Robert Wickens takes Formula Renault 3.5 title as Albert Costa wins chaotic finale

Neither Wickens nor Carlin's other title protagonist Jean-Eric Vergne finished the race following damage in a fraught opening sequence of corners.

Polesitter Costa was challenged on the run down to Turn 1 by KMP Racing's Anton Nebylitskiy. The Russian, who has been only an occasional frontrunner this season, took to the grass in his determination to take the lead. Wickens followed in close proximity, but thought better of challenging Nebylitskiy at Turn 1.

Vergne took advantage to lunge up his team-mate's inside, and the Carlin pair made slight contact at the apex of the corner. The Frenchman appeared to come out of the manoeuvre with more momentum, and opted to dart around the outside of Wickens into the final part of the Elf chicane. There, a second, heavier, impact took place as Wickens' front wing clouted Vergne's rear wheel.

While Vergne continued, Wickens' suspension failed, leaving the Canadian unable to negotiate Turn 3. The luckless Nathanael Berthon (ISR) tripped over the wayward Wickens, and was sent flying upside down into gravel in a nasty accident.

Several midfield men scattered in avoiding action, as at the rear of the pack Jan Charouz, Lewis Williamson, Cesar Ramos and Nelson Panciatici retired in the gravel.

The safety car was deployed until lap six. On the restart, Costa led an unfamiliar top six of Nebylitskiy, Pons Racing's new recruit Nick Yelloly, Vergne, Daniel Zampieri (BVM Target) and Draco's Stephane Richelmi.

Vergne required a fifth-place finish in order to overhaul his nine-point deficit to Wickens, but perhaps as a legacy of the collisions, struggled to produce anything near his usual pace.

As he slipped down the order, his fading title chances were finally brought to an end on lap 18 when, running outside the top 12, he was knocked into retirement by Fairuz Fauzy at La Caixa.

Costa was left to establish a comfortable lead, while behind Yelloly overtook Nebylitskiy for second on the inside of Turn 1 on lap eight. The Briton held the position to the finish, reducing a seven-second margin to Costa down to just 4.4s at the chequered flag.

Gravity-Charouz driver Brendon Hartley, who failed to start race one after a heavy impact with a kerb knocked out his sump in Saturday's qualifying, clawed his way through from 13th on the grid to claim the final place on the podium.

Sergio Canamasas (BVM Target) gave added pleasure to the home fans with a composed run to fourth, the Spaniard finishing three seconds clear of Nebylitskiy.

Yelloly's Pons team-mate Oliver Webb, who had been relegated to 17th on the grid after suffering a repeat of his Saturday gearbox problems in qualifying, took sixth.

Seventh place for Alexander Rossi (Fortec) sealed the American's third place in the drivers' standings, just five points ahead of Costa. The absent Daniel Ricciardo, competing in this weekend's clashing Japanese Grand Prix for HRT, slipped to fifth overall having missed two rounds.

Results - 26 laps:

Pos  Driver             Team               Time/Gap
 1.  Albert Costa       Epic             45m50.549s
 2.  Nick Yelloly       Pons               + 4.468s
 3.  Brendon Hartley    Gravity-Charouz   + 15.889s
 4.  Sergio Canamasas   BVM Target        + 17.538s
 5.  Anton Nebylitskiy  KMP               + 20.309s
 6.  Oliver Webb        Pons              + 20.945s
 7.  Alexander Rossi    Fortec            + 27.485s
 8.  Walter Grubmuller  P1                + 31.486s
 9.  Daniel de Jong     Comtec            + 40.242s
10.  Arthur Pic         Tech 1            + 41.678s
11.  Fairuz Fauzy       Mofaz             + 42.704s
12.  Daniel McKenzie    Comtec            + 44.879s
13.  Sten Pentus        Epic              + 50.451s
14.  Daniil Move        P1                + 54.630s

Retirements:

     Jake Rosenzweig    Mofaz               22 laps
     Daniel Zampieri    BVM Target          21 laps
     Stephane Richelmi  Draco               21 laps
     Adrien Tambay      Draco               18 laps
     Jean-Eric Vergne   Carlin              17 laps
     Kevin Korjus       Tech 1               7 laps
     Robert Wickens     Carlin               0 laps
     Nelson Panciatici  KMP                  0 laps
     Cesar Ramos        Fortec               0 laps
     Lewis Williamson   ISR                  0 laps
     Jan Charouz        Gravity-Charouz      0 laps
     Nathanael Berthon  ISR                  0 laps