2022 F2 Round 7 Silverstone Qualifying: Jehan Daruvala Qualifies 10th For The Feature Race

Jehan Daruvala has kicked off Round 7 of the 2022 Formula 2 season by qualifying in 10th position for the feature race at Silverstone for Prema Racing. The Red Bull junior driver’s teammate Dennis Hauger will start 13th on the grid.  

During the 30-minute qualifying session, there were varying strategies up and down the field which included 1, 2 or even 3-lap runs. Daruvala went for the 1-lap run which was enough for fifth position. But there was another twist in the tale for the Indian driver, as the team gambled on trying to set his final qualifying lap a lot earlier than the rest of the grid to not only have a clear track, but also potentially save tyre life for the feature and sprint races.

 

Initially, it seemed to have worked, with Daruvala’s final qualifying lap promoting him up to second position. But as track conditions and grip evolved in the dying minutes of the session, the drivers behind him managed to make significant lap time improvements, with Daruvala being relegated to 10th position in the end. 

Sure, the gamble doesn’t seem to have worked, but Daruvala will be starting in pole position for Saturday’s 21-lap/123km sprint race due to the grid being decided by the top 10 qualifiers lining up in a reverse order. That being said, he will have his work cut out for Sunday’s 29-lap/170-km feature race, as the qualifying results determine the grid order.

The sprint race on Saturday will commence at 9:30pm (IST). All races will be broadcast on Star Sports.