Trident’s David Beckmann has taken his third GP3 win in as many rounds at the Russian sprint race after a last-lap overtake on polesitter Joey Mawson.
Beckmann hassled Mawson throughout the last lap of 15 as the Australian defended through the first half of the track, but could not deny the German at the right of Turn 13 after gaining momentum through the long straight prior.
Mawson locked up his front-left at the same turn, falling six tenths adrift as the contest ended, but denied Richard Verschoor second by four tenths at the end with the Dutch driver taking his first podium in the category.
Anthoine Hubert finished fourth after his title rival Nikita Mazepin crashed out in front of him at Turn 13 with four laps remaining.
Mazepin similarly locked up his front-left tyre but could not avoid hitting the barriers, meaning that the title lead extends to 32 points with 48 remaining at the final round.
Hubert was also involved in drama, making contact with the rear of Simo Laaksonen’s Campos after Turn 15, with the Finn spinning left and around and dropping out of the points, before Mazepin had passed him for position.
Juan Manuel Correa was promoted to fifth following that crash, with Gabriel Aubry sixth for a career-best finish.
Tatiana Calderon and Leonardo Pulcini completed the points positions in seventh and eighth.
Ryan Tveter was ninth, with Jannes Fittje also improving his personal-best result in 10th.
Jake Hughes and Giuliano Alesi ended in 16th and 17th after the two made contact on the second lap when battling across the long straight approaching the right of Turn 2.
Frenchman Alesi suffered a front-right puncture against the ART-Dallara machine, while a second hit between that tyre and the left-hand side of the front of Hughes’s car damaged his front wing.
Only Hubert and Mazepin remain in the title battle after Callum Ilott failed to score points for a second-consecutive event and was the last classified finisher in 18th.
Ilott lost positions in the opening sector across the left-hand run-off of Turn 2, falling to 16th, and pitted on Lap 11 before re-emerging on the following lap.
The Ferrari academy racer is now 52 points adrift of Hubert with 48 left from two races in Abu Dhabi in November.
