Jack Doohan has taken the early lead of the Formula 2 Championship after claiming pole position for the opening round in Bahrain.

The Australian youngster banked a strong lap midway through the session from Doohan stood the test of time to hand the Australian a maiden F2 pole position.

Theo Pourchaire booked himself a place alongside him on the front row with a time 0.141s off the ultimate pace.

Third place was Red Bull youngster Juri Vips ahead of Logan Sargeant and Kiwi Liam Lawson.

Meanwhile, Calan Williams, on debut in Formula 2, narrowly missed out on a spot in the Top 10 after qualifying 12th.

The West Aussie sat well inside the 10 until the final flurry of laps saw him shuffled down the order in what was a promising performance on debut.

“It was a great experience having my first Formula 2 qualifying under the lights in Bahrain, and an extra plus to be the fastest of the new drivers,” said Williams.

“Happy with my performance and how the team has worked, looking forward to the races.”

A revised Formula 2 points structure leaves Doohan with two points for his efforts, meaning he now heads the championship standings ahead of the opening race of the year.

It also means the 19-year-old start Sunday’s F2 Feature race from pole, and 10th for Saturday’s Sprint encounter which sees the front of the field inverted from qualifying.

Felipe Drugovich will therefore line up first for tomorrow’s encounter after he recorded the 10th best time.

The opening Formula 2 race of the weekend follows Formula 1 qualifying, getting underway at 03:40 AEDT on Sunday morning.