Ferrari protégé Charles Leclerc has won the 2016 GP3 championship with one race to spare, despite crashing out of the opening race in Abu Dhabi.
Leclerc headed into the title showdown with a comfortable 29-point lead over ART Grand Prix teammate Alexander Albon, but could only qualify fifth for the first race, while Albon took pole position.
Having made a poor getaway, the Ferrari Academy driver -- who has taken part in four practice outings for Haas -- dropped to sixth and struggled to find a rhythm during the early stages of the race. However, the 19-year-old was able to seal the championship when Albon crashed out of the lead while defending from ART teammate Nyck de Vries.
That promoted Leclerc up to fifth, but he was also unable to complete the race when he suffered a collision of his own with Haas development driver Santino Ferrucci.
With both title rivals failing to finish, Leclerc's significant points lead over Albon proved sufficient to crown him champion.
Over what has been a hugely consistent season, Leclerc has taken three victories -- with one race still left to run -- and has only finished outside of the points on three occasions, including Saturday's retirement.