Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci was fastest in qualifying for the third round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup at Silverstone.

09-07-2023 15:58 -

Dorian Boccolacci could hardly believe it himself. “We were the only one of the top teams not to test at Silverstone. I didn't do anything differently than usual”, the Frenchman was surprised about his best qualifying time for the third round of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. "But my team gave me a perfect car and I managed a flawless lap." The 24-year-old from Cannes in the south of France has been a permanent participant in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup since 2021. He has been driving for Team CLRT since the beginning of this season. He starts from pole position for the first time. His best result so far in the 375 kW (510 hp) Cup Porsche was two second places: in 2021 in Monza, Italy, and in 2022 in Monaco. The second fastest, Dutchman Larry ten Voorde from the GP Elite team, also seemed a little surprised. “I really had problems in training on Friday. We then analyzed the data for a long time. My race engineer and my mechanics then changed the set-up of my 911 significantly for qualifying – everything went in the right direction. However, I would not have thought that it would be enough for second place,” revealed the two-time Supercup champion.

Local hero Harry King finished third in qualifying. In front of a crowded grandstand, the Brit lapped the 5.891-kilometre Silverstone Circuit around two tenths of a second slower than Boccolacci. “Of course I would have liked to have started my home race from pole position,” admitted King. “But I also think I have good chances from the second row. I think I can do better in the race than in qualifying.” Porsche Junior Bastian Buus secured fourth place on the grid. Like King, he drives for the BWT Lechner Racing team. “I don't know exactly what it was, but I really struggled today – especially with traction. I couldn't adapt my driving style to the difficult conditions," the 20-year-old Dane admitted after qualifying. Shortly before, rain had significantly changed the grip conditions on the racetrack compared to the practice session the day before. “Now I'm trying to win from fourth on the grid. It's just a bit more work.” The third row on the grid is also shared by two teammates: Swiss Alexander Fach and Dutchman Morris Schuring are representing FACH AUTO TECH. The fastest rookie in the field of 32 participants, the South African Keagan Masters from the Ombra Racing team, achieved seventh place in qualifying. The overall tight result spoke for the power density: positions 1 to 16 were within one second. Alexander Fach from Switzerland and Morris Schuring from the Netherlands are representing FACH AUTO TECH. The fastest rookie in the field of 32 participants, the South African Keagan Masters from the Ombra Racing team, achieved seventh place in qualifying. The overall tight result spoke for the power density: positions 1 to 16 were within one second. Alexander Fach from Switzerland and Morris Schuring from the Netherlands are representing FACH AUTO TECH. The fastest rookie in the field of 32 participants, the South African Keagan Masters from the Ombra Racing team, achieved seventh place in qualifying. The overall tight result spoke for the power density: positions 1 to 16 were within one second.