Lando Norris takes pole on his F2 debut with Carlin in Bahrain
George Russell makes it an all British front row; See the Feature Race live on Sky Sports F1 from 11:05am on Saturday
By William Esler
Last Updated: 29/04/18 4:13pm
Lando Norris took pole position on his F2 debut with Carlin as British drivers locked out the front row in Bahrain.
Alongside McLaren reserve driver Norris on the front row for Saturday's Feature Race will be Mercedes junior George Russell. London-born Thai driver Alexander Albon completed the top three.
Under the lights, the new F2 car looked spectacular, spitting flames from the exhaust and glowing brakes adding to the excitement in the desert.
Russell set the early pace in his ART and when he extended his advantage by over half a second with his second run, the reigning GP3 champion looked a strong contender for pole position.
But it was the FIA European F3 champion who surged to the top of the times and bagged the four points for pole with three minutes of the session remaining, despite losing time running wide at the final turn.
The other British driver on the grid, Jack Aitken, was ninth quickest in the second ART.
The 2018 season looks set to be an epic battle with less than a tenth of a second separating the top three and less than a second the top 17, highlighting how close the field is.
The Feature Race is live on Sky Sports F1 from 11:05am on Saturday morning, but before that don't miss a chance to see a special programme with the next generation of F1 stars as Russell, Aitken and GP3's Callum Ilott try their hand and RallyCross. Catch the show at 10:55am on Sky Sports F1.
