Spain booked its place on pole position for tomorrow’s Formula 4 medal showdown with a hard-fought victory in this afternoon’s Qualifying Race.

Juan Cota Alonso took the lead with a fast start from second on the grid, beating pole-sitter Yevan David (Sri Lanka) in a drag race to Turn 1. David was initially able to apply pressure to the Spaniard, but Cota Alonso soon broke clear.

There was still work to do, however. Andres Cardenas moved his Peruvian-flagged entry into second spot with an incisive pass on David after the Sri Lankan ran wide. Thereafter Cardenas showed impressive speed, posting the fastest lap of the race as he chased down Cota Alonso.

The Peru driver closed right up to the leader, but did not quite have enough to launch an attack. Spain thus secured pole for Sunday’s decider ahead of Peru, with Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom set to share the second row. Luxembourg, Slovakia, Israel and Japan complete the top eight on Saturday. Sunday’s race begins at 12:10 CEST.