The two were inseparable throughout the 168-kilometre stage as Carapaz's team controlled the peloton once again.
After Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain-Victorious) soloed home to win the day in Lavarone, it was Hindley and Carapaz again trying to outsprint each other and gain precious seconds, but neither could pull away as Carapaz took fifth and Hindley sixth but with no change to their GC times.
The biggest change of the day for the overall classification was in third place, as Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) lost over a minute to the top two, causing him to be replaced on the virtual podium by Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious).
Landa now sits a minute and five seconds back from Carapaz, still making the Giro a two-horse race between an Ecuadorian and Australian as the race enters its final stanza.
While he didn't make any significant attempts to make up the three-second gap on Carapaz in Stage 17, Hindley was happy to have distanced the riders behind him on the GC instead.
"It's pretty hard when it's not a hilltop finish," Hindley told CyclingNews following the stage.
"I don't think it was the most decisive stage but I'm happy to take time on some of the other guys.
“Everyone says the Giro will be decided by minutes, but it’s not like that any more.
"Every second counts.”
With not many opportunities left to attempt to overtake Carapaz and go into pink before the end of the race, some might have thought Hindley would have rode more aggressively today, but he admitted he thought there wasn't much point after yesterday's gruelling stage on the Mortirolo.
“I think there was a lot of tired legs out there after yesterday's epic stage,” Hindley said.
“So, I was also pretty tired to be honest. It was a hard climb and ridden at a hard tempo, and what can you do?
"I think the level between Carapaz and Landa is also pretty even, so it was a pretty tough final.”
The Giro d’Italia continues tonight on SBS with a flat stage to Treviso for Stage 18. Watch from 9:30pm (AEST) via SBS On Demand with television coverage beginning at 11pm (AEST) on SBS. WA viewers can watch from 9pm (AWST) on SBS VICELAND.
