Beckmann snatches third GP3 win from Mawson on last lap

David Beckmann pulled off a last-lap overtake on Joey Mawson to claim his third victory of the 2018 GP3 season, as Anthoine Hubert edged closer to the drivers’ title.

The German, who made a mid-season switch to the Trident team, found himself in second place behind reverse-grid polesitter Mawson thanks to a quick start, before setting about his victory charge.

Mawson defended valiantly in the closing stages and looked to have done enough to seal his maiden victory in the series, only for a late VSC period to play into Beckmann’s hands, enabling him to close in and make the race-winning manoeuvre with the aid of DRS into Turn 13 on the final tour.

The Arden driver then came under attack from Richard Verschoor but held off his advances to take his best result of the 2018 campaign in second – with third place marking the MP Motorsport driver’s first-ever GP3 podium appearance.

Hubert took advantage of a costly error from chief title rival Nikita Mazepin to further strengthen his grasp on the drivers’ championship as he finished fourth for the newly-crowned ART outfit.

The Frenchman fell behind Mazepin in the early stages after he lost momentum when he sent Simo Laaksonen spinning down the order in his Campos but regained the position on the penultimate lap as Mazepin locked up and crashed into the Turn 13 barriers.

With Mazepin failing to score as a result of his retirement, Hubert will take a 32-point advantage into the final round of the season at Abu Dhabi in November – putting him within touching distance of becoming the series’ last champion.

Juan Manuel Correa matched his best result of the year in a strong fifth place for Jenzer, ahead of Arden’s Gabriel Aubry, who sealed his highest finish of the campaign in sixth.

Tatiana Calderon continued her point-scoring streak in the second half of 2018 by recording her third consecutive finish inside the points in seventh – marking her own personal best of the season.

Campos’ Leonardo Pulcini, who scored his first GP3 victory in Saturday’s opener, claimed the final point on offer in eighth.

GP3 Russia Race 2 Full Results