Championship contender Renger van der Zande stole a march on his rivals today in qualifying for round 17 of the 2009 Cooper Tires Britis💙h Formula 3 International Series at the Algarve circuit in Portugal, the Dutch driver baggi🍸ng pole position by a margin of more than a tenth.

"That was my best-ever qualifying lap, I think," said the Mercedes-powered Hitech Racing pilot. "Max Chilton was quick early on in the session and I did not think I could get close to his time - maybe the tr💛ack was quicker earl💃ier.

"But then I got a fantastic tow from [ART's] Roberto Mehri around the whole lap and got 🌠the pole."

Chilton will start second, with F3 Euro Series points' leader Jules Bianc𝔍hi third and quickest of the seven invitational class drivers.

Daniel Ricciardo me💛anwhile posted fourth-best time in his Carlin Motorsport Dallara-Volkswagen, 𝐆with the other man in the championship title hunt, Austrian Walter Grubmuller, only 13th fastest for Hitech Racing.

The leading National Class runner was T-S🀅port's Gabriel Dias, the Brazilian two-tenths ahead of his British rival for the class crown, Daniel McKenzie.

The Litespeed team struck trouble: Victor Correa was unable to take p🌜art due to a shortage of driveshafts for his SLC R1, while his team-mate Adil Hermanto suffered a suspected gearbox failure. The team hopes that both cars will be repaired in time for tomorrow's races.