DEAN Stoneman’s slim hopes of winning the GP3 title were extinguished when he failed to qualify for the penultimate race of the season in pole position.

The 24 year-old from Bishops Waltham clocked the second fastest time on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit.

But he needed to qualify in pole to have any chance of catching Alex Lynn, who has been crowned GP3 Series champion.

Lynn, who comes from Essex, was fourth fastest today while Marvin Kirchhofer secured pole for tomorrow’s first race.

To win the GP3 Series, Stoneman needed to become the first driver to win the maximum 48 points in a weekend by claiming pole before winning both races with the fastest lap times.

Not only that, but Lynn needed to finish outside the points for the first time this season.

After Stoneman narrowly missed out on fulfilling the first part of the equation, he said: “The chances were always pretty slim!

“I was hoping to be ahead of Kirchofer. I was half a second faster in Sochi and he’s reversed it here. I’ve got to turn it around again tomorrow, and “I’m still second and just wish I had this car all year so I could fight for the title.”

Stoneman began his first season of single-seater racing since beating cancer with Marussia Manor.

But when they pulled out last month he joined Koiranen GP and promptly won 43 points in Sochi – the best haul by any GP3 driver this season – to give himself an outside title chance.