Mazepin on pole for GP3 finale in Abu Dhabi

Nikita Mazepin cut GP3 Series title rival Anthoine Hubert's points lead down to 24 points after securing pole position for the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Friday afternoon.

Mazepin put in a late flying lap of 1m54.885s to snatch his maiden GP3 pole - and the last-ever pole position for the category before it becomes Formula 3 in 2019 - and deny Leonardo Pulcini top spot by just 0.067 seconds.

The result saw Mazepin pick up the four bonus points for pole, giving him a chance to cut into ART Grand Prix teammate Hubert's points advantage. Hubert will start Saturday's opening race from third place on the grid, having missed out on pole by less than two-tenths of a second.

With 24 points separating the pair, Hubert will be crowned GP3's ninth and final champion on Saturday unless Mazepin outscores him by eight points, with 17 still available for Sunday's season finale.

Pulcini was the only driver to break ART's dominance at the front of the pack, with Jake Hughes and Callum Ilott taking P4 and P5 respectively.

David Beckmann finished sixth ahead of Trident teammates Giuliano Alesi and Ryan Tveter, while Simo Laaksonen and Juan Manuel Correa rounded out the top 10.