After finishing tenth in qualifying overnight, Liam Lawson starts the first Formula 2 race in Saudi Arabia from the reverse-gird pole.
The Kiwi will start alongside New Zealand compatriot Marcus Armstrong, who was ninth quickest in qualifying.
The session sets the grid for the weekend’s final race – the feature – while the top ten runners are reversed for race one.
Oscar Piastri claimed pole in qualifying, thus starting race one from tenth.
The new Saudi Arabian street circuit is a steep challenge for some of the field.
The sole 45-minute practice session was littered with accidents and red flags. Several drivers crashed hard into the barriers, but all managed to set a lap in qualifying.
Despite the lack of running, Armstrong was a competitive fifth in practice while Lawson was 11th
Qualifying ran uninterrupted, and Piastri secured pole with his final effort, knocking off provisional polesitter Theo Pourchaire.
Pourchaire dropped to third following a quick last lap from Robert Shwartzman, making for a Prema 1-2.
Overtaking is expected to be reasonably tricky this weekend, putting Lawson and Armstrong in prime position to challenge for a win or podium.
That race kicks off at 1.30 am NZT on Sunday.
| Pos | Driver | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 1.40.878 |
| 2 | Robert Shwartzman | 0.165s |
| 3 | Theo Pourchaire | 0.340s |
| 4 | Christian Lundgaard | 0.419s |
| 5 | Felipe Drugovich | 0.424s |
| 6 | Guanyu Zhou | 0.472s |
| 7 | Ralph Boschung | 0.654s |
| 8 | Juri Vips | 0.732s |
| 9 | Marcus Armstrong | 0.740s |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | 0.741s |
| 11 | Dan Ticktum | 0.983s |
| 12 | Jehan Daruvala | 1.012s |
| 13 | Clement Novalak | 1.082s |
| 14 | Bent Viscaal | 1.094s |
| 15 | Roy Nissany | 1.198s |
| 16 | Jack Doohan | 1.236s |
| 17 | Marino Sato | 1.588s |
| 18 | Enzo Fittipaldi | 1.992s |
| 19 | Olli Caldwell | 2.041s |
| 20 | Guilherme Samaia | 2.544s |
| 21 | Logan Sargeant | 2.603s |
| 22 | Alessio Deledda |
