Frenchman pips teammate for Monza pole Jules

Bianchi has proven that he is back on top form by claiming pole position in Friday afternoon's qualifying session in Monza, albeit by the tightest of margins: the Frenchman pipped ART teammate Sam Bird and Jerome d'Ambrosio by less than a tenth of a second.

The Frenchman set his best time of 1:30.269 when conditions were at their best: the session opening under hot conditions following the second F1 practice, with plenty of their rubber on track allowing the field to set scorching times right from the start.

Alvaro Parente was the first man to set a competitive time, but almost instantly the times tumbled as d'Ambrosio, Romain Grosjean, Oliver Turvey, Bird and series contenders Pastor Maldonado and Sergio Perez all claimed a moment or two on the top spot before Bianchi made it his own just 8 minutes in.

Perez was the first man back into the pits (and the first on the weighbridge) with the rest of the field bar Maldonado coming in for fresh tyres: this is generally the time the Venezuelan sets provisional pole throughout the season but his regular trick didn't work, and he was soon in for tyres and a weight check too. When the field came back out the series leader continued to struggle to keep his car on track: he missed the apex at the first chicane and then rode the kerbs all the way into the gravel at the same spot next time round.

 When his teammate Luiz Razia simultaneously spun at Ascari the red flags were out in a flash. Giedo van der Garde was the first man back out on track, but also the first back into the pits, unable to replicate the morning's form, while Bianchi was the last man out and cruising round, just in case. With so little time remaining, and the best track conditions long gone, no one was able to materially improve, with Turvey, Parente, Grosjean, Perez and Maldonado lining up behind the top three in a session that saw the top 18 drivers within a second of pole.

Monza – Qualifying Session

Driver Team Time Laps

1. Jules Bianchi ART Grand Prix 1:30.269 11 2. Sam Bird ART Grand Prix 1:30.311 13 3. Jerome d’Ambrosio Dams 1:30.366 13 4. Oliver Turvey iSport International 1:30.468 11 5. Alvaro Parente Scuderia Coloni 1:30.474 13 6. Romain Grosjean Dams 1:30.542 10 7. Sergio Perez Barwa Addax Team 1:30.555 11 8. Pastor Maldonado Rapax 1:30.675 11 9. Dani Clos Racing Engineering 1:30.682 10 10. Christian Vietoris Racing Engineering 1:30.687 10 11. Luca Filippi Super Nova Racing 1:30.691 15 12. Davide Valsecchi iSport International 1:30.714 13 13. Fabrizio Crestani DPR 1:30.801 13 14. Giedo van der Garde Barwa Addax Team 1:30.894 7 15. Luiz Razia Rapax 1:31.107 13 16. Charles Pic Arden International 1:31.131 11 17. Adrian Zaugg Trident Racing 1:31.246 13 18. Fabio Leimer Ocean Racing Technology 1:31.255 11 19. Marcus Ericsson Super Nova Racing 1:31.372 14 20. Rodolfo Gonzalez Arden International 1:31.439 12 21. Michael Herck DPR 1:31.458 13 22. Brendon Hartley Scuderia Coloni 1:31.601 12 23. Max Chilton Ocean Racing Technology 1:31.667 13 24. Edoardo Piscopo Trident Racing 1:32.100 15