GP3: Aitken scores first win in eventful race two

Jack Aitken claimed his first GP3 victory in a Spa race interrupted by three safety cars and a string of collisions.

The 2015 Formula Renault Eurocup and ALPS champion swiftly picked his way forward from fourth on the grid, making up one place off the line then overtaking Santino Ferrucci on the Kemmel Straight.

Aitken repeated that move on reverse-grid polesitter Matevos Isaakyan next time around and controlled the race from there to give Arden its first GP3 victory of 2016.

Antonio Fuoco made some inroads on fellow Ferrari protege Charles Leclerc's championship lead as he came through to second for Trident, ahead of Ferrucci and Isaakyan.

Saturday winner Leclerc was edged out for fifth on the final lap by Jake Dennis, who again showed very strong late-race pace for Arden.

The race's first big incident was tidied without the need for a safety car, marshals able to quickly clear Tatiana Calderon's crash after she was spat from the pack into the barriers approaching La Source. But a full-course caution period was declared necessary when a puncture from contact sent Konstantin Tereschenko off the road a lap later.

The fraught restarts triggered more incidents, starting with Jake Hughes and Matt Parry colliding at Les Combes – their second tangle of the weekend after they and Arjun Maini crashed together at La Source on the opening lap of race one.

Nirei Fukuzumi then prompted the final safety car when he sent Kevin Jorg into the barriers in a very similar collision shortly after the second restart.

Title contender Alexander Albon could only finish 10th, but was lucky to make it to the flag at all after being tipped onto two wheels at the Bus Stop by Maini. Despite nearly rolling and then landing heavily, Albon's ART car was healthy enough to continue to the finish.

Originally on Autosport.com