2016 Baku GP2 Series round

   2016 Baku GP2 round

Round details
Round 3 of 11 rounds in the 2016 GP2 Series
Layout of the Baku City Circuit
Location	Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan
Course	Street circuit 6.003 km (3.730 mi)
GP2 Series
Feature race
Date	18 June 2016
Laps	26
Pole position
Driver	Antonio Giovinazzi	Prema Racing
Time	1:51.752
Podium
First	Antonio Giovinazzi	Prema Racing
Second	Sergey Sirotkin	ART Grand Prix
Third	Raffaele Marciello	Russian Time
Fastest lap
Driver	Nobuharu Matsushita	ART Grand Prix
Time	1:56.086 (on lap 18)
Sprint race
Date	19 June 2016
Laps	21
Podium
First	Antonio Giovinazzi	Prema Racing
Second	Pierre Gasly	Prema Racing
Third	Sergey Sirotkin	ART Grand Prix
Fastest lap
Driver	Antonio Giovinazzi	Prema Racing
Time	1:54.792 (on lap 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.