ART Grand Prix’s Jake Hughes has taken his first win for the French outfit after first lap chaos in GP3’s Austrian sprint race that involved retirements for the top three on the grid.
Polesitter David Beckmann had a slow start which allowed Ryan Tveter to attack on the right-hand side of the track, with Ferrari-backed Giuliano Alesi on the left-hand side of the German.
The left-rear tyre of Tveter’s Trident-Dallara made contact with the right-front of Beckmann’s Jenzer-Dallara, with Tveter spearing right into his team-mate, with Alesi’s front wing being removed and the Ferrari-backed driver sustaining a left-rear puncture.
After this, Hughes led much of the 18-lap race, fighting back after Pedro Piquet stole the lead for two laps to win by 0.8 seconds ahead of the Brazilian.
It is his first victory of his GP3 return, third overall, and it marks the first time that ART has claimed wins with all cars since running four cars.
Leonardo Pulcini claimed a second podium of the weekend with third place, while Alessio Lorandi narrowly missed out in fourth after a late charge.
Lorandi passed both Dorian Boccolacci and Callum Ilott on the penultimate lap after Pulcini went wide at the Turn 1 right-hander, causing cars behind to bunch up and allowing Lorandi to claim fourth by the right of Turn 4.
This was the latest overtaking maneouvre by the Italian after passing both Nikita Mazepin and Nko Kari on Lap 12.
Mazepin went off-track slightly at Turn 1, then battled and passed Kari through the Turn 3 right, allowing Lorandi to pass around the outside.
Anthoine Hubert finished just outside the points in ninth, with the Renault-affiliated former championship leader falling six points behind Ferrari academy racer Ilott.
Joey Mawson completed the top 10, with Devlin DeFrancesco 11th in his first sprint race in the category.
Sauber F1 test driver Tatiana Calderon was 12th.
Arden’s Gabriel Aubry was the fourth retirement of the race, suffering a puncture and going straight on through the gravel at Turn 4.
