Giedo van der Garde will start from pole position for the second consecutive GP2 feature race after he came out on top in a controversial qualifying session.
The entire 30-minute session was marred by incidents in traffic as drivers continually backed up to try and find clear space for their hot laps. Van der Garde (Addax) had been involved in a clash when he ran into the back of Oliver Turvey at the Swimming Pool section with seven minutes remaining. But after coming in for repairs he went back out and snatched pole position from Sam Bird in the final minute.
Second-placed Bird was also caught up in a shunt, which involved his teammate Marcus Ericsson. The Swede was on a hot lap as he came across Bird in the middle of the Swimming Pool section, and he ran over the back of the Briton.
The iSport drivers were not the only teammates to collide, as DAMS pairing Romain Grosjean and Pal Varhaug had a much more spectacular accident.
Grosjean, who had found plenty of clear track in practice this morning, spent the whole session at the bottom of the time sheets as every lap he did was ruined by cars queuing up in the final sector. When he came up behind Varhaug with six minutes remaining he tried to pass the Norwegian on the exit of La Rascasse. But Grosjean misjudged the pass, and as he hit Varhaug's right-rear wheel, it launched the Frenchman onto the top of his teammate's car.
Both DAMS cars were heavily damaged, and Grosjean finished the session last, with a time outside 107 percent of pole. However, due to his pace-setting practice performance this morning he will almost certainly be allowed to start the race.
Other incidents involved Dani Clos losing his front wing when trying to pass Bird into the final corner, while Stefano Coletti and Luiz Razia brought out the red flags halfway through the session when they collided at La Rascasse.
Luca Filippi was an early casualty, as he clouted the barriers at Ste Devote just eight minutes into qualifying.