MEDIABALAP.com – Arjun Maini completed the morning session of the FIA Formula 2 Championship on top of the timesheets, as the Trident driver clocked in a 1:42.779 lap to enter the break ahead of ART Grand Prix’s Jack Aitken and Nyck de Vries of PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing.

The competitors were once again greeted with perfect conditions, scrambling to get on track as soon as the green flag was waved. Maini and Trident teammate Santino Ferrucci were first to reach the circuit, followed in hot pursuit by Charouz Racing System’s Louis Delétraz.

Luca Ghiotto (Campos Vexatec Racing) set the early pace, before trading best times with Delétraz in the opening stages of the session. Intruding on their fight for dominance, George Russell (ART Grand Prix) soon displaced the pair from the top before the Swiss driver took six tenths out of his rival to raise the bar further.

Maini then became the first driver to dip below the 1m43s marker, shading Delétraz by almost half a second to end the first hour on top. Artem Markelov brought out a red flag for a spin at Turn 8 shortly after, but the ensuing burst of running after the session restarted was not enough to end the Indian driver’s stranglehold on the timing screens.

Alexander Albon (DAMS) brought out a second red flag having stopped at the entry to the pitlane, before Aitken provided Maini’s sternest opposition yet having closed to within three tenths of the fastest lap. The final fifteen minutes brought out a final dash of activity, but Maini’s time proved to be unbeatable at the close of the session, with Aitken beating de Vries to second.

Ghiotto ended the session fourth best ahead of Delétraz, with Russell and compatriot Lando Norris (Carlin) sixth and seventh. Maximilian Günther (BWT Arden) beat Tadasuke Makino (RUSSIAN TIME) to ninth, with both edging ahead of Arden’s Nirei Fukuzumi.

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