Briton takes qualifying clean sweep as Afanasiev and Bratt complete the top three

Jolyon Palmer stormed to his second pole of the weekend in Monza, the Briton becoming the only driver to dip under the 1m40s bracket after a fantastic lap five minutes from the end of the session.

Palmer’s effort means he is currently on for the coveted clean sweep after taking pole and victory in the opening race.

Behind him Sergey Afanasiev took second, just over two tenths adrift, after the Lukoil-backed racer briefly held top spot. With times tumbling rapidly during the overboost enabled session, Palmer produced his stunning late flyer to relegate his Russian rival down to second. Such was the speed during the session that Palmer’s benchmark was nearly two seconds faster than Mihai Marinescu’s pole time from yesterday.

"Monza has been a good track for me so far!," Palmer said. "I’ve never been here before this weekend but I’ve really got to grips with it, I love the place and it couldn’t be going any better so far. I just got a good lap together and used my boosts perfectly – a two second improvement was more than I thought, but it was a great lap."

Although Afanasiev was pipped to pole, the Russian will be pleased to have bounced back from a difficult weekend so far. Having missed qualifying one due to illness, Afanasiev went on to carve his way through the field in today’s opening race, only to crash out in disappointment late on.

Will Bratt has enjoyed a fantastic day at Monza – a circuit which holds special memories for him having clinched the Euroseries 3000 crown here last October. The young Briton narrowly finished outside the podium positions in the earlier race after starting from tenth on the grid, and he continued with his good form to take third in qualifying two this afternoon.

Championship leader Philipp Eng clinched fourth narrowly ahead of Mihai Marinescu and Kelvin Snoeks – incredibly the trio were covered by just 0.011s. Home driver Nicola De Marco took seventh away from Kazim Vasiliauskas, although both drivers were hoping to be closer to the front.

Johan Jokinen and Dean Stoneman rounded out the top ten after setting exactly the same time – Jokinen will line-up in ninth however, as he set his lap time shortly before the Briton. Having set the fastest race lap earlier today, Jokinen had been targeting pole position, but he lost critical time after unfortunately being held up by Plamen Kralev on his flying lap.

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Briton captures second win of 2010 ahead of Stoneman and Vasiliauskas

Jolyon Palmer delivered an assured performance to clinch his second win of the season in the opening race at Monza.

Starting from pole, Palmer made a solid start to keep the lead into the first corner before second placed Johan Jokinen boosted past the 19-year-old on the run down to the second chicane. The Dane’s joy was to be short lived however, as he received a drive through penalty from the race stewards. Jokinen had unfortunately stalled his car on the green flag lap, and he then broke the rules as he filtered back through the field prior to the start. It was a bitter blow for the talented racer as he handed the lead back to Palmer on lap eight.

Almost simultaneously Mihai Marinescu made contact with the rear of Jack Clarke’s car in a fight for fifth place. The Romanian racer slipstreamed his British rival across the start/finish line, but the pair clashed as Clarke moved to the right. Clarke hit the barrier and was left stranded on the edge of the circuit, which required a safety car period to clear up the mess.

Dean Stoneman became Palmer’s main rival after the restart – the Marrakech race winner having enjoyed a storming start to the race to move from eighth on the grid to fourth on the opening lap. He later made a stellar pass on Kazim Vasiliauskas for third position, which then became second after Jokinen’s penalty and he quickly set about attacking Palmer for the lead – the pair even making contact during the safety car period!

Palmer was able to hold on in the closing stages, however, with his victory setting up a fascinating championship battle with just two points separating Philipp Eng, Dean Stoneman and Palmer in the overall standings.

"It wasn’t an easy one," Palmer admitted. "When Johan came through the pits, I was leading with a comfortable gap. The safety car changed everything and after the restart the car wasn’t feeling as good, but I had a lot of boosts left. The closing stages were tense, Dean was right behind me and I was delighted to keep him there."

Meanwhile, Kazim Vasiliauskas held a comfortable third ahead of Will Bratt with eleven laps to go. Bratt’s race included a number of smart moves from tenth on the grid. The fight for fifth was frantic as Mihai Marinescu, Ricardo Teixeira, Jack Clarke, Philipp Eng, Benjamin Bailly and Sergey Afanasiev all enjoyed spells fighting for the position.

Clarke was eliminated following the aforementioned shunt, whilst Eng blew his chances after overshooting the chicane at turn one. Lukoil-backed Afanasiev had an amazing race – fighting from 21st on the grid to sixth after missing yesterday’s qualifying session due to illness. The Russian racer couldn’t resist trying to go one better however, and with two laps to go he made a late lunge on Marinescu at Parabolica. Afanasiev unfortunately outbraked himself and spun wildly into the middle of the circuit, which caught out the following Teixeira. The Angolan hit Afanasiev’s stranded car and the pair were both eliminated from the race in heart breaking fashion. The clash left Marinescu clear to take fifth ahead of Bailly, whilst the recovering Jokinen took an impressive seventh.

Benjamin Lariche, Paul Rees and Plamen Kralev completed the points paying positions as a number of other drivers crashed out of the contest. Nicola De Marco and Armaan Ebrahim retired in separate incidents on the opening lap – De Marco having made an overzealous attempt to make progress at the first corner. Natalia Kowalska and Parthiva Sureshwaren were the other non-finishers after the pair made contact late on.

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Briton captures second pole of season with late effort in Italy

Jolyon Palmer captured his second pole of the season after recording a storming late lap around the legendary Monza circuit.

Palmer’s effort eclipsed Johan Jokinen by just 0.074s in what was an incredibly close session, with the top 16 covered by less than one second. Jokinen had looked on course for a maiden F2 pole but was forced to settle for second, narrowly ahead of Romania’s Mihai Marinescu.

Pole position for Palmer will add extra spice to the championship race, as lead duo Philipp Eng and Dean Stoneman could only manage eleventh and eighth respectively.

"It’s good for the championship," said Palmer. "Obviously I didn’t have such a great points scoring round in Marrakech and they (Eng and Stoneman) were really on form, so it’s nice that they’re not here and I’m on pole. It should hopefully give me a good boost for the championship after this round."

Kazim Vasiliauskas was close to scoring his first top three grid slot of the campaign, but the Lithuanian had to settle for a place on the outside of row two after being squeezed out late on. Nicola De Marco equalled his best qualifying result of the season with fifth as the Italian continued to show good form at his home circuit.

Ricardo Teixeira bounced back impressively from his massive Marrakech accident to put in one of the best qualifying performances of his career – the Angolan took sixth ahead of Armaan Ebrahim and Dean Stoneman.

British duo Jack Clarke and Will Bratt were separated by just 0.014s in ninth and tenth respectively. Bratt was the first driver to set a time on new rubber in the final 15 minutes and the 22-year-old briefly held third. With his tyres seemingly past their best however while other drivers‘ were in their prime, Bratt dropped to tenth in the latter stages. Just six tenths of a second covered the top ten in what turned out to be the closest qualifying session of the season.

A disappointed championship leader Philipp Eng will only line up on the sixth row of the grid for the weekend’s opening race. Although there seemed to be no immediate reason for Eng’s lack of pace, it is worth remembering that he was still only 0.660s off Palmer’s pole time. With a 19 point lead over Stoneman in the standings and a further eight point advantage over Palmer, Eng will surely be one to watch tomorrow as he tries to carve his way through the order.

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 5 & 6 – Monza, Italy – Qualifying One Provisional Classification:

1. Jolyon Palmer, 1:41.722s
2. Johan Jokinen, +0.074s
3. Mihai Marinescu, +0.188s
4. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.232s
5. Nicola De Marco, +0.357s
6. Ricardo Teixeira, +0.429s
7. Armaan Ebrahim, +0.470s
8. Dean Stoneman, +0.553s
9. Jack Clarke, +0.626s
10. Will Bratt, +0.640s

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Italian tops timesheets for first time in 2010 at home venue

Nicola De Marco set the pace in the second free practice session in Monza, the Italian setting a fantastic late lap to go fastest in the final two sectors and seal his first top spot of 2010.

De Marco’s late effort relegated Jolyon Palmer to second, Palmer having made a late surge of his own to claim the top spot with less than five minutes of the session remaining. Benjamin Bailly was third as the Belgian racer was in a particularly aggressive mood. Bailly was one of several drivers to make use of the long straights to slipstream by other competitors – he stormed by Ajith Kumar on the run down to turn one late on as he started his own flying lap.

The session ended a few seconds ahead of schedule when Russian racer Sergey Afanasiev made heavy contact with the barrier on the exit of Ascari. Afanasiev ran wide through the tricky left hander, catching the gravel on the outside and ending up in the barrier at high speed. His car eventually came to a halt back on the circuit, but the race director brought out the chequered flag with less than a minute remaining as it was impossible for any driver to improve their times.

Armaan Ebrahim enjoyed his best session of the season, as he set the fourth quickest time – just 0.015s behind Bailly. Philipp Eng led the way for much of the running, but the Austrian had to settle for fourth after the late flurry of improvements at the head of the field. Johan Jokinen took sixth ahead of Afanasiev, who set his fastest time on the lap prior to his accident.

This morning’s pace-setter Kazim Vasiliauskas could only manage eighth, ahead of Marrakech race winner Dean Stoneman and Dutchman Kelvin Snoeks.

Several runners had moments at either the turn one or turn four chicanes, with Jack Clarke in particular having a number of difficulties. The young Briton was eventually given a black and white warning flag for repeatedly straight lining the first chicane. Johan Jokinen, Natalia Kowalska, Ajith Kumar, Kazim Vasiliauskas, Ricardo Teixeira and Plamen Kralev were among those who also missed a chicane on at least one occasion.

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Lithuanian sets pace shortly before spinning out of session

Kazim Vasiliauskas has set the pace for the first time this season in the opening free practice session at Monza.

The Lithuanian completed the quickest lap in the final five minutes, shortly before his session ended with a spin at turn one. Kazim was a consistent frontrunner during the opening stages and he managed to head the field with a late push. He then made a final attempt to better his own benchmark, but he outbraked himself at turn one and spun on entry to the tight chicane. He unfortunately stalled the car and was unable to contest the final moments, although his time remained at the top of the timesheets.

Vasiliauskas has happy memories of Italy having taken his maiden F2 victory at Imola last season, and the youngster is eager to get his 2010 championship charge in full swing this weekend.

Mihai Marinescu expressed his own ’special‘ relationship with Monza having fallen in love with motorsport whilst watching the Italian Grand Prix here back in 1999. The Romanian has since contested several races at the circuit in both Formula BMW and Formula Renault, and his experience paid off in free practice. The 21-year-old topped the times for much of the session, before having to settle for second at the finish.

Lukoil-backed Sergey Afanasiev has scored points in every race so far this season, including a podium at Silverstone, and the young Russian continued his good form here today by securing third – just 0.006s behind Marinescu.

An incredible run of closely fought times continued down the order as less than three tenths of a second separated second through to tenth. Championship leader Philipp Eng pipped Johan Jokinen to fourth, whilst Jolyon Palmer took sixth from Benjamin Bailly by seven thousandths of a second. Nicola De Marco, Will Bratt and Paul Rees rounded out the top ten.

Ajith Kumar endured a tough session as the Indian crashed out midway through the 30 minutes of running. He ran wide at the exit of Ascari before being spat back across the circuit as he tried to correct the car. He made contact with the barrier on the inside of the track – ending his session on the spot. Plamen Kralev spun out of the action in the final minute, whilst Jack Clarke was one of a number of drivers who continued after overshooting a chicane.

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 5 & 6 – Monza, Italy – Free Practice One Provisional Classification:

1. Kazim Vasiliauskas, 1:41.950s
2. Mihai Marinescu, +0.374s
3. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.380s
4. Philipp Eng, +0.459s
5. Johan Jokinen, +0.481s
6. Jolyon Palmer, +0.516s
7. Benjamin Bailly, +0.523s
8. Nicola De Marco, +0.533s
9. Will Bratt, +0.584s
10. Paul Rees, +0.636s

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Philipp Eng takes hard fought race two win
Austrian withstands heavy pressure from Stoneman to take second victory of season

Philipp Eng recorded an extremely hard fought win in the second race at Marrakech, the Austrian withstanding heavy pressure from a charging Dean Stoneman to clinch his second victory of the year and extend his lead in the championship standings.

Stoneman, who has been a frontrunner all weekend, got a bad start from second and had to work his way back past Johan Jokinen before he was able to mount a race-long pursuit of Eng. He closed several times but was unable to find a way through, despite some dramatic moments in the final few corners of the race.

Will Bratt inherited third after Jokinen suffered a collision with the barriers at the first chicane along the back straight, although the Briton made a great move on Kazim Vasiliauskas earlier in the race.

The race got off to a dramatic start when Ricardo Teixeira rode up the back of Russian racer Ivan Samarin’s car at high speed on the back straight. As the pack approached the chicane for the first time, Teixeira’s car became airborne following the impact and flipped over. Fortunately for the Angolan driver his car landed on all four wheels and he was able to walk away from a frightening accident. Ivan Samarin, Benjamin Bailly, Parthiva Sureshwaren and Nicola De Marco were all taken out in the incident and a lengthy safety car period followed. Jack Clarke was another driver who failed to complete the opening lap, after the Briton – who had impressed during the weekend – was struck by a technical problem.

The race restarted with just 14 minutes on the clock remaining, so the field were eager to get straight back into the action. Eng led away from Jokinen and Stoneman while Bratt and Vasiliauskas battled behind. Armaan Ebrahim held an impressive sixth position, under pressure from Jolyon Palmer.

Lithuanian Vasiliauskas moved into fourth after Will Bratt ran wide, but the Briton responded by putting his overboost button to good use and he blasted back past his rival a few laps later. Palmer had dropped back to ninth after the restart but he set about charging back through the field with good moves on Paul Rees and Sergey Afanasiev.

Jokinen threw away a comfortable podium position late on when he hit the barrier on the back straight chicane, leaving the Dane with a feeling of ‚what could have been‘ this weekend after crashing out from third place on two occasions in Marrakech.

Stoneman relentlessly reeled in Eng up front – the two drivers again proving to be the class of the field, but the Englishman made several failed attempts to get by. The duo touched twice in a frenetic fight to the finish, as Stoneman made one last attempt on the final lap. He couldn’t quite manage the pass however, and Eng hung on to take his third victory in Formula Two.

Bratt took a well deserved third ahead of Vasiliauskas, and Palmer clinched an impressive fifth after eventually taking the place from Ebrahim. Afanasiev and Rees finished seventh and eighth respectively after running together for the majority of the race, whilst Kelvin Snoeks and Benjamin Lariche completed the points paying positions.

Philipp Eng said: “I’m always saying the race was tough, but this time it was really tough! After the safety car Dean got past Johan, then he made up some ground and from there on it was really close racing – I was just watching my mirrors on every straight to see if he used his boost. We touched one or two times but it was fair, and I was very happy at the end when the chequered flag came out. I’m always trying my best, and I’m always trying to get the best out of myself in every race, so I just want to continue the season like this.”

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Eng edges out Palmer in race two
Austrian holds off late charge to take first win of 2010

Philipp Eng resisted a spirited challenge by Jolyon Palmer to clinch his first victory of 2010, the Austrian taking the chequered flag by just 0.8 seconds.

Eng, who started from pole, enjoyed a solid start to carry his lead into the first corner and build a gap on the opening lap. He was soon pegged back, first by Dean Stoneman and later by Palmer, but he remained calm to seal victory.

It was almost a perfect weekend for Palmer, who instead had to settle for victory in the opening race and second in race two. The 19-year-old attacked Eng as they ran down to Copse for the first time, but the Austrian blocked his move and Dean Stoneman seized the opportunity to drive around the outside of his compatriot into second.

There was more action behind when Sergey Afanasiev dented his chances of replicating his podium form in race one, as the Russian ran wide at Copse and dropped back to eighth. His fellow countryman Ivan Samarin had a wild spin at Becketts and returned to the track at the back of the pack as the frenetic opening lap continued.

Things began to settle in the order after two laps although Stoneman set about closing Eng down. After eight laps the Englishman had reduced the gap to less than half a second, but he slowed on the Hangar Straight shortly after. He eventually retired in the pits with mechanical problems, which allowed Palmer back into second.

Palmer slowly chipped away at the gap ahead and he was just over 0.4s behind as the lead duo began their penultimate lap, some 15 seconds ahead of the fight for third. Comma-backed Palmer had a slight slide coming through the complex however, and he seemingly settled for second on the final lap.

"It was a very tough race," said Eng. "Jolyon was pushing very hard and for me it was like qualifying every single lap, because I was always trying to get the maximum out of the car. I would have liked to get a podium in the first race – anyway I won this race and fourth in the first race is a good effort."

Third place was equally tense when positions changed late on after Johan Jokinen charged down Jack Clarke. The Danish driver got a good run down the Hangar Straight in the latter stages, and he slid calmly down the inside of Clarke when his rival ran wide at Stowe. Although Clarke will have been slightly frustrated to have lost out on a maiden podium, he can be pleased with his best performance and result of his Formula Two career so far.

Will Bratt admitted he is still learning how to get the best out of the Williams JPH1B, but the Oxford-based racer drove another consistent race to take his second top six finish of the day. He took fifth ahead of Afanasiev and Kazim Vasiliauskas. Mihai Marinescu and Armaan Ebrahim were eighth and ninth respectively, whilst Nicola De Marco took the final point after eventually getting the better of Frenchman Benjamin Lariche.

With the championship next visiting Marrakech, Morocco, for its first ever street race and maiden event outside of Europe in two weeks time, Jolyon Palmer currently heads the standings ahead of Philipp Eng and Sergey Afanasiev.

"As soon as Dean had his problem I just went all out to attack Philipp, I caught him up quite quickly initially but I think he probably responded. We were both setting good times at the end of the race which made it quite hard for me to make inroads. I am still pleased with second and it’s been a good weekend.

"Pre-season testing was really positive, I’ve been at the sharp end the whole time and it’s reflected in this weekend. I am really happy with the weekend and it’s above all my expectations."

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 1 & 2 – Silverstone, UK – Race 2 Classification:

1. Philipp Eng, 23 laps
2. Jolyon Palmer, +0.807s
3. Johan Jokinen, +16.230s
4. Jack Clarke, +20.571s
5. Will Bratt, +21.418s
6. Sergey Afanasiev, +28.067s
7. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +33.443s
8. Mihai Marinescu, +35.331s
9. Armaan Ebrahim, +45.026s
10. Nicola De Marco, +46.849s

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Jolyon Palmer takes historic maiden victory
Briton follows father as Formula Two race winner

Jolyon Palmer took a historic maiden win in Formula Two in the opening race of the season at Silverstone today, the Briton keeping a cool head to control the race from lights-to-flag.

Dean Stoneman was able to exert steady pressure on Palmer during the opening series of laps, but lost ground after a spin at Becketts in the mid stages. Such was the dominance of the top two however, that Stoneman was able to return to the track and maintain second position, eventually finishing the race little over three seconds behind Palmer.

Palmer’s victory is the first for a British driver in the new era of Formula Two and he becomes the first Brit to take a win since his father Jonathan won in Mugello, Italy, in 1983. The former F2 champion and Chief Executive of MotorSport Vision was at Silverstone today to witness his son’s success and hand an ecstatic Jolyon his trophy at the end of the race.

"It’s fantastic, all I could have hoped for really," said Jolyon. "I was under pressure at the start but managed to hold it off and get a small gap. Then I was just concentrating on saving my tyres for the last laps, not making any mistakes and trying to keep focused. I am really delighted with my first F2 win."

The race played into Palmer’s hands from the start, with the 19-year-old enjoying a fantastic getaway off the line whilst his fellow front row racer Johan Jokinen bogged down. Stoneman nipped into second as Jokinen, Afanasiev and Philipp Eng went three wide down to turn one. Afanasiev won the battle into Copse and Jokinen then endured a trip across the grass at Becketts – dropping to 13th place in the process.

Afanasiev and Eng were joined by Kazim Vasiliauskas after the Lithuanian got by Will Bratt, and the trio fought for position in the early stages, allowing Palmer and Stoneman to pull out a gap. Eng and Vasiliauskas could not match Afanasiev’s pace as the race wore on however, and all three drivers maintained position until the finish, which gave Russian driver Afanasiev a podium on his F2 debut.

Will Bratt experienced a lonely sixth place, more than 11 seconds ahead of Mihai Marinescu and Armaan Ebrahim. With Formula Two following the new F1 points system for 2010 it means that points are awarded to the top ten drivers in each race, which will be some consolation for series returnee Nicola De Marco who took ninth ahead of debutant Benjamin Lariche.

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 1 & 2 – Silverstone, UK – Race 1 Classification:
1. Jolyon Palmer, 23 laps
2. Dean Stoneman, +3.011s
3. Sergey Afanasiev, +7.084s
4. Philipp Eng, +9.932s
5. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +11.581s
6. Will Bratt, +12.383s
7. Mihai Marinescu, +23.825s
8. Armaan Ebrahim, +26.881s
9. Nicola De Marco, +31.843s
10. Benjamin Lariche, +34.242s

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Philipp Eng secures Silverstone pole
Austrian racer leads Jolyon Palmer and Dean Stoneman

Philipp Eng set the quickest time in qualifying two at Silverstone this afternoon (Saturday) and will start tomorrow’s second F2 race from pole position.

Provisional pole position changed hands no few than five times in the final twelve minutes as Sergey Afanasiev, Johan Jokinen and Jolyon Palmer were amongst those to have set a benchmark time at one stage.

The session took the familiar theme of drivers using worn tyres for the first half of the session, before switching to new rubber for a shootout in the final stages. With five minutes remaining Jack Clarke led from Johan Jokinen and Tom Gladdis, but it seemed the trio had used their fresh tyres too early.

With the circuit improving lap by lap, Eng quickly moved into second and jumped up to first soon after. Palmer made a mistake and ruined his overboost enabled lap, but with no extra power to call upon the Englishman still impressively managed to take second shortly after.

Speaking after the session, a delighted Eng said: "I think I used the boost quite cleverly and that helped me do the best time of the session. At times in Q1 the time difference was quite big so I wasn’t happy, but I obviously improved from first to second qualifying. Now I am in a good position, and with two good starts I have a good chance in both races."

Dean Stoneman was the only runner left on circuit to have a realistic chance of stealing pole, and everything was on course when the 19-year-old set the fastest first sector overall on his final lap. He followed that up with a personal best in sector two, but with pole seemingly at his mercy Stoneman locked up going into Abbey and could only take third at the finish.

Behind the lead trio, Jack Clarke was again impressive as he enjoyed his best qualifying session in F2. The ex-Formula Palmer Audi driver has shown much improved pace during pre-season testing and the 22-year-old will be pleased to have backed that up in qualifying.

Johan Jokinen and Tom Gladdis complete the line-up for row three, ahead of Will Bratt and early pacesetter Sergey Afanasiev. Lithuanian star Kazim Vasiliauskas could only manage ninth as he continues to acclimatise to the upgraded Williams JPH1B F2 car, whilst Mihai Marinescu completed the top ten order.

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 1 & 2 – Silverstone, UK – Qualifying 2 Provisional Classification:
1. Philipp Eng, 1:36.992s
2. Jolyon Palmer, +0.020s
3. Dean Stoneman, +0.104s
4. Jack Clarke, +0.205s
5. Johan Jokinen, +0.250s
6. Tom Gladdis, +0.428s
7. Will Bratt, +0.447s
8. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.594s
9. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +0.782s
10. Mihai Marinescu, +0.897s

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Jolyon Palmer claims dramatic pole position
Briton takes maiden pole in final seconds of opening qualifying session

Jolyon Palmer claimed a dramatic pole position for the opening round of the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship at Silverstone today (Saturday), after the young Briton set the quickest time in the final seconds of the session.

Johan Jokinen looked to have claimed top spot on his F2 qualifying debut, but the Danish driver had to settle for second following Palmer’s last gasp effort. Dean Stoneman led the session at the halfway stage, but ended up third at the finish.

"It feels fantastic," said Jolyon. "This year I feel a lot more confident, I’ve found more pace in the car and I’m really happy with that pole."

The 30 minutes of action began in frenetic fashion with Ivan Samarin, Benjamin Lariche, Jolyon Palmer and Johan Jokinen all spending time at the top during the opening ten minutes. As the majority of cars pitted for new rubber at the halfway stage, Dean Stoneman enjoyed the freedom of the circuit to set the quickest time of the session so far.

Jokinen hit the top with ten minutes remaining, followed by Stoneman, Palmer and series returnee Philipp Eng. Russian racer Sergey Afanasiev then briefly moved into second before a flurry of changes were made to the top order.

Eng went on to set the fastest first sector overall and his personal best in the second section of the track, before a small mistake late on prevented him from improving. He did however better his time shortly after, only to be pipped again by Palmer who was building up his pace in the final moments.

Palmer was one of the last drivers to cross the line as the chequered flag waved and his lap was good enough to secure a fantastic pole position – his first in Formula Two. Eng dropped to fourth behind Jokinen and Stoneman, whilst Afanasiev completed the top five.

"I think the winter testing really helped me," Palmer noted during the press conference. "From there I really haven’t looked back. Confidence has grown since then, and now every time I go in the car I’m looking to be right up at the sharp end – it’s completely different to how I started out last year.

"Tomorrow morning, going down to the first corner, will be crazy. I think tomorrow will certainly be hard, there’s a lot of quick guys around me, but hopefully I can keep my head down in front and hold on for the win."

Will Bratt enjoyed a steady introduction to F2 qualifying and will be happy to take a top six grid slot at his home circuit, whilst Kazim Vasiliauskas improved late on to take seventh. Jack Clarke, Mihai Marinescu and Benjamin Lariche rounded out the top ten.

The session passed largely without incident although Ajith Kumar endured a brief spin and Tom Gladdis returned to the circuit after a trip through the gravel.

FIA Formula Two Championship – Rounds 1 & 2 – Silverstone, UK. Qualifying 1 Provisional Classification:
1. Jolyon Palmer, 1:36.380s
2. Johan Jokinen, +0.141s
3. Dean Stoneman, +0.327s
4. Philipp Eng, +0.676s
5. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.708s
6. Will Bratt, +1.010s
7. Kazim Vasiliauskas, +1.088s
8. Jack Clarke, +1.117s
9. Mihai Marinescu, +1.151s
10. Benjamin Lariche, +1.193s

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Johan Jokinen dominates Silverstone free practice two
Danish driver sets the afternoon pace after Stoneman tops morning session

Johan Jokinen has set the pace during the second free practice session of the day at Silverstone, after recording a lap time more than four tenths quicker than the rest of the field.

Such was Jokinen’s dominance that the 19-year-old set two laps faster than his closest rivals, as he immediately bettered his own 1:37.9s benchmark to record a pacesetting 1:37.851s lap time with just over five minutes of the session remaining.

Jolyon Palmer and Sergey Afanasiev were second and third respectively – continuing their impressive pre-season testing form. Kelvin Snoeks proved to be the surprise package during the 30 minutes of action, as the Dutchman set the fastest first sector of any driver and finished fourth overall.

British drivers completed fifth through to seventh places on the timesheet, with Tom Gladdis, Will Bratt and Jack Clarke separated by little over one tenth of a second. Philipp Eng meanwhile was just 0.034s behind Clarke in eighth. Clarke was also involved in a strange incident when he had a minor coming together with another competitor at Abbey, although both cars continued without damage. Mihai Marinescu and Armaan Ebrahim rounded out the top ten.

Lithuanian Kazim Vasiliauskas finished 11^th this afternoon, as he continues to get up to speed on his F2 return having missed the full pre-season testing programme. RACB-backed Belgian racer Benjamin Bailly slotted in behind Vasiliauskas, followed by Dean Stoneman – who also spun at the exit of Copse during the session.

Indian trio Parthiva Sureshwaren, Ajith Kumar and Armaan Ebrahim all endured off track moments, whilst Plamen Kralev spun at Becketts.

As the chequered flag waved, Danish driver Jokinen was already watching from the pitwall after ending his session with a few minutes to go. Reflecting on another strong showing, Jokinen said: "Everything just fell into place in this session. The car felt great on the circuit, the set up was almost perfect for the circuit now as it is now, and when I went out on new tyres everything seemed to just flow.

"In the first session I focussed on trying to do a race simulation and that went very well, so in the second I made it my aim to go for a fast lap – I needed to see if the set up was that good, and clearly it was! My overall goal is to win the championship, so of course as it is now I’m clearly going for the win – with a four tenths lead over the other guys it would be mad not to go for it!"

Earlier in the day Dean Stoneman set the quickest time during the first free practice session, the Briton finishing just 0.090s faster than compatriot Jack Clarke. Philipp Eng was third ahead of the impressive Jokinen, with Afanasiev and Gladdis again placed within the top six.

2010 FIA Formula Two Championship – Silverstone – Free Practice 2:

1. Johan Jokinen, 1:37.851s
2. Jolyon Palmer, +0.408s
3. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.538s
4. Kelvin Snoeks, +0.561s
5. Tom Gladdis, +0.609s
6. Will Bratt, +0.624s
7. Jack Clarke, +0.752s
8. Philipp Eng, +0.786s
9. Mihai Marinescu, +0.930s
10. Armaan Ebrahim, +1.043s

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Jolyon Palmer finishes fastest at Silverstone
Briton pips Dean Stoneman to clinch top spot in final pre-season test

Jolyon Palmer ensured he ended the final pre-season test of 2010 at the top of the timesheets after a series of blistering laps in the closing stages of the day.

Palmer’s late surge meant fellow Briton Dean Stoneman had to settle for second spot, with Johan Jokinen and Philipp Eng close behind. The result completes an impressive pre-season for Palmer, who also topped the morning session today and the first day of testing at Snetterton.

Times quickly tumbled in the final session as the overboost facility – which gives drivers an extra 55bhp for six second spells – was actuated, and several drivers occupied the top spot as the session progressed.

At the midpoint of the session it appeared Philipp Eng had done enough to clinch the fastest lap, the Austrian setting a best effort of 1:37.198s. In the final ten minutes Eng dropped to fourth, however, as Palmer, Stoneman and Jokinen all managed to trump his initial benchmark.

Behind Eng, a trio of British drivers accounted for fifth through to seventh as Will Bratt, Tom Gladdis and Jack Clarke ensured all five Britons finished inside the top seven. Bratt posted his fastest time, a 1:37.313s, on his final tour of the circuit, pipping Gladdis to fifth spot by just over two hundredths of a second, whilst Clarke edged out Italy’s Nicola De Marco by just 0.024s to claim seventh.

Behind De Marco, Russia’s Sergey Afanasiev and Romanian Mihai Marinescu completed the top ten. Armaan Ebrahim finished 11th, missing out on a top ten berth by just two thousandths of a second – the narrowest gap in the entire field.

Jolyon Palmer said: "It has been another really good day and this one is probably more important being as we have an event here at the weekend. Having topped three of the four sessions today, I am certainly more confident this year and I am pushing a lot harder. I really want to win this weekend now and I think it’s possible. Prior to pre-season I would have been happy getting a few podiums but now I feel I can aim higher than that."

Dean Stoneman said: "It wasn’t too bad today. I am here to aim for the title, but I suppose we will know more at the weekend. We will have to wait to see what the situation is come the race weekend as we don’t who was on new tyres today, but it went pretty well. This is a good circuit for the F2 car – I haven’t done too many laps before on the Grand Prix circuit, but it felt good and I’m looking forward to the weekend."

Johan Jokinen said: "I have never raced here or even seen the place before – except on the TV of course! It took a few laps to get used to the circuit but I felt pretty good after the first session and was ready to start pushing harder. Of course, the overall times are not that important yet and the main focus has been to find a set-up that works for me, while also being fast at the same time, and we seem to be very close on both fronts."

Formula Two Test – Silverstone, United Kingdom, 12 April – Overall Combined Results:

1. Jolyon Palmer, 1:36.576s
2. Dean Stoneman, +0.113s
3. Johan Jokinen, +0.451s
4. Philipp Eng, +0.622s
5. Will Bratt, +0.737s
6. Tom Gladdis, +0.759s
7. Jack Clarke, +0.968s
8. Nicola De Marco, +0.992s
9. Sergey Afanasiev, +1.028s
10. Mihai Marinescu, +1.113s

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Briton leads Afanasiev and Palmer after opening test of 2010

Dean Stoneman enjoyed a superb maiden run in Formula Two to end fastest after the first two official days of testing at Snetterton on 6-7 April.

Stoneman, 19, posted a benchmark time of 58.535s early in the second morning, and remained fastest for the rest of the day despite the best efforts of Sergey Afanasiev and fellow Briton Jolyon Palmer – both of whom finished within one tenth of Stoneman’s time.

Russia’s Afanasiev also set his fastest time during the morning running of the second day, and he ended the test just 0.066s shy of Stoneman’s time. Palmer was a further 0.033s behind Afanasiev, the Briton having topped the timesheets himself after the opening day of the test.

With every Williams JPH1B F2 car being maintained to an exact equal standard the closeness of the field was once again in full evidence, with the top 14 drivers all covered by less than one second and the entire field separated by just over 2.6 seconds.

Behind the lead trio Denmark’s Johan Jokinen set the fourth fastest time ahead of series returnee Armaan Ebrahim, whilst Tom Gladdis rounded out the top six with a best effort little over three tenths of a second off Stoneman.

Seventh to 11th were then separated by less than one tenth, with Mihai Marinescu heading the British duo of Paul Rees and Jack Clarke. Benjamin Bailly rounded out the top ten by the narrowest of margins, the young Belgian’s best effort edging out Will Bratt by just 0.001s.

Philipp Eng confirmed his reputation as a genuine title challenger after topping the timesheets on several occasions during a strong opening day, although he could not quite replicate such form on day two. Elsewhere Nicola De Marco, Ricardo Teixeira and Jose Alonso Liste all enjoyed spells within the top ten.

The two day test also featured one wet session at the end of the final day, with Russia’s Ivan Samarin finishing fastest in the wet running ahead of Nicola De Marco and Jolyon Palmer.

Dean Stoneman said: "I’m happy with today -  I have been concentrating on my own programme, but it is still good to go fastest. We tried out a new tyre just to see where we stood and how they affected the set-up of the car, and it seemed that today’s early conditions were better than yesterday. You don’t really ever know what to expect until the first qualifying session of the first round, but I’m here to win and I’ll certainly be going all out for the championship."

Formula Two Test – Snetterton, United Kingdom 6/7 April – Combined Results:

1. Dean Stoneman, 58.535s
2. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.066s
3. Jolyon Palmer, +0.099s
4. Johan Jokinen, +0.331s
5. Armaan Ebrahim, +0.336s
6. Tom Gladdis, +0.387s
7. Mihai Marinescu, +0.602s
8. Paul Rees, +0.662s
9. Jack Clarke, +0.667s
10. Benjamin Bailly, +0.694s

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19-year-old Jolyon Palmer topped the opening F2 test of 2010, as the young Briton headed both Philipp Eng and Johan Jokinen at Snetterton today (Tuesday).

Palmer set the ultimate pace in the final hour of the day as Eng finally relinquished top spot, which he had held for much of the running. The Austrian tried to respond and became the only driver to dip under the one minute barrier in both the morning and afternoon, but he fell short of Palmer’s effort by just 0.155s.

Danish driver Johan Jokinen completed his rise through the top ten by taking third late on, whilst Dean Stoneman’s morning lap time of 59.951s remained good enough for fourth overall at the finish. Will Bratt – who recently contested the GP2 Asia Series – was a consistent top six runner throughout the day and ended up fifth fastest ahead of Kelvin Snoeks. Dutchman Snoeks improved as the day progressed and eventually set his quickest time on his 99^th and final lap.

Belgium’s Benjamin Bailly was seventh, ahead of Sergey Afanasiev – the Russian making progress late on during his first day of driving a Williams JPH1B. 2009 F2 returnees Tom Gladdis and Armaan Ebrahim completed the top ten, whilst Formula Palmer Audi graduate Jose Alonso Liste and F2 debutant Mihai Marinescu finished in 11^th and 12^th respectively.

Alonso Liste completed an impressive 110 laps during the day – the most of any driver – but it was a positive day for the majority of runners, as more than 1,800 laps and 5,600 kms were clocked during the season’s opening pre-season test day.

Jolyon Palmer said: "It was a good lap – I had the pace for the whole day so it was nice to end on top of the timesheets. Track conditions weren’t perfect but the car certainly feels better than last year. That is two test days that I have topped now so my expectations are certainly changing – hopefully that will continue and that I can be a challenger for the championship."

Philipp Eng said: "I am happy with the day – I was quickest in the morning and also went quick in the afternoon. I had some red flags just after I had put new tyres on the car in the afternoon, but it is not a problem. It is good that we’re up there but really I was not focussing too much on the time. The season is very long so I am concentrating on developing the car further and improving as much as possible."

The field will enjoy a further four hours of running tomorrow (Wednesday) and the Formula Two website will be back with live timing and reports from 9am (UK time).

Formula Two Test – Snetterton, United Kingdom 6/7 April – Day One Combined Results:

1. Jolyon Palmer, 59.512s
2. Philipp Eng, +0.155s
3. Johan Jokinen, +0.342s
4. Dean Stoneman, +0.439s
5. Will Bratt, +0.540s
6. Kelvin Snoeks, +0.542s
7. Benjamin Bailly, +0.550s
8. Sergey Afanasiev, +0.754s
9. Tom Gladdis, +0.809s
10. Armaan Ebrahim, +0.900s

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Female Polish racer is the latest addition to the 2010 line-up

Natalia Kowalska has joined the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship grid – becoming the 20^th confirmed driver for the forthcoming season.

20-year-old Kowalska moves to the F1 feeder series after contesting the F2 winter testing programme in Valencia last December. Her two-day experience of the Williams JPH1 followed a season on the sidelines for the talented Pole, as a lack of budget curtailed her 2009 campaign.

Natalia contested six Star Mazda races in the United States during 2008, which followed a part season in both Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC in 2007. Kowalska has also tested both a Formula 3 and International Formula Master car. Prior to her graduation to car racing, the female racer was a multiple karting champion in her native Poland.

Natalia Kowalska said: “Formula Two – just by its name you know that you’re dealing with a big series! F2 was very successful in its first year and everyone I have spoken to has been really positive about it. Of course, it is a very competitive championship and it is a great package all round. I am well aware that there will be some very good drivers but I will just be focussing on my own development and performance. The car is very impressive – that kind of speed and power is something that I had never experienced before. I enjoyed it very much and I think the car suits my style, so I am looking forward to a good season.” 

F2 Series Director Jonathan Palmer said: “I am delighted to welcome a Polish driver to the 2010 driver line-up. F2’s data sharing feature will be of huge importance to Natalia, as she looks to close on the pace of some of the more experienced drivers as soon as possible. Natalia will be up against some tough opposition in Formula Two but she proved during winter testing that she is able to learn and adapt quickly. I am sure Natalia is looking forward to the challenge and will be targeting some points finishes as the season progresses.”

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