Already fastest in qualifying, during the heats Martin Kodric (Alonso/Vortex) confirmed his undeniable speed. Without a penalty for a jump-start, the Croatian would indeed have had a faultless run. However, Martin will start Race 1 from 2nd place on the grid, but still with every chance of donning the crown as he is currently in 5th place in the Championship. Like Kodric, Dorian Boccolacci won four heats out of five, with only the Croatian succeeding in depriving him of victory when their two groups met. In the end however, it was the Frenchman, currently 2nd in the championship, who will have the benefit of starting from pole position.
Behind this duo, the Britons took advantage of their local knowledge to stand out. In fact, Callum Ilott (Zanardi/Parilla) and Connor Jupp (Energy/Vortex) will start on the 2nd row of the grid, just ahead of the Italian Luca Corberi (Kosmic/Vortex) and their compatriots Samuel Oram-Jones (Intrepid/TM), George Russell (Intrepid/Vortex), Nathan Aston (Intrepid-TM) and Darius Karbaley (Alonso/Vortex).
Only 30th after practice, George Russell climbed up to 7th place. Having won Race 1 in Varennes, the reigning European Champion knows perfectly well that his poor performance in Race 2, when he was hit by an adversary at the start, can be dropped. But with three results retained from four Finals, it is vital that he fights at the front of the pack, with Kodric and Boccolacci. The same goes for Alex Palou (CRG/BMB), the Championship leader. In 13th place after the heats, and therefore on the starting grid for Race 1, the Spaniard must climb through the pack if he is to take his first major title.
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