Adrian Quaife-Hobbs scored his first GP3 pole position of the season at Silverstone on Saturday morning.
The Valencia race winner came out on top after a pulsating battle for pole that raged throughout the half-hour session. Following the wet conditions of Friday's practice sessions, the track was dry from the start, and as the Pirelli rubber went down it got quicker and quicker.
Quaife-Hobbs (Manor) was a pacesetter from the start, battling throughout the early part of the session with fellow Briton Lewis Williamson (MW Arden). As the cars pitted for their second set of new tyres, the order was Williamson, Quaife-Hobbs and Alexander Sims (Status).
Those positions quickly became irrelevant, as the times tumbled on new rubber. Williamson looked to have sealed it, and was 0.6 seconds quicker than everyone with a couple of minutes remaining, but then Quaife-Hobbs put the matter beyond doubt with a 1m51.190s lap, 0.3s faster than anyone else could manage.
Best of the rest was ART's James Calado, and will keep the place after the stewards decided to rescind a 10-place grid penalty that had originally awarded for a yellow flag infringement yesterday.
Williamson will start fourth, ahead of his points-leading teammate Mitch Evans, Sims, Jenzer's Nico Muller and ART's Valtteri Bottas. Nigel Melker (Mucke) and Rio Haryanto (Manor) were next up, but will slump down the order due to their penalties.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Manor 1m51.190s
2. James Calado ART 1m51.576s + 0.386s
3. Lewis Williamson MW Arden 1m51.600s + 0.410s
4. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m51.790s + 0.600s
5. Alexander Sims Status 1m51.847s + 0.657s
6. Nico Muller Jenzer 1m51.889s + 0.699s
7. Valtteri Bottas ART 1m51.921s + 0.731s
8. Nigel Melker RSC Mucke 1m51.927s + 0.737s
9. Rio Haryanto Manor 1m51.932s + 0.742s
10. Tom Dillmann Addax 1m51.992s + 0.802s
11. Antonio Felix da Costa Status 1m52.252s + 1.062s
12. Michael Christensen RSC Mucke 1m52.319s + 1.129s
13. Gabby Chaves Addax 1m52.371s + 1.181s
14. Aaro Vainio Tech 1 1m52.439s + 1.249s
15. Tamas Pal Kiss Tech 1 1m52.445s + 1.255s
16. Matias Laine Manor 1m52.450s + 1.260s
17. Simon Trummer MW Arden 1m52.504s + 1.314s
18. Maxim Zimin Jenzer 1m52.633s + 1.443s
19. Nick Yelloly Atech 1m52.678s + 1.488s
20. Vittorio Ghirelli Jenzer 1m52.741s + 1.551s
21. Ivan Lukashevich Status 1m52.782s + 1.592s
22. Marlon Stockinger Atech 1m52.826s + 1.636s
23. Daniel Morad Carlin 1m52.855s + 1.665s
24. Luciano Bacheta RSC Mucke 1m52.856s + 1.666s
25. Dean Smith Addax 1m52.936s + 1.746s
26. Pedro Nunes ART 1m52.943s + 1.753s
27. Thomas Hylkema Tech 1 1m54.018s + 2.828s
28. Zoel Amberg Atech 1m54.049s + 2.859s
29. Leonardo Cordeiro Carlin 1m54.789s + 3.599s
30. Conor Daly Carlin 1m54.835s + 3.645s