Force India Formula 1 tester Nikita Mazepin dominated GP3’s Hungarian feature race to take his second win of the 2018 season.
Mazepin took the lead from the outset after having a better start from the front row than polesitter Anthoine Hubert, immediately defending and then stretching a lead.
He was left free from battles for the remainder of the contest, leading all 22 laps.
The ART Grand Prix driver triumphed with a margin of 10.4 seconds above Campos’s Leonardo Pulcini, who also passed Hubert in the opening corners.
Hubert managed to stretch enough of a gap to be alone in third, extending his drivers’ championship lead to 17 points.
Trident’s David Beckmann took advantage of Ferrari academy racer Callum Ilott going wide at the exit of the final right-handed Turn 14 to claim fourth for his best GP3 result to date in his first race for the Italian squad.
Beckmann’s new team-mate Ryan Tveter also passed Ilott on the final lap to steal fifth.
Tveter had long been involved in a massive scrap for position behind ART’s Jake Hughes, who defended from a number of cars while DRS was unusable due to a technical fault.
Hughes lost his points position when pitting for a new front wing following damage from a racing incident with Joey Mawson.
The right-front tyre of Mawson’s Arden-Dallara made contact with the left-hand side of his wing, causing this side to slant downwards.
Mawson’s race ended shortly after this.
Juan Manuel Correa was promoted to seventh due to the drama, while Dorian Boccolacci held on for eighth and sprint race pole position.
Boccolacci was forced to defend from Diego Menchaca’s attacks, who could not make an opportunity, but ninth represents a career-best finish.
Gabriel Aubry scored his first point in 10th by passing Sauber F1 test driver Tatiana Calderon.
Pedro Piquet fell to 12th late on after racing with front wing damage for eight laps after an incident with Niko Kari at the left corner of Turn 2.
The right-hand side of his wing was pointing towards the ground after contact with the rear of Kari’s MP-run machine.
Kari retired due to a puncture.
Hughes went on to end adrift in 16th, ahead of Ferrari academy racer Giuliano Alesi.
