2016 Baku GP2 Series round

Motor race Azerbaijan Baku 3 11 Baku Formula One circuit map.svg Layout of the Baku City Circuit 2016 Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan Street circuit 3.730 6.003 18 June 26 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 1:51.752 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing RUS Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix ITA Raffaele Marciello Russian Time JPN Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 1:56.086 18 19 June 21 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing FRA Pierre Gasly Prema Racing RUS Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 1:54.792 16 The 2016 Baku GP2 Series round was a pair of motor races held on 18 and 19 June 2016 at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan as part of the GP2 Series. It was the third round of the 2016 GP2 Series and was run in support of the 2016 European Grand Prix. The first race, a 26-lap feature event, was won by Prema Racing driver Antonio Giovinazzi from pole position. Sergey Sirotkin finished second for ART Grand Prix, and Russian Time driver Raffaele Marciello took third. Giovinazzi won the shorter 21-lap sprint race from teammate Pierre Gasly in second and Sirotkin third. Giovinazzi made a slow start in the first race and lost the lead to Nobuharu Matsushita. The event was affected by four safety car periods which closed the field up and forced a time limit. Matsushita lost the lead to Marciello who later held off Matsushita for the position. Giovinazzi recovered and caught up to Marciello and passed him on the 18th lap. He stayed in the lead for the rest of the race to achieve his and Prema's first GP2 Series victory. In the second race, Daniël de Jong started from pole position but lost the lead to Matsushita. De Jong held off de Jong and Oliver Rowland for the lead after a slow restart. Gasly became the leader when Marciello and Matsushita collided and held it until Giovinazzi passed him to win the race. Giovinazzi became the first driver since Davide Valsecchi in 2012 Bahrain to win both races in a GP2 Series race weekend. The round gave Artem Markelov the Drivers' Championship lead with 54 points, while previous leader Norman Nato fellow to second following sub-par results. Giovinazzi's victory moved him to third place, one point ahead of Gasly. Russian Time remained the leaders of the Teams' Championship on 97 points, eight ahead of second-placed Prema Racing. Racing Engineering were in third position on 73 points, with seven rounds left in the season. Background The 2016 Baku GP2 Series round was the third of eleven scheduled events of the 2016 GP2 Series season. It was held on 18 and 19 June 2016 at the Baku City Circuit in Baku and supported the 2016 European Grand Prix.http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/tag/2016-gp2-calendar/ GP2, GP3 Schedules Confirmed for 2016, Featuring New Races Smith Luke 4 March 2016 NBC Sports https://web.archive.org/web/20160827170652/http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/tag/2016-gp2-calendar/ 27 August 2016 27 August 2016 Tyre supplier Pirelli brought two types of tyre to the race: two dry-compounds (supersoft "options" and medium "primes"). The supersoft tyres were identified by a red stripe on their side-walls, and the medium tyres were similarly identified with white.http://www.racecar.com/Motorsport/News/GP2-makes-Baku-debut-with-medium-and-supersoft-P-Zero-tyres/80783.htm GP2 makes Baku debut with medium and supersoft P Zero tyres 15 June 2016 Racecar 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160829002614/http://www.racecar.com/Motorsport/News/GP2-makes-Baku-debut-with-medium-and-supersoft-P-Zero-tyres/80783.htm 29 August 2016http://www.gp2series.com/Guide-to/The-regulations/ The Regulations GP2 Series 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160407225502/http://www.gp2series.com/Guide-to/The-regulations/ 7 April 2016 The drag reduction system (DRS) had two activation zones for the race: one was on the start/finish straight linking the final and first corners, and the second on the straight from the second and third turns.https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/06/european-grand-prix-preview-not-like-anything-weve-seen-before-in-f1/ European Grand Prix preview: not like anything we've seen before in F1 Allen James 16 June 2016 James Allen on F1 James Allen 16 June 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160814112337/https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/06/european-grand-prix-preview-not-like-anything-weve-seen-before-in-f1/ 14 August 2016 A total of 11 teams fielded 2 drivers each making up 22 participants for the round and every competitor used the Dallara GP2/11 car.Race result: GP2 Series 2016: Race 5 in Baku (Government House) on 18 Jun 2016 https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level2/gp2-series-formula-3000/2016/baku-government-house-_race5_results.html live 8 September 2021 Speedsport Magazine https://web.archive.org/web/20210908075037/https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level2/gp2-series-formula-3000/2016/baku-government-house-_race5_results.html 2021-09-08 Race result: GP2 Series 2016: Race 6 in Baku (Government House) on 19 Jun 2016 https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level2/gp2-series-formula-3000/2016/baku-government-house-_race6_results.html live 8 September 2021 Speedsport Magazine https://web.archive.org/web/20210908075036/https://www.speedsport-magazine.com/motorsport/formula-level2/gp2-series-formula-3000/2016/baku-government-house-_race6_results.html 2021-09-08 Before the race, Racing Engineering driver Norman Nato led the Drivers' Championship with 49 points, one ahead of Artem Markelov, who in turn, was a further seven points in front of Alex Lynn in third. Pierre Gasly was fourth on 33 points, and Raffaele Marciello was fifth on 28.http://www.gp2series.com/Standings/Driver/?seasonid=173 Drivers Standings GP2 Series 27 August 2016 Russian Time were leading the Teams' Championship with 76 points; Racing Engineering were four points ahead of DAMS in the battle for second place. Prema Racing were in fourth on 33 points, and Carlin rounded out the top five on 28.http://www.gp2series.com/Standings/Team/?seasonid=173 Teams' Standings GP2 Series 27 August 2016 Practice and qualifying left|thumb|upright|Antonio Giovinazzi (pictured in 2014) won the first pole position of his GP2 Series career and later won both races. One 45-minute practice session on Friday was held before the two races. The session was held on a dirty track with lap times gradually improving throughout practice when the cars cleaned the circuit. Nato set the fastest lap with a time of 1:55.392, ahead of Giovinazzi in second and Sergey Sirotkin in third. Gasly, Oliver Rowland, Luca Ghiotto (Trident), Jordan King, Arthur Pic (Rapax), Marciello, and Sergio Canamasas (Carlin) rounded out the session's top-ten drivers. The session was disrupted when King went onto the turn 15 run-off area and was required to swerve to avoid hitting a van parked at the corner, prompting the activation of the virtual safety car (VSC) to allow the vehicle to be moved.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124819/nato-fastest-as-gp2-christens-baku-track Baku GP2: Norman Nato fastest in first session on Azerbaijan track 17 June 2016 Haymarket Publications Autosport 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828034403/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124819/nato-fastest-as-gp2-christens-baku-track 28 August 2016 Two further VSC periods were necessitated late on when Marciello and Gustav Malja (Rapax) slid off the track at the same corner, ending their sessions prematurely.http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-nato-tops-practice-amid-mass-yellow-flags-788975/ Baku GP2: Nato tops practice amid mass yellow flags Khorounzhiy Valentin 17 June 2016 motorsport.com 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160911191320/http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-nato-tops-practice-amid-mass-yellow-flags-788975/ 11 September 2016 Friday afternoon's qualifying session ran for 30-minutes. The session determined the starting order for the first race with the drivers' fastest lap times. The pole position winner was awarded four points for the Drivers' and Teams' Championships. No competitor was required to start the races with the tyres they qualified on. Qualifying was postponed until after the second Formula One practice session when race director Charlie Whiting inspected the track at the second and third turns and decided that alterations were required to the kerbs in the area.http://www.espn.com/xgames/uk/f1/article/16277675/kerb-issues-cause-gp2-qualifying-postponed-baku Kerb issues cause GP2 qualifying to be postponed in Baku Edmondson Lawrence 17 June 2016 ESPN 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160911191616/http://www.espn.com/xgames/uk/f1/article/16277675/kerb-issues-cause-gp2-qualifying-postponed-baku 11 September 2016 It came after concerns were raised by Pirelli who reported that several tyres had been cut 5 cm mm in on by several loosened screws.http://www.motorsport-magazin.com/formel1/news-228683-5-cm-cuts-hintergruende-zu-den-baku-kerbs/ Formel 1 – 5 cm Cuts! Hintergründe zu den Baku-Kerbs Fehling Jonas 17 June 2016 motorsport-magazin.com https://web.archive.org/web/20161128142752/http://www.motorsport-magazin.com/formel1/news-228683-5-cm-cuts-hintergruende-zu-den-baku-kerbs/ 28 November 2016 28 November 2016 The session was held in cloudy and windy weather conditions.http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Antonio-Giovinazzi-takes-maiden-pole-in-Baku/ Antonio Giovinazzi takes maiden pole in Baku 17 June 2016 GP2 Series 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828142451/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Antonio-Giovinazzi-takes-maiden-pole-in-Baku/ 28 August 2016 Giovinazzi achieved the first pole position of his GP2 Series career, and the second for Prema Racing, with a time of 1:51.752. He was joined on the grid's front row by ART Grand Prix's Nobuharu Matsushita who had pole position until Giovinazzi's lap.http://www.gpupdate.net/en/gp2-news/340740/giovinazzi-takes-maiden-gp2-pole-in-baku/ Giovinazzi takes maiden GP2 pole in Baku 17 June 2016 JHED Media BV GPUpdate 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828041827/http://www.gpupdate.net/en/gp2-news/340740/giovinazzi-takes-maiden-gp2-pole-in-baku/ 28 August 2016 His teammate Sirotkin qualified third and was fastest early on. Marciello took fourth, and Ghiotto was fifth, which was achieved on his second run. Rowland, Marvin Kirchhöfer, Gasly, Nato, and Canamasas rounded out the top ten qualifiers. King was the fastest driver not to qualify in the top ten with the field was completed by Markelov, DAMS teammates Lynn and Nicholas Latifi. Mitch Evans (Campos Racing), Pic, Daniël de Jong (MP Motorsport), Jimmy Eriksson (Arden International), Malja, Sean Gelael (Campos Racing), Nabil Jeffri (Arden International) and Philo Paz Armand (Trident).http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124828 Baku GP2: Rookie Antonio Giovinazzi takes pole for Prema 17 June 2016 Haymarket Publications Autosport 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828044159/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124828 28 August 2016 The session was stopped when Armand and de Jong drove onto the turn three escape road; de Jong was unable to continue. Qualifying classification +Final qualifying classification Pos. Position No. Car number Driver Team Time Gap Gap in seconds Grid Final grid position 1 20 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 1:51.752 — 1 2 1 JPN Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 1:51.841 +0.089 2 3 2 RUS Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 1:52.532 +0.780 3 4 9 ITA Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 1:52.555 +0.803 4 5 15 ITA Luca Ghiotto Trident 1:52.691 +0.939 5 6 22 GBR Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 1:52.739 +0.987 6 7 19 DEU Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 1:52.756 +1.004 7 8 21 FRA Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 1:52.760 +1.008 8 9 3 FRA Norman Nato Racing Engineering 1:52.929 +1.177 9 10 18 ESP Sergio Canamasas Carlin 1:52.962 +1.210 10 11 4 GBR Jordan King Racing Engineering 1:52.962 +1.210 11 12 10 RUS Artem Markelov Russian Time 1:53.040 +1.288 12 13 5 GBR Alex Lynn DAMS 1:53.092 +1.340 13 14 6 CAN Nicholas Latifi DAMS 1:53.226 +1.474 14 15 7 NZL Mitch Evans Campos Racing 1:53.401 +1.649 15 16 12 FRA Arthur Pic Rapax 1:53.702 +1.950 16 17 23 NED Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport 1:54.000 +2.248 17 18 25 SWE Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 1:54.034 +2.282 18 19 11 SWE Gustav Malja Rapax 1:54.213 +2.461 19 20 8 INA Sean Gelael Campos Racing 1:54.717 +2.965 20 21 24 MYS Nabil Jeffri Arden International 1:55.333 +3.581 21 22 14 INA Philo Paz Armand Trident 1:57.692 +5.940 22 Source: Races The first race was held over 170 km mi on or 60 minutes (which ever came first) and the regulations required drivers to make one pit stop. The first ten finishers scored points, with two given to the fastest lap holder. The grid for the second race was determined by the finishing order of the first but with the first eight drivers in reverse order of where they finished. It was run for 120 km mi on or 45 minutes (which ever came first) and, in contrast to the first race, drivers were not required to make pit stops. The top eight finishers earned points towards their respective championships. Feature Race thumb|upright|Sergey Sirotkin (pictured in 2017) finished second after passing Oliver Rowland for the position on the final lap of the first race. The first race began at 12:00 Azerbaijan Time (UTC+4) on 18 June.http://www.flagworld.com/news/2016/06/16/gp2-series-round-3-preview-baku-azerbaijan/ GP2 Series round 3 preview: Baku, Azerbaijan 16 June 2016 Flag World 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828031658/http://www.flagworld.com/news/2016/06/16/gp2-series-round-3-preview-baku-azerbaijan/ 28 August 2016 The weather at the start were hot with an air temperature of 29 C F and a track temperature of 46 C F.http://www.racing-engineering.com/GP2/news/329/329-e.html A very difficult day today for Racing Engineering in the Baku Feature Race 18 June 2016 Racing Engineering 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160911192107/http://www.racing-engineering.com/GP2/news/329/329-e.html 11 September 2016 At the outset, Giovinazzi made a slow start and fell to fifth.http://www.crash.net/gp2/race-report/231375/1/giovinazzi-survives-to-win-crashstrewn-baku-race.html GP2 Azerbaijan: Giovinazzi survives to win crash-strewn Baku race Barstow Ollie 18 June 2016 crash.net 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828185541/http://www.crash.net/gp2/race-report/231375/1/giovinazzi-survives-to-win-crashstrewn-baku-race.html 28 August 2016 Matsushita took the lead and maintained the position into the first corner. Sirotkin fell from third to seventh.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124839 Antonio Giovinazzi wins wild first GP2 race in Baku 18 June 2016 Autosport Haymarket Publications https://web.archive.org/web/20160828043951/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124839 28 August 2016 27 August 2016 A multi-car collision occurred at the first turn when Gasly attempted to overtake Nato on the outside. But, as the amount of room alongside the inside barrier was reduced, the two drivers made contact. Nato was sent into a spin, and as Gasly drove slowly away from the corner, Canamasas went into the rear of his car.http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-giovinazzi-comes-through-total-chaos-for-maiden-win-789377/ Baku GP2: Giovinazzi comes through total chaos for maiden win Khorounzhiy Valentin 18 June 2016 motorsport.com 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160911192306/http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-giovinazzi-comes-through-total-chaos-for-maiden-win-789377/ 11 September 2016 Kirchhöfer drove into Lynn and Latifi was caught up in the incident. With the exception of Nato, all drivers retired from the race because of the damage sustained to their cars. Sirotkin battled a Racing Engineering car in turn five but made contact with him, damaging the front wing's left endplate.http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Round-3-post-Feature-Race-quotes-/ Round 3 post Feature Race quotes 18 June 2016 GP2 Series 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828131921/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Round-3-post-Feature-Race-quotes-/ 28 August 2016 To allow the stricken cars to be removed from the turn one run-off area,23 June 2016 Giovinazzi stuns for Prema double in Baku https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/autosport/2016/06/AS2016.06.23.pdf Autosport 58–59, 61 https://web.archive.org/web/20241112144519/https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/autosport/2016/06/AS2016.06.23.pdf 12 November 2024 23 June 2026 Porsche Cars History the incident prompted the deployment of the safety car, which entered pit lane at the start of the third lap to allow racing to continue. Marciello passed Matsushita for first at the first corner by slipstreaming him, although the latter reclaimed the position with a pass on Marciello on the start/finish straight by drafting behind him. King was overtaken by Markelov on the same lap. Marciello passed Matsushita at turn three to retake the lead on lap six. Armand crashed into the turn one barrier on the same lap, resulting in the safety car's second appearance. Most drivers elected to make their mandatory pit stops during the safety car period. Marciello remained ahead of Matsushita and maintained the lead when the safety car entered the pit lane soon after. Marciello held off Matsushita to retain the lead while Pic squeezed Markelov towards the turn five barrier on the ninth lap and both drivers damaged their cars, causing Markelov to retire. Pic drove on for a short distance before retiring because of the damage resulting from the collision. The safety car was sent onto the track for the third time. Marciello maintained his lead at the restart, while Matsushita ran wide at the first turn, allowing Jeffri past for second place. Matsushita dropped to fifth position. Rowland passed both drivers on the inside as Marciello pulled away from the rest of the field. Having run in clean air, Giovinazzi had moved to third by the 12th lap, and then overtook Rowland on the start/finish straight with DRS for second two laps later. Giovinazzi quickly caught Marciello and overtook him with DRS and drafting at the start of lap 18 for the lead. Giovinazzi began to pull away from Maricello. The safety car was deployed for the fourth (and final) time after Nato attempted to pass teammate King on the inside and retired after the latter put him inro the turn three barrier. The area was cleared of Nato's damaged car over the next five laps which finished the race under a time limit. Giovinazzi accelerated as late as possible to limit the slipstream effect and remained the leader at the lap-25 restart despite locking his tyres into the first turn. King retired from the race following contact with Eriksson. Giovinazzi remained the leader for the final two laps to take his and his team's first victory in the GP2 Series. Siroktin overtook Rowland for third and took second position from Marciello by drafting him on the start/finish straight. Rowland finished in fourth place, ahead of Evans and Matsushita whom he defended from in the final two laps. Gelael, de Jong, Ghiotto, and Malja rounded out the point-scoring positions. Eriksson and King were the final classified finishers. The attrition race was high, with ten drivers finishing the race. Feature Race classification Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold. +Final feature race classification Pos. Position No. Car number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 20 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 26 1:03:05.420 1 25 (4) 2 2 RUS Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 26 +1.233 3 18 3 9 ITA Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 26 +1.343 4 15 4 22 GBR Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 26 +2.141 6 12 5 7 NZL Mitch Evans Campos Racing 26 +2.648 15 10 6 1 JPN Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 26 +3.110 2 8 (2) 7 8 INA Sean Gelael Campos Racing 26 +5.808 20 6 8 23 NED Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport 26 +6.663 17 4 9 15 ITA Luca Ghiotto Trident 26 +7.058 5 2 10 11 SWE Gustav Malja Rapax 26 +7.595 19 1 Ret 25 SWE Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 24 Collision 18 Ret 4 GBR Jordan King Racing Engineering 24 Collision 11 Ret Retired 3 FRA Norman Nato Racing Engineering 18 Collision damage 9 Ret Retired 24 MYS Nabil Jeffri Arden International 14 Spun off 21 Ret Retired 12 FRA Arthur Pic Rapax 7 Collision damage 16 Ret Retired 10 RUS Artem Markelov Russian Time 7 Collision damage 12 Ret Retired 14 INA Philo Paz Armand Trident 5 Accident 22 Ret Retired 18 ESP Sergio Canamasas Carlin 0 Collision 10 Ret Retired 21 FRA Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 0 Collision 8 Ret Retired 6 CAN Nicholas Latifi DAMS 0 Collision 14 Ret Retired 19 DEU Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 0 Collision 7 Ret Retired 5 GBR Alex Lynn DAMS 0 Collision 13 Fastest lap: JPN Nobuharu Matsushita (ART Grand Prix) – 1:56.086 (on lap 18) Sources: Sprint Race left|thumb|upright|Pierre Gasly (pictured in 2017) was overtaken by Giovinazzi on the final lap of the second race. The second event started at 14:00 local time on 19 June. The weather at the start were hot with an air temperature of 32 C F and a track temperature of 50 C F.http://www.automobilsport.com/jordan-king-4th-racing-engineering-baku-sprint-race---150868.html Jordan King finishes 4th today for Racing Engineering in the Baku Sprint Race 19 June 2016 automobilsport.com 27 August 2016 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20160911192558/http://www.automobilsport.com/jordan-king-4th-racing-engineering-baku-sprint-race---150868.html 11 September 2016 De Jong started from pole position but had a slow start and was overtaken by Matsushita (who began in third) on the inside into the first corner.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124882 Baku GP2: Prema's Antonio Giovinazzi completes double in crazy race 19 June 2016 Autosport Haymarket Publications https://web.archive.org/web/20160828040618/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124882 28 August 2016 27 August 2016 This was also due to second-place starter Gelael making a slow start off his grid position.http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-giovinazzi-goes-last-to-first-amid-safety-car-mayhem-789812/ Baku GP2: Giovinazzi goes last to first amid safety car mayhem Khorounzhiy Valentin 19 June 2016 motorsport.com 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160911192720/http://www.motorsport.com/gp2/news/baku-gp2-giovinazzi-goes-last-to-first-amid-safety-car-mayhem-789812/ 11 September 2016 Giovinazzi dropped to the back of the field at the start due to an engine problem.Round 3 post Sprint Race quotes http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Round-3-post-Sprint-Race-quotes-/ 19 June 2016 GP2 Series live https://web.archive.org/web/20160828131053/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Round-3-post-Sprint-Race-quotes-/ 28 August 2016 27 August 2016 Matsushita quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. Rowland attempted to pass Evans but ran deep into turn one but got past with DRS into the third corner. Evans lost a further position to Sirotkin on the following lap. Matsushita's lead was reduced to nothing when the safety car was deployed on lap eight. Eriksson was sent into a spin towards the turn one barrier after contact with King while battling for ninth place. The race was restarted after Eriksson's car was removed from the track by marshals. Matsushita accelerated early on the main straight and avoided hitting the safety car by reducing his speed.http://www.crash.net/gp2/race-report/231451/1/giovinazzi-doubles-up-amidst-bizarre-safety-car-carnage.html GP2 Azerbaijan: Giovinazzi doubles up amidst bizarre safety car carnage Barstow Ollie 19 June 2016 crash.net 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828191820/http://www.crash.net/gp2/race-report/231451/1/giovinazzi-doubles-up-amidst-bizarre-safety-car-carnage.html 28 August 2016 This enabled Rowland and de Jong to slipstream Matsushita; de Jong moved into the first position, but he and Rowland locked their tyres heavily into the first corner. Rowland ran wide while de Jong reversed onto a run-off area. This was caused by both drivers not gaining optimum brake temperature. De Jong dropped to fifth while Rowland fell to third after the latter was passed by Sirotkin. Armand spun in the seventh corner, triggering the safety car's second appearance to allow Armand's car to be extricated from the turn's run off-area. It remained on the track for the next three laps. On the restart, Matsushita used a tactic of backing the field up before driving away. However some drivers accelerated away after passing the safety car line, while others remained Matsushita's dictated pace. This resulted in Malja colliding against the rear of Evans's car, removing his front wing, and sending debris airborne. Malja then hit Rowland in the first corner; although he spun he continued. Gelael was forced to collide with a barrier, causing him to retire. The incident resulted in the safety car's third deployment which stayed on track for the next two laps. At the lap 13 restart, Marciello got away faster than Matsushita and drove on the inside but locked his tyres while braking later than him. The two made contact steering into turn one, promoting Gasly to the lead, with teammate Giovinazzi second. The two drivers pulled away from the rest of the field. Giovinazzi was unable to use his DRS because of a malfunction. He made attempts to overtake Gasly in the closing stages, driving on the outside on the start/finish straight and moving to the inside into turn one during the last lap.http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Giovinazzi-doubles-up-in-Baku-/ Giovinazzi doubles up in Baku 19 June 2016 GP2 Series 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160811113007/http://www.gp2series.com/News-Room/News/2016/06_June/Giovinazzi-doubles-up-in-Baku-/ 11 August 2016 Gasly ran wide by missing his braking point while defending, allowing Giovinazzi to take the lead. He maintained the position for the remainder of the race to clinch his second consecutive victory. Gasly finished second, with Sirotkin in third. King took fourth, ahead of Markelov in fifth. Canamasas, Jeffri, and Pic were in positions six through eight, Lynn, Kirchhöfer, Marciello, Ghiotto, Latifi, de Jong and Rowland were the final classified finishers. Giovinazzi's victories meant he became the first driver since Davide Valsecchi in the first 2012 Bahrain round to win both races in a GP2 Series race weekend,http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2016/06/19/giovinazzi-doubles-up-in-baku-after-chaotic-gp2-sprint-race/ Giovinazzi doubles up in Baku after chaotic GP2 sprint race Smith Luke 19 June 2016 NBC Sports 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828054516/http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2016/06/19/giovinazzi-doubles-up-in-baku-after-chaotic-gp2-sprint-race/ 28 August 2016 and the seventh driver in series history to achieve the feat.22 June 2016 Close to Perfection! http://www.gp2series.com/Global/GP2_2016/11_TheInsider/Insider97_GP2Series.pdf The Insider 3 28 August 2016 Prema Racing achieved their first series victories in the round. Sprint Race classification Drivers who scored championship points are denoted in bold. +Final sprint race classification Pos. Position No. Car number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Final grid position Points 1 20 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi Prema Racing 21 44:49.606 8 15 (2) 2 21 FRA Pierre Gasly Prema Racing 21 +1.763 18 12 3 2 RUS Sergey Sirotkin ART Grand Prix 21 +4.179 7 10 4 4 GBR Jordan King Racing Engineering 21 +5.672 12 8 5 10 RUS Artem Markelov Russian Time 21 +14.809 15 6 6 18 ESP Sergio Canamasas Carlin 21 +16.151 17 4 7 24 MYS Nabil Jeffri Arden International 21 +17.693 14 2 8 12 FRA Arthur Pic Rapax 21 +18.240 20 1 9 5 GBR Alex Lynn DAMS 21 +19.856 22 10 19 DEU Marvin Kirchhöfer Carlin 21 +22.745 21 11 9 ITA Raffaele Marciello Russian Time 21 +23.645 6 12 15 ITA Luca Ghiotto Trident 21 +26.490 9 13 6 CAN Nicholas Latifi DAMS 21 +28.862 19 14 23 NED Daniël de Jong MP Motorsport 21 +52.851 1 15 22 GBR Oliver Rowland MP Motorsport 20 +1 Lap 5 Ret Retired 1 JPN Nobuharu Matsushita ART Grand Prix 13 Collision 3 Ret Retired 7 NZL Mitch Evans Campos Racing 12 Collision damage 4 Ret Retired 8 INA Sean Gelael Campos Racing 11 Collision 2 Ret Retired 11 SWE Gustav Malja Rapax 11 Collision 10 Ret Retired 14 INA Philo Paz Armand Trident 9 Accident 16 Ret Retired 3 FRA Norman Nato Racing Engineering 9 Accident 13 Ret Retired 25 SWE Jimmy Eriksson Arden International 7 Accident 11 Fastest lap: ITA Antonio Giovinazzi (Prema Racing) – 1:54.792 (on lap 16) Sources: Post-round The top three drivers of both races appeared on the podium to collect their trophies and spoke to the media at a later press conference. After the first race, Giovinazzi said he had been amazed at his first GP2 Series victory and thanked his team and his primary sponsor. He stated that he did not believe he would able to secure his first victory before the season was over, and was happy to score the points for himself and his team. Sirotkin said the race was not easy for him because he did not have the start he wanted. He said that he was happy to finish second but would not to be content coming second or third in every event. Marciello commented he expected some safety cars to affect the race but was unhappy with how many there were as they had prevented him building a large enough gap to others. He said that his third-place finish was good for his team and that he was unsurprised when Sirotkin passed him on the start/finish straight on the first race's final lap as he saw him close up behind the safety car. Following the second race, Giovinazzi thanked his team for encouraging him not to give up and that he felt emotional and excited during the event's final lap. He stated that he was expecting a good result but had not anticipated winning both of the weekend's races. Giovinazzi said it would be difficult to repeat the performance but he would enjoy the results. Gasly said it felt like "a crazy race" but enjoyed it. He stated that he attempted to focus on driving to be as fast as possible, but it had been difficult to build a large gap because of the circuit's long straights. He was happy with to place second and said that it had been a fair battle for the win. Matsushita was issued with a one-race ban for the next race weekend in Austria for "erratic driving" and for causing a safety hazard in the first and second rolling restarts of the sprint race.https://speedcafe.com/gp2-star-receives-austria-event-ban/ GP2 star receives event ban for erratic driving 20 June 2016 Speedcafe 27 August 2016 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160911193357/http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/06/20/gp2-star-receives-austria-event-ban/ 11 September 2016 Eriksson was deemed to have caused the collision with King and incurred with a three-place grid penalty for the season's next race.http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124887 Honda junior Nobuharu Matsushita gets ban for Baku GP2 restart mess 19 June 2016 Autosport Haymarket Publications 27 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160828031107/http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/124887 28 August 2016 The result of the races moved Markelov to the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 54 points, ahead of Nato who dropped to second. Giovinazzi's two victories moved him to third place. Gasly remained in fourth place on 45 points, two points ahead of Marciello in fifth. Russian Time remained in the lead of the Teams' Championship with 97 points, eight points in front of second-placed Prema. Racing Engineering dropped to third position on 73 position, while DAMS moved from third to fourth. ART Grand Prix were fifth on 60 points, with seven rounds left in the season. Standings after the round Drivers' Championship standings +/– Pos Driver Points 10px 1 1 RUS Artem Markelov 54 10px 1 2 FRA Norman Nato 49 10px 15 3 ITA Antonio Giovinazzi 46 10px 4 FRA Pierre Gasly 45 10px 5 ITA Raffaele Marciello 43 Source: Teams' Championship standings +/– Pos Team Points 10px 1 RUS Russian Time 97 10px 2 2 ITA Prema Racing 89 10px 1 3 ESP Racing Engineering 73 10px 1 4 FRA DAMS 61 10px 2 5 FRA ART Grand Prix 60 Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings. References 30em External links http://www.gp2series.com Baku GP2 round 2016 2016 Monaco GP2 Series round 2016 Red Bull Ring GP2 Series round None 2017 Baku Formula 2 round Azerbaijan Sports GP2 Category:2010s in Baku Baku Baku GP2 Series Round, 2016