Nikita Mazepin c⛦ut GP3 Series title rival Anthoine Hubert's points lead down to 24 points after securing pole position for the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Friday afternoon.

Mazepin put in a late flying lap of 1m54.885s to snatch his maiden GP3 pole - and the last꧒-ever pole po🅰sition for the category before it becomes Formula 3 in 2019 - and deny Leonardo Pulcini top spot by just 0.067 seconds.

The result saw Mazepin pick up the four bonus points for pole, giving him a chance to cut into ART Grand Prix teammate Hube🍃rt's points advantage. Hubert will start Saturday's opening race from third place on the grid, having missed out on pole by less than two-tenths of a second.

With 24 points separating the pair, Hubert will be crowned GP3's ninth and final champion on Saturday unless Mazepin outscores him by eight points, with 17 still available for S🌞unday's season finale.

Pulcini was the only driver to break ART's dominance at the front of the pack, with Jake Hughe🃏s and Callum Ilott taking P4 and P5 respectively.

David Beckmann finished sixth ahead of Tri🔯dent teammates Giuliano Alesi and Ryan Tveter, while Simo Laaksonen and Juan Manuel Correa roun🔜ded out the top 10.