Bastian, Marciello Score Hungaroring Poles

Photo: Dirk Bogaerts/SRO

Nico Bastian and Raffaele Marciello gave AKKA ASP a double pole in qualifying for the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup races at the Hungaroring on Saturday morning.

Bastian scored his first Blancpain GT pole in the No. 90 Mercedes-AMG GT3 before championship contender Marciello took pole for Race 2 in the No. 88 Mercedes.

It continues the French team’s dominance of the weekend after Marciello and Nico Jamin went quickest in Friday’s Free Practice sessions. 

Both races will have an all-Mercedes front row with Bastian set to line up alongside Jamin in Saturday afternoon’s race, and Marciello alongside Black Falcon driver Luca Stolz on Sunday.

Marciello posted a best lap of 1:42.688 as the first driver to break into the 1:42s, while Bastian, who runs in the Silver Cup, set a 1:43.198.

Alex Riberas and Marciello’s co-driver Michael Meadows will start Race 1 from third and fourth, ahead of Grasser Racing Team’s Christian Engelhart and Ezequiel Perez Companc.

Mirko Bortolotti and Carlo van Dam will line up on the second row for Race 2, followed by Christopher Mies and Christopher Haase.

Van Dam and Piti Bhirombhakdi picked up the Pro-Am class pole in both sessions, while Bastian and Stolz are on Silver Cup poles from first and second overall, respectively.

Qualifying 1 was red-flagged for ten minutes after Norbert Siedler went off track in his No. 114 Emil Frey Lexus Racing RC F GT3, spinning across the track at turn four and hitting the barrier.

Race 1 is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. local time.

RESULTS: Qualifying 1
RESULTS: Qualifying 2

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.