PREMA Racing delivered a stunning front-row lockout today at the Hungaroring as the FIA Formula 3 Championship got underway with round 7 at the twisty venue outside Budapest. British racer Zak O’Sullivan posted his first FIA F3 pole of 2023 at the end of a tricky session, which started on a damp track that soon transitioned to dry conditions in the closing stages.

The Williams Driver Academy member maximized the performance peak of his tyres in the first push lap of his final run, ending up with a superb result that adds up to the three wins achieved so far.

Dino Beganovic claimed P2 in a positive session for him and an amazing rebound from a tough qualifying run in Silverstone. The Ferrari Driver Academy Swede has confirmed the potential he showed in the UK.

Estonian Paul Aron ended up in P6. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Junior Driver also showcased a quick pace but got his first lap deleted and with the tyres dropping in the second timed lap, he had to settle for a row 3 start for Sunday’s Feature Race, although he will benefit from the top-10 reverse grid in Race 1.

1 PAUL ARON

“Difficult qualifying here in Hungary as we had mixed conditions, and we ended up driving on a dry track for the last run, which counted. Shame that the potential was there, Zak and Dino proved it, which is great for the team. Sadly I made a mistake in my first lap, which was the peak of the tyres. We lost most of the potential, and we managed to save at least P6 in the second push. I don’t think we can be too disappointed with that, considering I was the only driver who qualified with the second lap. Shame for the mistake in the first push and we definitely have some work to do in the races.”

Qualifying: P6
Fastest Lap: 1:31.744

2 DINO BEGANOVIC

“I’m really happy with P2 in Budapest qualy. It’s really nice to come from a tough weekend and qualify second. After Silverstone, we have high expectations, I’m happy we could do a good job in qualy, and in difficult conditions. We were strong and I’m really happy with the car, so I thank the team a lot and it’s great to share the front row with Zak. It’s good to see that it turns around for him. P2 is a solid position for Sunday, it’s a long way down to turn 1 and a long race as well. We will also try to maximize the points tomorrow in the sprint race.”

Qualifying: P2
Fastest Lap: 1:31.494

3 ZAK O’SULLIVAN

“Pole here in Hungary, really good session. We were already the fastest in practice and the pace has been really strong so far all weekend. It was a really tricky session. It started off wet on slicks and then dried just enough for the last run. It seems like the medium tyre this weekend falls off quite quickly, so really the first push was the one that counted and luckily it was good enough.”

Qualifying: P1
Fastest Lap: 1:31.091