GP3 Abu Dhabi: Pulcini takes win as Hubert seals title
Leonardo Pulcini claimed his second win of the 2018 GP3 season as Anthoine Hubert wrapped up the championship title in Abu Dhabi.
Campos Racing’s Pulcini started alongside title contender Nikita Mazepin on the front row and moved into the lead on the long drag down to Turn 8 on the opening lap.
Mazepin hit back with a bold lunge into Turn 11 on Lap 4, but the Russian conceded the lead when he locked up and ran wide in the final sector on the following lap, allowing Pulcini back through.
Leonardo Pulcini claimed his second win of the 2018 GP3 season as Anthoine Hubert wrapped up the championship title in Abu Dhabi.
Campos Racing’s Pulcini started alongside title contender Nikita Mazepin on the front row and moved into the lead on the long drag down to Turn 8 on the opening lap.
Mazepin hit back with a bold lunge into Turn 11 on Lap 4, but the Russian conceded the lead when he locked up and ran wide in the final sector on the following lap, allowing Pulcini back through.
Pulcini held off Mazepin’s advances before the latter made another costly error by running wide once more at Turn 12. The ART Grand Prix driver kept his foot in as he cut the corner before being launched over the kerbs as he returned to the circuit.
The incident resulted in Mazepin, who finished second on the road, being hit with a 10-second time penalty that ultimately ended his championship bid as he dropped down the order, promoting teammate Hubert into third - a position that secured the GP3 title for the Renault Formula 1 junior.
David Beckmann turned in a charging drive from sixth on the grid to claim second, having pulled off a last-lap overtake on Hubert, who completed the podium.
Behind the newly-crowned champion came ART teammate Callum Ilott in fourth, with Mazepin falling to fifth once his time penalty had been applied.
Trident’s Giuliano Alesi surged past a struggling Jake Hughes late on to snatch sixth, ahead of Juan Manuel Correa - who will start the last-ever GP3 race from reverse grid pole on Sunday.
Simo Laaksonen finished ninth ahead of Tatiana Calderon, who rounded out the top 10 to score the final point for Jenzer Motorsport.
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