This year’s GB3 Championship battle is well into its second half now, and it looks as if a classic title showdown is beckoning as the field of young F1 aspirants heads to the majestic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit this weekend (9-10 September).
Just 13 points separate the top three drivers at present, but there’s potentially as many as seven contenders who will still fancy a realistic tilt at the title won most recently by Luke Browning and in 2021 by Zak O’Sullivan.
Rodin Carlin’s Callum Voisin currently leads the way after an ultra-consistent campaign that’s netted him seven podiums so far, though a first win of the year, having taken three in 2022, still eludes him.
Voisin’s nearest rival is Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Alex Dunne, a double winner at Spa-Francorchamps, where he twice caught and passed the British-Swiss driver. He’s been in the mix for more wins too, but remarkably only has one other podium to his name so far.
No driver has more wins to their name so far than JHR’s Joseph Loake. Victories at Oulton Park and then two next time out at Silverstone meant he charged into an early championship lead, only for Voisin and Dunne to battle back. But Loake was quickest in last week’s test day on the Grand Prix circuit, and was a double winner at the circuit in British F4 last year. Is this where he begins his own fightback?
While the top-three have a small margin to the rest of the pack, the next four drivers are all within striking range. Arden VRD’s James Hedley has claimed his first two GB3 wins and is enjoying his best campaign at this level while Loake’s JHR teammate Matthew Rees returned to the winner’s circle last time out at Silverstone, and triumphed here last year.
Then there’s Elite’s McKenzy Cresswell, who returned from a stint in FIA F3 and impressed massively at Silverstone, where he claimed his first race win and a second place. Without a tricky season opener at Oulton Park, he’d be significantly closer to the leaders.
It’s a similar story too for Douglas Motorsport’s Tymek Kucharczyk, who lost out on a double pole position at Silverstone and endured a disqualification after colliding with Voisin while battling for the lead at Snetterton. Without those lost points, the young Polish driver would be right up there as well, so expect him to be a huge threat this weekend as he aims to break his victory duck.
All seven of the above drivers are covered by just 63 points, equivalent to a win and a second place, and should any one of them enter a strong and consistent run of form, the title could well swing towards them with the Donington Park season finale just six weeks away, and a first visit to Zandvoort still to come.
There’s plenty of excitement throughout the field, with several drivers enjoying a resurgence in form or looking for maiden victories. Arden VRD’s Noah Ping falls into the first category, having clinched wins at Silverstone and Snetterton to leap up to eighth, while Fortec’s Jarrod Waberski is just a point behind and targeting a breakthrough triumph having claimed a podium at Spa.
Rodin Carlin’s John Bennett deserves a change of luck, winning twice on the road at Silverstone earlier in the season only to lose both immediately afterwards, while Ping’s teammate Nico Christodoulou has that first podium, and a win would make Arden VRD the first squad this year to do so with all three drivers.
Bennett’s teammate Costa Toparis has shown a strong turn of pace, particularly in qualifying, but it’s been a tricky season for sophomore contender Max Esterson, who has the pace to be a multiple race winner but fortune has not shone on Fortec’s American thus far.
His countryman David Morales is the third JHR driver on the entry list, with his decent points haul contributing to the squad’s leading position in the Teams’ Championship race.
Chris Dittmann Racing’s Zak Taylor has enjoyed an upturn in form across the past two events to move up the order ahead of Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Michael Shin, who returns to the series after sampling the next step up the ladder in FIA F3 recently.
Hillspeed’s Chinese F4 champion Gerrard Xie is targeting a return to his Spa form which netted him two top-five finishes, while another driver aiming to repeat some Belgian highs is Elite’s Oliver Stewart, who took his first win back in June. Stewart is rejoined at the Norfolk squad by Japanese driver Ayato Iwasaki.
Fortec’s Edward Pearson and Douglas Motorsport’s Lucas Staico both have podiums to their name, while Hitech’s Red Bull Junior Souta Arao is looking for his first in an ever-improving campaign.
Chris Dittmann Racing’s Arthur Rogeon has finished third and second, so the next target is a win, unlike Hillspeed’s Daniel Mavlyutov who has two victories to his name already. Douglas Motorsport’s Shawn Rashid completes the 24-strong entry for this weekend’s action.
As ever, there are three fast and frantic GB3 contests to look forward to this weekend, which starts with practice on the Grand Prix circuit on Saturday morning before the vital qualifying session which decides the grids for races one and two.
The first encounter is scheduled for 14.45 on Saturday, with race two following at 12.05 on Sunday, before the reverse grid thriller at 16.20. All this weekend’s race action can be followed on the official championship website www.gb-3.net and on the MSV TV YouTube channel.
Brands Hatch GP entry list:
#2, Nico Christodoulou, Arden VRD
#3, Noah Ping, Arden VRD
#4, James Hedley, Arden VRD
#5, Matthew Rees, JHR Developments
#7. Tymek Kucharczyk, Douglas Motorsport
#9, Zak Taylor, Chris Dittmann Racing
#11, Lucas Staico, Douglas Motorsport
#15, Ayato Iwasaki, Elite Motorsport
#16, McKenzy Cresswell, Elite Motorsport
#17, Oliver Stewart, Elite Motorsport
#18, Arthur Rogeon, Chris Dittmann Racing
#20, Jarrod Waberski, Fortec Motorsport
#21, Souta Arao, Hitech Pulse-Eight
#22, Alex Dunne, Hitech Pulse-Eight
#23, Michael Shin, Hitech Pulse-Eight
#27, John Bennett, Rodin Carlin
#32, Shawn Rashid, Douglas Motorsport
#35, Callum Voisin, Rodin Carlin
#39, Gerrard Xie, Hillspeed
#41, Edward Pearson, Fortec Motorsport
#42, Max Esterson, Fortec Motorsport
#43, Costa Toparis, Rodin Carlin
#77, David Morales, JHR Developments
#84, Joseph Loake, JHR Developments
#99, Daniel Mavlyutov, Hillspeed