David Beckmann has claimed his first GP3 victory on a drying track at Spa-Francorchamps, leading a Trident 1-2 in his third race for the Italian outfit.
Beckmann led all 17 laps and maintained a lead of around one to two seconds for the majority of the contest to deny Ryan Tveter a maiden win.
The German was able to maintain his advantage from pole after front row starter Anthoine Hubert dropped two positions from the start, while Tveter’s first lap efforts stole attention.
Tveter moved from eighth on the grid to second in one corner as Hubert, Jake Hughes, Callum Ilott and Pedro Piquet squabbled over position.
All four drivers battled at the right-handed Turn 1, allowing the American to move up the inside for the place he would not give up.
Tveter did have two dramas going off track at the right-left-right Les Combes complex but was able to keep second on both occasions, though the second denied him the opportunity to further attack Beckmann after placing inside the one second DRS window.
The first happened on the opening lap when Hubert overtook Piquet for third, who ran out of time to pass Tveter after setting fastest laps, but extended his drivers’ championship lead to 24 points.
Piquet had fallen to fifth but passed Hughes with three laps remaining as the latter fell down the order.
Both Nikita Mazepin and Ilott took further positions from Hughes who was able to hold off Joey Mawson and Giuliano Alesi on the final lap.
Mawson locked up after Hughes was demoted to seventh on the Kemmel Straight by Ilott and went side-by-side to deny Alesi sprint race pole.
Sauber F1 test driver Tatiana Calderon claimed her first feature point of the year with 10th.
Richard Verschoor moved from a pitlane start due to missing the weighbridge in qualifying to 17th in his first GP3 race.
