The qualifying session took place on a wet track, although the sun did manage to poke through. Egor Orudzhev (Tech 1 Racing) pushed hard from the start, before a battle broke out between Prema Powerteam pair Bruno Bonifacio and Luca Ghiotto, and British drivers Jake Dennis and Oliver Rowland. Matthieu Vaxivière (Tech 1 Racing) and later Matt Parry also staked their claim for the fastest time, before the cars went in to switch to their second set of tyres.

Jake Dennis set the fastest time despite a close shave at La Gare, while Marc Cattaneo (Formula Motorsport) and Oliver Rowland both made mistakes but came through unscathed. Matt Parry then went quickest with a lap of 1:25.062 before Matthieu Vaxivière prompted a red flag in the closing stages. Bruno Bonifacio qualified in second between the Fortec pair, with the top five completed by Luca Ghiotto and Oliver Rowland.

The field later lined up on slicks for the start of the qualifying race. Marc Cattaneo crashed out in the formation lap, while Matt Parry held his lead at the start of the race ahead of Jake Dennis, who had overtaken Bruno Bonifacio into second. Nicolas Pironneau and, later, Tristan Papavoine (AV Formula) spun after the Foch chicane, but both were able to rejoin the race.

Matt Parry then stretched out an unassailable lead to take the chequered flag and secure pole position for the Formula Renault 2.0 Pau Trophy. He will start the feature race ahead of Jake Dennis, Oliver Rowland and Matthieu Vaxivière, with the latter pair having passed Bruno Bonifacio on laps nine and 13 respectively.

Luca Ghiotto, who had earlier miscued his start, finished ahead of Tech 1 drivers Pierre Gasly and Egor Orudzhev. Alfonso Celis (Fortec Motorsports), Tristan Papavoine, Marc Cattaneo and Nicolas Pironneau (Formula Motorsports), meanwhile, all made mistakes and will start from the back of the field.

What they said

Matt Parry: "It was my first race here and it was a fantastic experience. The track was wet, which made it tricky. I improved as the laps went by and grew in confidence, while trying not to make any mistakes. If you run a bit wide, the tyre wall really isn’t far away! Tomorrow I’ll try to make an even better start and drive the same race as I did today."

Jake Dennis: "It was the first time we’d used slicks, and it worked out nicely for the team with this one-two finish. It was a difficult race but I made a good start, which helped me finish second. It wasn’t easy to negotiate the traffic on this track, and I had to be patient despite the dangers."

Oliver Rowland: "The pace was good, but it’s difficult to overtake at Pau. I’m pleased to have gained two places. Bruno Bonifacio made a mistake and I managed to pass him, as I had better traction. Mathieu Vaxivière was coming back strong, so it didn’t worth attacking Jake Dennis."