2016 Catalunya GP2 and GP3 Series rounds

The 2016 Catalunya GP2 and GP3 Series rounds were a pair of motor races held on 14 and 15 May 2016 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. They were the first round of the 2016 GP2 season and 2016 GP3 season, respectively. The race weekend supported the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

   2016 Catalunya GP2 round
Round details
Round 1 of 11 rounds in the
2016 GP2 Series
and
Round 1 of 9 rounds in the
2016 GP3 Series

Layout of the Circuit de Catalunya
Location Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Spain
Course Permanent racing facility
4.665 km (2.892 mi)
Feature race
Date 14 May 2016
Laps 33
Pole position
Driver Pierre Gasly Prema Racing
Time 1:27.807
Podium
First Norman Nato Racing Engineering
Second Nicholas Latifi DAMS
Third Pierre Gasly Prema Racing
Fastest lap
Driver Norman Nato Racing Engineering
Time 1:34.050 (on lap 28)
Sprint race
Date 15 May 2016
Laps 26
Podium
First Alex Lynn DAMS
Second Pierre Gasly Prema Racing
Third Jordan King Racing Engineering
Fastest lap
Driver Pierre Gasly Prema Racing
Time 1:33.263 (on lap 6)
Race 1
Date 14 May 2016
Laps 22
Pole position
Driver Jake Hughes DAMS
Time 1:34.632
Podium
First Charles Leclerc ART Grand Prix
Second Jake Hughes DAMS
Third Nirei Fukuzumi ART Grand Prix
Fastest lap
Driver Charles Leclerc ART Grand Prix
Time 1:38.649 (on lap 22)
Race 2
Date 15 May 2016
Laps 17
Podium
First Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix
Second Óscar Tunjo Jenzer Motorsport
Third Antonio Fuoco Trident
Fastest lap
Driver Óscar Tunjo Jenzer Motorsport
Time 1:38.722 (on lap 2)

The round saw the début of the third-generation GP3 car, the Dallara GP3/16, which replaced the GP3/13 chassis used between 2013 and 2015.

Background

The defending champions for both GP2 and GP3, Stoffel Vandoorne and Esteban Ocon, were both unable to defend their respective titles due to the ruling which forbids driver champions from returning to the series. Vandoorne remained as a McLaren reserve and test driver, where he stood in for the injured Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix, while also racing in the Super Formula series in Japan. Ocon served as a Mercedes development driver and was also the reserve driver for the Renault Formula 1 team, dovetailing his F1 commitments with a season in the DTM.

Classification

GP2 Series

Qualifying

A dramatic qualifying session saw Pierre Gasly took his first pole position of the season, his third in a row dating back to last season, and the fourth in his GP2 career. It was also the first pole position for Prema Racing, which they scored on their debut in the GP2 Series. Norman Nato grabbed his best-ever qualifying position in GP2 with a strong second place, with Alex Lynn behind in third.

Pos. No. Driver Team Time Grid
1 21 Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 1:27.807 1
2 3 Norman Nato Racing Engineering 1:28.271 2
3 5 Alex Lynn DAMS 1:28.458 3
4 6 Nicholas Latifi DAMS 1:28.563 4
5 2 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:28.655 5
6 11 Gustav Malja Rapax 1:28.695 6
7 22 Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 1:28.807 7
8 1 Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 1:29.128 111
9 10 Artem Markelov Russian Time 1:29.129 8
10 15 Luca Ghiotto Trident 1:29.143 9
11 20 Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 1:29.163 10
12 9 Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 1:29.274 12
13 4 Jordan King Racing Engineering 1:29.322 13
14 12 Arthur Pic Rapax 1:29.385 14
15 18 Sergio Canamasas Carlin 1:29.397 15
16 19 Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 1:29.440 16
17 23 Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport 1:29.464 17
18 7 Mitch Evans Campos Racing 1:29.478 18
19 25 Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 1:29.942 19
20 24 Nabil Jeffri Arden International 1:30.254 20
21 8 Sean Gelael Campos Racing 1:30.304 222
22 14 Philo Paz Armand Trident 1:30.609 21
Source:[1]
1.^ – Matsushita received a three-place grid penalty for impeding a rival during the qualifying session.[2]
2.^ – Gelael received a three-place grid penalty for impeding a rival during the qualifying session. However, since he was unable to serve his penalty in full, Gelael started from the pitlane.[2]

Feature Race

Pierre Gasly got a good getaway from pole position, followed by Nato and the fast-starting ART car of Sergey Sirotkin. However, the safety car was called out when rookie Luca Ghiotto crashed at Turn 3. The restart on Lap 5 saw no positional changes up front. Soft-shod Alex Lynn and Jordan King started the pit stop cycle, but Gasly's blistering pace out front eradicated any potential strategic advantage. The battle for second raged on, with Nato holding off a charging Sirotkin. But Sirotkin's race quickly unravelled when he spun in Turn 2 on Lap 23 and stalled the engine, a rare mistake from the Russian driver. The safety car came out once again while Sirotkin's stricken car was retrieved. This proved advantageous for the drivers on the hard tyre, as they were awarded a "free" pit stop under the safety car. As such, Gasly, Nato, Nicholas Latifi, and Sergio Canamasas all emerged in front of Lynn.

The race restarted again on Lap 26, and this time, there were moves aplenty. Artem Markelov jumped ahead of both Lynn and King for P5, before Nato made a brave race-winning move in the final complex of corners to take the lead. Shortly after, the race became time-certain, which spurred on drivers to make more moves. Latifi passed Gasly on Lap 33 to claim second, while Markelov continued his charge to the front by deposing Canamasas for fourth.

The race ended under a bizarre set of circumstances: Prema Racing's Antonio Giovinazzi clattered into the back of Raffaele Marciello on Lap 34, sending him into the Turn 4 gravel. The safety car came out for the third time, with time running out just before the field crossed the line. Under GP2 rules, there is always one lap after the time runs out, but despite this rule, the checkered flag was accidentally waved one lap too early. Because of race control's gaffe, the results were rolled back to one lap before, which annulled the accident between Marciello and Giovinazzi. However, Giovinazzi was still awarded a twenty-second time penalty which relegated him to an 18th-place finish.

Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 3 Norman Nato Racing Engineering 33 58:51.044 2 25 (2)
2 6 Nicholas Latifi DAMS 33 +1:337 4 18
3 21 Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 33 +4.248 1 15 (4)
4 10 Artem Markelov Russian Time 33 +5.145 8 12
5 18 Sergio Canamasas Carlin 33 +7.294 15 10
6 5 Alex Lynn DAMS 33 +7.596 3 8
7 4 Jordan King Racing Engineering 33 +8.678 13 6
8 9 Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 33 +11.544 12 4
9 11 Gustav Malja Rapax 33 +13.102 6 2
10 22 Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 33 +17.513 7 1
11 1 Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 33 +18.526 11
12 7 Mitch Evans Campos Racing 33 +21.773 18
13 12 Arthur Pic Rapax 33 +23.022 14
14 23 Daniel de Jong MP Motorsport 33 +23.787 17
15 19 Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 33 +24.125 16
16 25 Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 33 +24.348 19
17 8 Sean Gelael Campos Racing 33 +27.522 PL
18 20 Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 32 +1 Lap 10
19 24 Nabil Jeffri Arden International 32 +1 Lap 20
Ret 14 Philo Paz Armand Trident 28 Mechanical 21
Ret 2 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 23 Spun off 5
Ret 15 Luca Ghiotto Trident 0 Accident 9
Fastest lap: Norman Nato (Racing Engineering) – 1:34.050 (on lap 28)
Source:[1]

Sprint Race

Reverse-grid polesitter Raffaele Marciello got a clean start, holding off Jordan King into the first corner, but Alex Lynn got a great start from third and passed King into turn 2. It took Lynn merely two laps to catch and sail past Marciello, setting the Briton up for a dominant drive to victory. Behind him, Marciello plummeted to fourth, being passed by King and Pierre Gasly in quick succession. Gasly then overtook King for second on Lap 6 and set off in pursuit of his former teammate. Positions remained at the front of the field, but it was all change in the middle of the pack. Sergey Sirotkin and Luca Ghiotto chewed through almost half the field from their last-row starting positions.

The intense midfield battle came to an abrupt end on Lap 21, when Sean Gelael aggressively blocked Antonio Giovinazzi on the back straight, but Giovinazzi was already partially alongside the Indonesian driver. He was launched over Gelael's left-rear wheel and slid down the remainder of the straight, collecting an innocent Arthur Pic in Turn 10. Giovinazzi hurtled towards the barriers at unabated speed, skipping across the gravel before slamming the tyre wall side-on. He climbed out of his car visibly shaken, but otherwise uninjured, which was positive news after such a violent impact. The safety car was deployed, but a lengthy clean-up meant that it could only be recalled on the final lap. As a result, Lynn was able to take a second consecutive Spanish sprint race victory, while Gasly, King, Artem Markelov, Marciello, Oliver Rowland, Nicholas Latifi, and Nobuharu Matsushita also claimed points.

Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 5 Alex Lynn DAMS 26 43:50.241 3 15
2 21 Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 26 +0.377 6 12 (2)
3 4 Jordan King Racing Engineering 26 +1.120 2 10
4 10 Artem Markelov Russian Time 26 +2.168 5 8
5 9 Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 26 +3.382 1 6
6 22 Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 26 +3.990 10 4
7 6 Nicholas Latifi DAMS 26 +4.584 7 2
8 1 Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 26 +5.647 11 1
9 18 Sergio Canamasas Carlin 26 +8.115 4
10 11 Gustav Malja Rapax 26 +8.419 9
11 2 Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 26 +8.698 21
12 15 Luca Ghiotto Trident 26 +8.828 22
13 8 Sean Gelael Campos 26 +9.178 17
14 7 Mitch Evans Campos Racing 26 +9.650 12
15 19 Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 26 +10.152 15
16 3 Norman Nato Racing Engineering 26 +10.430 8
17 23 Daniel de Jong MP Motorsport 26 +10.726 14
18 24 Nabil Jeffri Arden International 26 +11.672 19
19 25 Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 25 +1 Lap 16
Ret 12 Arthur Pic Rapax 20 Collision 13
Ret 20 Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 20 Accident 18
Ret 14 Philo Paz Armand Trident 13 Retired 20
Fastest lap: Pierre Gasly (Prema Racing) – 1:33.263 (on lap 6)
Source:[1]

GP3 Series

Qualifying

The first qualifying for GP3's third-generation car started under clear skies, with Alexander Albon taking the early lead. Jake Dennis, Jack Aitken, Kevin Jörg, Charles Leclerc, and Nirei Fukuzumi all took turns at the head of the pack, but Jake Hughes had the last word, claiming pole with a terrific lap. With teammate Jörg in second, it was a dream debut qualifying for newcomer team DAMS.

Pos. No. Driver Team Time Grid
1 27 Jake Hughes DAMS 1:34.632 1
2 28 Kevin Jörg DAMS 1:34.772 2
3 1 Charles Leclerc ART Grand Prix 1:34.949 3
4 2 Nirei Fukuzumi ART Grand Prix 1:35.048 4
5 9 Jake Dennis Arden International 1:35.117 5
6 20 Óscar Tunjo Jenzer Motorsport 1:35.160 6
7 5 Antonio Fuoco Trident 1:35.201 7
8 3 Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix 1:35.207 8
9 17 Ralph Boschung Koiranen GP 1:35.344 9
10 11 Jack Aitken Arden International 1:35.415 10
11 4 Nyck de Vries MP Motorsport 1:35.463 11
12 10 Tatiana Calderón Arden International 1:35.469 12
13 19 Richard Gonda Jenzer Motorsport 1:35.594 13
14 23 Steijn Schothorst Campos Racing 1:35.598 14
15 7 Giuliano Alesi Trident 1:35.656 PL1
16 16 Matevos Isaakyan Koiranen GP 1:35.693 15
17 14 Matt Parry Koiranen GP 1:35.746 192
18 26 Santino Ferrucci DAMS 1:35.792 16
19 24 Konstantin Tereshchenko Campos Racing 1:36.070 17
20 18 Akash Nandy Jenzer Motorsport 1:36.157 18
21 6 Artur Janosz Trident 1:36.215 20
22 8 Sandy Stuvik Trident 1:36.282 21
23 15 Mahaveer Raghunathan Koiranen GP 1:37.222 22
24 22 Álex Palou Campos Racing 1:37.248 23
Source:[3]
1.^ – Alesi failed to stop at the weighbridge after qualifying and was forced to start from the pit lane.[4]
2.^ – Parry received a three-place grid penalty for impeding a rival.[4]

Race 1

In contrast to the qualifying session, the sky was overcast and the threat of rain ever-present. A lightning start from Ferrari Driver Academy's Charles Leclerc saw him grab first place entering the first turn, while Kevin Jörg fell to fifth. After an exciting opening few laps, the field stagnated, with Leclerc edging away from polesitter Jake Hughes and teammate Nirei Fukuzumi. Further back in the pack, Jack Aitken stalled at the start, while Steijn Schothorst retired with mechanical problems. An intense battle developed between the Koiranen GP drivers, who were fighting for tenth place and the final point. Meanwhile, Leclerc continued to build a gap to Hughes, eventually recording his first GP3 win with a margin of just over six seconds. Hughes held off Fukuzumi for second, with Antonio Fuoco finishing a distant fourth. Behind them were Jörg, Alexander Albon, and Jake Dennis, who had a wild off-track moment early on at the final corner. Óscar Tunjo finished eighth, giving him reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race, with Nyck de Vries and Ralph Boschung completing the top ten.

Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Charles Leclerc ART Grand Prix 22 36:38.694 3 25 (2)
2 27 Jake Hughes DAMS 22 +6.023 1 18 (4)
3 2 Nirei Fukuzumi ART Grand Prix 22 +7.452 4 15
4 5 Antonio Fuoco Trident 22 +19.325 7 12
5 28 Kevin Jörg DAMS 22 +22.801 2 10
6 3 Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix 22 +23.391 8 8
7 9 Jake Dennis Arden International 22 +24.086 5 6
8 20 Óscar Tunjo Jenzer Motorsport 22 +25.592 6 4
9 4 Nyck de Vries ART Grand Prix 22 +26.467 11 2
10 17 Ralph Boschung Koiranen GP 22 +27.104 9 1
11 16 Matevos Isaakyan Koiranen GP 22 +28.860 15
12 14 Matt Parry Koiranen GP 22 +30.952 19
13 19 Richard Gonda Jenzer Motorsport 22 +33.095 13
14 10 Tatiana Calderón Arden International 22 +33.871 12
15 26 Santino Ferrucci DAMS 22 +34.241 16
16 6 Artur Janosz Arden International 22 +36.835 20
17 24 Konstantin Tereshchenko Campos Racing 22 +38.168 17
18 8 Sandy Stuvik Trident 22 +44.347 21
19 22 Álex Palou Campos Racing 22 +44.902 23
20 11 Jack Aitken Arden International 22 +45.298 10
21 18 Akash Nandy Jenzer Motorsport 22 +55.655 18
22 7 Giuliano Alesi Trident 22 +1:00.294 PL
23 15 Mahaveer Raghunathan Koiranen GP 22 +1:03.391 22
Ret 23 Steijn Schothorst Campos Racing 0 Retired 14
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc (ART Grand Prix) – 1:38.649 (on lap 2)
Source:

Race 2

Once again, the race was set up at the start, as there were no changes for position inside the top 10 after the opening lap. Óscar Tunjo made a good start from pole position, but it was Alexander Albon that took the lead with a sensational pass around the outside Tunjo in Turn 1. Another excellent start from Antonio Fuoco saw him rise to third, ahead of Jake Dennis, with Nyck de Vries and Matevos Isaakyan both making lightning getaways to be fifth and sixth, after starting ninth and eleventh, respectively. DAMS team-mates Kevin Jörg and Jake Hughes were involved in a race-long scrap for seventh, with Saturday's race winner Charles Leclerc in hot pursuit. Despite Tunjo having a pace advantage in sector one, Albon was faster in the second and third sectors of the lap, which allowed him to maintain his lead and claim a maiden victory. ART Grand Prix swept the opening weekend for the second season in a row. For the second sprint race in a row (dating back to the final weekend of the 2015 season), every driver finished the race, which was an impressive showcase of reliability from the brand-new GP3/16 car.

Pos. No. Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 3 Alexander Albon ART Grand Prix 17 28:24.177 3 15
2 20 Óscar Tunjo Jenzer Motorsport 17 +1.294 1 12 (2)
3 5 Antonio Fuoco Trident 17 +7.307 5 10
4 9 Jake Dennis Arden International 17 +8.114 2 8
5 4 Nyck de Vries ART Grand Prix 17 +11.612 9 6
6 16 Matevos Isaakyan Koiranen GP 17 +12.505 11 4
7 28 Kevin Jörg DAMS 17 +15.012 4 2
8 27 Jake Hughes DAMS 17 +15.670 7 1
9 1 Charles Leclerc ART Grand Prix 17 +16.695 8
10 17 Ralph Boschung Koiranen GP 17 +18.345 10
11 26 Santino Ferrucci DAMS 17 +18.757 15
12 6 Artur Janosz Trident 17 +20.796 16
13 2 Nirei Fukuzumi ART Grand Prix 17 +21.450 6
14 22 Álex Palou Campos Racing 17 +21.934 19
15 8 Sandy Stuvik Trident 17 +24.818 18
16 7 Giuliano Alesi Trident 17 +26.107 22
17 19 Richard Gonda Jenzer Motorsport 17 +27.024 13
18 10 Tatiana Calderón Arden International 17 +27.582 14
19 11 Jack Aitken Arden International 17 +29.135 20
20 14 Matt Parry Arden International 17 +29.524 12
21 24 Konstantin Tereshchenko Campos Racing 17 +30.109 17
22 23 Steijn Schothorst Campos Racing 17 +30.840 24
23 18 Akash Nandy Jenzer Motorsport 17 +33.959 21
24 15 Mahaveer Raghunathan Koiranen GP 17 +43.431 23
Fastest lap: Óscar Tunjo (Jenzer Motorsport) – 1:38.722 (on lap 2)
Source:

Standings after the round

GP2 Series
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

GP3 Series
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References
  1. "GP2 Series 2016 Results - Spain". GP2 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. "Penalties for Matsushita and Gelael". GP2 Series. GP2 Motorsport Limited. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  3. "GP3 Series 2016 Results - Spain". GP3 Series. GP3 Motorsport Limited. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  4. "Barcelona Post-Qualifying Penalties". GP3 Series. GP3 Motorsport Limited. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
Previous round:
2015 Abu Dhabi GP2 and GP3 Series rounds		 GP2 Series
2016 season		 Next round:
2016 Monaco GP2 Series round
Previous round:
2015 Catalunya GP2 and GP3 Series rounds		 Catalunya GP2 and GP3 round Next round:
2017 Catalunya FIA Formula 2 round
2017 Catalunya GP3 Series round
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