Leonardo Fornaroli set the top time, before dropping to P2 as Martins went top with a 1:43.601. Crawford, who lost the top time of the earlier Practice session, then claimed provisional pole with a 1:43.579. With the remaining drivers unable to improve their times and with the chequered flag waving, Crawford secured P1, with Martins in P2 and Fornaroli rounding out the top 3.

F2 Jeddah F2 Round Qualifying results

1. Jak Crawford 1:43.579
2. Victor Martins
3. Leonardo Fornaroli
4. Luke Browning
5. Arvid Lindblad
6. Alex Dunne
7. Pepe Martí
8. Gabriele Minì
9. Richard Verschoor
10. Roman Staněk
11. Oliver Goethe
12. Kush Maini
13. Dino Beganovic
14. Amaury Cordeel
15. Sami Meguetounif
16. Ritomo Miyata
17. Sebastian Montoya
18. Joshua Dürksen
19. Max Esterson
20. Rafael Villagómez
21. John Bennett
22. Cian Shields