Nico Hulkenberg has converted his fourth pole position of the season into a third victory after dominant lights-to-flag performance at Zandvoort.

The German was barely troubled over the course of the 26 lap race as he crossed the line with a five second advantage and the news that key championship rival, Edoardo Mortara, failed to finish.

Indeed, with the Dutch circuit refusing to betray its reputation as one of the most difficult circuits to overtake on, the race proved to be relatively uneventful, with the top four qualifiers crossing the line in the top four positions.

Even so, this race could prove to be a crucial one as Mortara's retirement following a spin whilst running in tenth place means Hulkenberg has brought his championship advantage down to just four points.

Behind Hulkenberg, rookie duo Mika Maki and Jules Bianchi gave a spirited chase but ultimately had to settle for second and third.

Although he finished 25 seconds behind and posed as something of a mobile chicane for those behind him, Sam Bird was still able to hold onto fourth place for comfortably his best result of the season in the Manor Motorsport machine.

Yann Clairay hauled himself and SG Formula back into the points with a run to fifth place, just ahead of French counterpart and leading Volkswagen-runner Jean-Karl Vernay.

Renger van der Zande delighted home fans by finishing a quiet seventh for Prema Powerteam, the Dutchman putting himself in a good position for a strong result in the sprint race in the process.

Eighth place and the final point though went the way of the ever-impressive Robert Wickens, the World Series by Renault regular showing his versatility to score once again for Signature-Plus. He will start the second race from pole position.

Just outside the points, Niall Breen battled up from a lacklustre starting position to finish ninth, just ahead of fellow Brit James Jakes, the ART driver continuing to struggle this season. As for the other Brits, Martin Plowman crossed the line 20th, while Jon Lancaster retired on the opening lap.