Hiyu Yamakoshi secured his first Pole position in FIA Formula 3, also marking Van Amersfoort’s first in four years.
As the green light shone, the field made their way out onto the track.
Three runs were anticipated during this session; however, this was in jeopardy due to the high track and air temperatures.
With Austria being the series’ shortest circuit of the year, congestion and traffic were immediately highlighted as key issues.
First Push Laps
Ugo Ugochukwu began his push lap, with Freddie Slater behind him proving himself as another one to watch, after being very quick in Sector 1 in this morning’s practice.
Behind them, Taito Kato was setting purple sectors, whilst Hiyu Yamakoshi topped the timesheets.
He was quickly replaced by Noah Stromsted, although Tukka Taponen and Alessandro Giusti immediately made it an MP Motorsport 1-2.
Theophile Nael was on the edge of track limits, before suffering a big moment at the penultimate corner.
Elsewhere, Slater lost his time due to track limits, whilst Stromsted was able to improve on his second push lap to go first.
Mirroring this, Taponen pushed the Trident driver down to second.
Several drivers attempted a third push lap on their tyres, however were unable to improve.
Back on Track
With many of the drivers in the pits, Yamakoshi was the next driver to take Pole, after a lap time deletion.
A brief yellow flag was waved as a marshal repositioned a bollard, which was previously knocked over by Slater.
With eight minutes remaining, the pressure was on as the remainder of the field began making their way back onto the track.
Pedro Clerot ran across the grass whilst the grid justled for track position.
Pulling away, Kato was struggling to improve, with the tyres not in the window due to track temperatures. Similarly, despite a purple Sector 1, Slater was down elsewhere, crossing the line in fourth.
Championship-leader Ugochukwu crossed the line in second.
Kato’s hopes for Pole were destroyed after suffering a spin at the final corner. A brief yellow flag was waved, however none of the drivers seemed to be put at a disadvantage.
Chequered Flag
Hiyu Yamakoshi secured his first Pole position in FIA Formula 3, also marking Van Amersfoort’s first in four years.
Ugo Ugochukwu will line up in second for Sunday’s Feature Race, with Tukka Taponen taking third.
Formula 3 will resume tomorrow for the Sprint Race, taking place at 10:05 local time.
Featured Image Credit: Formula 3 on X