The 2016 Catalunya GP3 Series round was a GP3 Series motor race on 14 and 15 May 2016 at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. It was the first round of the 2016 GP3 Series. The race weekend supported the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix.

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 GP3, Esteban Ocon, were unable to defend their respective titles due to the ruling which forbids driver champions from returning to the series. 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 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.

Driver Team Time 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 ART Grand Prix 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 PL 16 16 Matevos Isaakyan Koiranen GP 1:35.693 15 17 14 Matt Parry Koiranen GP 1:35.746 19 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:

1. – Alesi failed to stop at the weighbridge after qualifying and was forced to start from the pit lane. 2. – Parry received a three-place grid penalty for impeding a rival.

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.

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.

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 Koiranen GP 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

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Charles Leclerc 27 2 Alexander Albon 23 3 Jake Hughes 23 4 Antonio Fuoco 22 5 Óscar Tunjo 18

Teams' Championship standings Pos Team Points 1 ART Grand Prix 71 2 DAMS 35 3 Trident 22 4 Jenzer Motorsport 18 5 Arden International 14

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

See also 2016 Spanish Grand Prix 2016 Catalunya GP2 Series round

References

External links Official website of GP3 Series