GP2: Lynn wins race marred by Giovinazzi crash

Williams Formula 1 test driver Alex Lynn battled to victory in a Barcelona GP2 race that ended behind the safety car after a nasty crash for Antonio Giovinazzi.

Giovinazzi initially extricated himself from his car, but was in discomfort and required medical assistance. The Italian's Prema team said Giovinazzi was reporting light pain in his left leg but had otherwise escaped injury.

He had been challenging his long-time Formula 3 teammate Sean Gelael for 14th down the back straight with six laps to go when the Campos driver moved across to defend.

Giovinazzi caught his rear wheel and was briefly airborne, clipping Arthur Pic as the Frenchman was turning into Turn 10 and then bouncing across the gravel trap before hitting the barriers hard.

The race ran to its conclusion under yellow, with Lynn repeating his 2015 Barcelona Sunday victory for DAMS ahead of former teammate Pierre Gasly.

Lynn earned his win with an early charge. As Jordan King lost momentum in an unsuccessful bid to pass polesitter Raffaele Marciello at Turn 2 on the first lap, Lynn got a run and claimed second by going around the outside of King at both Turn 3 and Turn 4.

Lynn then chased down Marciello and dived past the Russian Time car into the first corner as they started lap four. Marciello locked up while trying to defend and started falling back.

Long-time Saturday leader Gasly picked off Sergio Canamasas, King and Marciello in quick succession and then set a fastest lap that instantly halved the advantage Lynn had built. But Lynn responded and managed a cushion of between one and two seconds until the race was neutralized.

Marciello ended up down in fifth behind teammate Artem Markelov, with King completing the podium.

Formula Renault 3.5 champion Oliver Rowland picked his way through to sixth place at the start of his first full GP2 season.

Saturday winner Norman Nato made a terrible start from eighth on the grid and instantly tumbled to 19th, with 16th the limit of his recovery.

Sergey Sirotkin fared better, charging up the order with a series of assertive moves after his race one spin and finishing 11th.

Originally on Autosport.com