Photo: Formula Masters China
Meritus GP’s Jake Parsons and Eurasia’s Matthew Solomon topped the two Formula Masters China qualifying sessions at Sepang, securing poles for the first and third race respectively.
Series newcomer Parsons, who won all four Sepang races of the Meritus-run AsiaCup, delivered on promise shown in practice by beating the opposition by almost four tenths in the first session.
Solomon will join rookie Parsons on the front row with row two locked out by KCMG’s Dan Wells and his points-leading teammate James Munro.
Andersen Martono secured fifth, leading the Zen trio of Yin Hai Tao, Ronald Wu and Bao Jin Long.
Pu Jun Jin and AsiaCup podium finisher Daniel Woodroof completed the top ten.
Parsons improved on his Q1 benchmark in session two, but was only third, losing a quarter of a second to poleman Solomon. Wells slotted in between the two to secure a front row spot, while Munro was again only fourth.
Bao Jin Long was the final driver within a second of Solomon in fifth, while sixth-placed Bo Yuan led Yin Hai Tao and Yasuo Senna Iriawan. Martono and Woodroof made up the fifth row.
ADAC Formel Masters regular Philip Hamprecht is set to compete at Sepang this weekend, but did not record a time in either session.
Qualifying results
| Qualifying 1- Race 1 grid | Qualifying 2 ? Race 3 grid | ||||||
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Jake Parsons | Meritus GP | 2:08.556 | 1 | Matthew Solomon | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:08.166 |
| 2 | Matthew Solomon | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:08.940 | 2 | Dan Wells | KCMG | 2:08.369 |
| 3 | Dan Wells | KCMG | 2:08.984 | 3 | Jake Parsons | Meritus GP | 2:08.430 |
| 4 | James Munro | KCMG | 2:09.517 | 4 | James Munro | KCMG | 2:08.689 |
| 5 | Andersen Martono | Meritus GP | 2:09.560 | 5 | Bao Jin Long | Zen Motorsport | 2:09.109 |
| 6 | Yin Hai Tao | Zen Motorsport | 2:09.906 | 6 | Yuan Bo | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:09.257 |
| 7 | Ronald Wu | Zen Motorsport | 2:10.080 | 7 | Yin Hai Tao | Zen Motorsport | 2:09.297 |
| 8 | Bao Jin Long | Zen Motorsport | 2:10.147 | 8 | Yasuo Senna Iriawan | Humpuss Junior | 2:09.343 |
| 9 | Pu Jun Jin | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:10.277 | 9 | Andersen Martono | Meritus GP | 2:09.427 |
| 10 | Daniel Woodroof | Meritus GP | 2:10.355 | 10 | Daniel Woodroof | Meritus GP | 2:09.462 |
| 11 | Yuan Bo | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:10.386 | 11 | Darma Hutomo | Humpuss Junior | 2:09.700 |
| 12 | Mandla Mdakane | Meritus GP | 2:10.553 | 12 | Pu Jun Jin | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:09.780 |
| 13 | Darma Hutomo | Humpuss Junior | 2:10.582 | 13 | Ronald Wu | Zen Motorsport | 2:09.850 |
| 14 | Yasuo Senna Iriawan | Humpuss Junior | 2:10.599 | 14 | Mandla Mdakane | Meritus GP | 2:09.969 |
| 15 | Takashi Hata | Super License | 2:12.785 | 15 | Hua Miao | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:12.032 |
| 16 | Hua Miao | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:12.954 | 16 | Dominic Tjia | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:14.478 |
| 17 | Dominic Tjia | Eurasia Motorsport | 2:13.765 | Takashi Hata | Super License | No Time | |
| Philip Hamprecht | Super License | No Time | Philip Hamprecht | Super License | No Time | ||