Dani Clos will start tomorrow's GP2 feature race in Monaco from pole position after coming out on top in a dramatic qualifying session this afternoon.
On a track that was drying out after a wet start to the session, the Racing Engineering driver produced a late lap of 1m37.572sec to edge out Barwa Addax's Sergio Perez by just 0.033sec. It is the Spaniard's first GP2 pole, and comes just a week after he finished on the podium at Barcelona.
Ironically, Clos owed a lot to Rapax's Pastor Maldonado, who had led most of the session and had improved his time again with just 30 seconds remaining, only to immediately crash into the barriers at Ste Devote, bringing out the yellows and ensuring that no one behind him could improve their times.
However, the flags were no guarantee that nobody else would make the same mistake as Maldonado, as iSport's Davide Valsecchi proved moments later by also going wide and skidding into the stricken Rapax car.
But both Clos and Perez were already on fast laps ahead of Maldonado at the time of his accident and were able to complete their runs to move ahead of the Venezuelan at the last moment, dropping him back to third on the grid alongside Coloni's Alberto Valerio.
It was a mixed afternoon for some of the other favorites, including Barcelona feature race winner Charles Pic, who will start from 18th for Arden, and iSport's Oliver Turvey, who will start from last after knocking off his front wing. The Briton will be joined on the back row by Trident's Johnny Cecotto, who had sideswiped the barriers earlier.
Times to follow