W Series Qualifying: Alice Powell takes pole position as Jamie Chadwick starts in fifth

Powell put in a strong performance in both practice and qualifying to cement herself at the front of the grid for Saturday’s race; Chadwick has a task to fight back from fifth to secure a championship win; Watch the W Series race live on Sky Sports F1 on Saturday at 1.20pm

Alice Powell secured pole position at the Hungaroring with Jamie Chadwick finishing in fifth after her worst Qualifying session of the season.

​​​​With two minutes to go, Powell set a storming 1:42.986, Beitske Visser and Nerea Marti finishing within four tenths of the leader to put them in second and third.

In an unusual sight for W Series, Chadwick could not improve with her final lap and will start Saturday’s race in fifth, meaning she will have to work her way through the field to secure not only a race win but a potential championship win.

Visser was setting the early pace around the Hungaroring, putting in a 1:44.353 within the first 10 minutes of the session, Emma Kimilainen just +0.099 seconds behind her.

However, their time at the top didn’t last for long before Powell and Chadwick took first and second spot on the timesheet, the championship leader cementing herself just +0.060s behind the Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors driver.

As Kimilainen then jumped back to the top of the timesheet, less than a second separated the top 12 drivers as they all pushed the limits of the track dubbed ‘Monaco without walls’.

Chadwick, who is bidding for a third straight crown, was the first to enter the 1:43s but Visser and Nerea Marti, less than a minute later, imrpoved the time of the Jenner Racing star.

With the clock ticking down, they were then all usurped by Powell who continued her form from practice to put herself at the front of the grid for the final W Series race before the summer break.

Earlier on Friday, Lewis Hamilton headed down to the W Series teams to meet the drivers and discuss their experiences of racing since the competition was formed in 2019.

Sky Sports F1 is your home for every race this season and here’s the full schedule for the Hungarian Grand Prix with the W Series Race live from 1.20pm on Saturday.

Live Hungarian GP schedule on Sky Sports F1

Saturday
9.55am: F3 Sprint Race
11.45am: Hungarian GP Practice Three (session starts 12pm)
1.20pm: W Series Race
2.30pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying Build-up
3pm: HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING
4.55pm: F2 Sprint
6pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday
9am: F3 Feature Race
10.25am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Hungarian GP Build-up
2pm: THE HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Hungarian GP Reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook