In a chaotic Formula 2 Feature Race at Jerez, Charles Leclerc stormed to victory for Prema Racing, sealing the race win and becoming the first F2 champion of the modern age of the series.
Leclerc started on the front row of the grid after taking a record eighth pole position on Friday and led from the outset, supporting his first place standing with outright pace and superior performance out on track.
For the most part, Leclerc was unchallenged and held the lead comfortably. A late race safety car for an accident involving Santino Ferrucci and Nobuharu Matsushita put the Monégasque driver under pressure however, with the caution period proving to be beneficial to those on the alternate strategy.
With the pack backed up togther and the midfield having more pace than the leaders on the alternate strategy, Leclerc held on to take the win, with Oliver Rowland crossing the line in second place, failing to mount a challenge to keep his hopes of the Drivers' Championship title alive.
Antonio Fuoco stood on the final step of the podium in the second Prema, carving his way through the field after starting down in 15th place.
Nicholas Latifi missed out on a seventh podium appearance of 2017, finishing in fourth place for DAMS, holding off Artem Markelov who finished in fifth.
It was Jordan King who finished in sixth for MP Motorsport, followed by Luca Ghiotto in seventh, F2 debutant Alex Palou in eighth, Nabil Jeffri in ninth and Sergio Sette Camara rounding out the top ten.
Palou will start on reverse grid pole for Sunday's Sprint Race at Jerez for Campos Racing.
With only three races remaining this season and the Drivers' Championship reaching its conclusion, much of the focus for the remainder of the season is now on the Team Standings, with Prema Racing, Russian Time and DAMS all being locked in a battle for victory.
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