GP2:Lynn wins race, Gasly the title

27/11/2016
NEWS STORY

Alex Lynn dominated this afternoon's Sprint Race in Abu Dhabi, claiming the final win of the 2016 season with an experienced run from lights to flag ahead of Johnny Cecotto and Sergey Sirotkin, while further back Antonio Giovinazzi could manage no better that P6, handing the title to teammate Pierre Gasly.

If most eyes were on the championship showdown between the PREMA Racing pair, the Williams tester started as though the race was set for him alone, easily holding the lead into turn one before flying away, while Norman Nato got away fast but lost out on the inside to Sirotkin and Cecotto, with Nobuharu Matsushita having a good getaway but getting stuck on the outside, while Giovinazzi and Gasly held station from their P6 and P8 grid slots, split by Artem Markelov.

Lynn had the beating of everyone today, and was determined to prove the point as he built a solid lead on track, while Nato was unable to keep pace with the leading trio, forming a train behind him. Matsushita needed 8 laps, and the best of his tyres, to get by the Frenchman for P4: the title contenders were clearly faster than him, as was Markelov, but finding a way by was proving tougher than expected.

Giovinazzi could see his title challenge slipping away from him, but just couldn't find a line around Nato, which gave Markelov some fresh impetus: the Russian had a go at him into turn 10 on lap 15 and the pair ran side by side around the hotel complex, but a small touch and a run across the grass put paid to his ambitions, despite the Italian running deep at the end of the back straight soon afterwards.

As the laps ran down Mitch Evans pushed ahead, overtaking a number of his rivals as a farewell present to the series. And on the last lap Lynn easily rolled to victory, with Cecotto taking advantage of race long pressure and slightly better tyres to out-drag Sirotkin on the back straight for P2, with Matsushita finishing a lonely race in 4th. Nato soaked up the pressure from Giovinazzi to hold on for P5, with Markelov making do with 7th and Evans grabbing the final point in the hotel complex from a delighted Gasly, who stayed out of trouble to claim the 2016 GP2 drivers' title from Giovinazzi and Sirotkin, while the 1-2 ensured PREMA Racing claimed the teams' title in their maiden season, from Racing Engineering and RUSSIAN TIME.

1. Alex Lynn DAMS
2. Johnny Cecotto Rapax
3. Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix
4. Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix
5. Norman Nato Racing Engineering
6. Antonio Giovinazzi PREMA Racing
7. Artem Markelov RUSSIAN TIME
8. Mitch Evans Pertamina Campos Racing
9. Pierre Gasly PREMA Racing
10. Jordan King Racing Engineering
11. Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport
12. Nicholas Latifi DAMS
13. Raffaele Marciello RUSSIAN TIME
14. Gustav Malja Rapax
15. Emil Bernstorff Arden International
16. Sergio Canamasas Carlin
17. Louis Delétraz Carlin
18. Philo Paz Armand Trident
19. Luca Ghiotto Trident
20. Nabil Jeffri Arden International
21. Sean Gelael Pertamina Campos Racing

Fastest Lap: Luca Ghiotto (Trident) 1:52.646 (Lap 14)

Not Classified

Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport

Final Driver Standings

Pos Name Nat Team Points
1 Gasly FRA Prema Racing 219
2 Giovinazzi ITA Prema Racing 211
3 Sirotkin RUS ART Grand Prix 159
4 Marciello ITA Russian Time 159
5 Nato FRA Racing Engineering 136
6 Lynn GBR DAMS 124
7 King GBR Racing Engineering 122
8 Ghiotto ITA Trident 111
9 Rowland GBR MP Motorsport 107
10 Markelov RUS Russian Time 97
11 Matsushita JPN ART Grand Prix 92
12 Evans NZL Pertamina Campos Racing 90
13 Malja SWE Rapax 53
14 Pic FRA Rapax 36
15 Gelael INO Pertamina Campos Racing 24
16 Latifi CAN DAMS 23
17 Kirchhofer GER Carlin 21
18 Cecotto VEN Rapax 18
19 Canamasas GBR Carlin 17
20 Eriksson SWE Arden International 10
21 de Jong NED MP Motorsport 6
22 Jeffri MAS Arden International 2

Final Team Standings

Pos Team Points
1 Prema Racing 430
2 Racing Engineering 258
3 Russian Time 256
4 ART Grand Prix 251
5 DAMS 147
6 Pertamina Campos Racing 114
7 MP Motorsport 113
8 Trident 111
9 Rapax 107
10 Carlin 38
11 Arden International 12

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Published: 27/11/2016
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