A five-way shoot-out for the 2023 GB3 Championship is brewing at the Donington Park decider this weekend, with one of Callum Voisin, Joseph Loake, Alex Dunne, McKenzy Cresswell and Matthew Rees set to be crowned champion.
Each of the five has had massive high points and a few tricky moments too, so let’s see how their seasons have unfolded to leave them as the remaining title contenders.
Championship leader, Callum Voisin, Rodin Carlin, 406pts
Wins: one
Other podiums: eight
Retirements: two
Event scores: 53, 62, 79, 41, 43, 75, 53
Voisin entered the season looking to add consistency to the proven speed which netted him three wins last year, and he’s done just that. He may not have won as many times as he did in 2022 so far, but he’s taken podiums at every event other than Zandvoort, and has led the championship race since the end of the Silverstone round in July. In contrast to last season, his (few) major incidents have largely been as a result of another driver’s doing, with his lowest score of the season (Snetterton) coming after he was punted out of the lead, yet he still scored 41 points from the other two contests. Highlights include two runner-up spots at Spa and then his first win at Brands Hatch, which was preceded by another runner-up finish, scoring more than 70 points at both events. Under colossal pressure at Zandvoort after his car was collided with by another competitor in qualifying, leaving this year’s best qualifier significantly further down the order than usual, he still banked 53 points to maintain his championship lead heading into this weekend.
Second, Joseph Loake, JHR Developments, 393pts
Wins: four
Other podiums: four
Retirements: none
Event scores: 76, 70, 50, 31, 38, 74, 54
A dream start to his GB3 career saw him win three of the opening five races, the first at his local Oulton Park track and then two more in slightly unconventional circumstances at Silverstone. Spa was more of a struggle as he dropped to the fringes of the top-10, but recovered to take a podium in the third contest. Things got tougher at Snetterton as he spun out of sixth place on the last lap of the second race and lost 17 points when poised to reclaim the championship lead, but after solid top-six results back at Silverstone, enjoyed a timely return to form at Brands Hatch as he took his fourth win of the year and backed that up with a runner-up spot in the following race. The only driver in the field to have scored upwards of 70 points on three separate weekends, he was looking to make inroads into Voisin’s championship lead at Zandvoort, but was denied a chance of making up big places in the final race as regular safety car appearances restricted his opportunities. All this means Loake and Voisin have exactly the same points haul from the last two events…
Third, Alex Dunne, Hitech Pulse-Eight, 389pts
Wins: four
Other podiums: one
Retirements: two
Event scores: 40, 43, 95, 63, 36, 34, 78
When fortune and luck has been on his side, reigning British F4 champion Dunne has been unstoppable in his first campaign at this level of motorsport. His double wins at Spa and Zandvoort mean that curiously, all his victories have come outside of the UK, with the Dutch pair being overwhelmingly dominant. A difficult start at Oulton Park though, with a best finish of sixth was followed by progress at Silverstone where he looked set to challenge for victory only to be swiped out of the race. Then came Spa, and the sensational slipstream battles with Voisin which saw the first victory double, and he briefly took the championship lead at Snetterton, taking a podium in the same race that Voisin retired in. A top-six contender at Silverstone, his chances were then dealt a big blow at Brands Hatch after he was tipped into retirement on the first lap of race one. But then came the brilliant Zandvoort double, where he more than halved the deficit to Voisin, and he needs a similar outcome this weekend to snatch the crown.
Fourth, McKenzy Cresswell, Elite Motorsport, 351pts
Wins: one
Other podiums: seven
Retirements: two
Event scores: 4, 67, 56, 31, 64, 54, 75
Supreme consistency has kept Cresswell in the title fight, and had it not been for a very difficult season opener at Oulton Park, he’d be heading to Donington with a great chance of claiming the title. After scoring just four points in Cheshire, courtesy of a difficult qualifying session that resulted in a best race finish of 18th, he’s then scored at least 50 points in five of the next six events, with that run only hampered by a retirement in Snetterton race three. That breakthrough win came at Silverstone in July, where he also took a second place, and started a run of six podiums in nine races, more than double the tally of any of the other title contenders in the same period. A first pole position came at Zandvoort too, and he’s outscored championship leader Voisin by 23 points since that breakthrough victory weekend. Of the five title contenders, Cresswell seems to be the contender with form on his side heading into the season finale, but is perhaps the driver wishing most for just one further round beyond this weekend!
Fifth, Matthew Rees, JHR Developments, 309pts
Wins: one
Other podiums: four
Retirements: two
Event scores: 51, 39, 12, 56, 64, 48, 39
In his second GB3 season, Rees has really stepped up a gear and has looked like a potential title contender all season. He’s earned big points at all but one round, a difficult set of races at Spa which saw two retirements and just a ninth place. But aside from that he’s taken podiums at Oulton Park, Silverstone, Snetterton and then a victory and a runner-up on the return visit to the home of the British Grand Prix. Indeed the first visit to Silverstone should have been more productive, had it not been for a jump start penalty, but even with that, was so fast he was still only five seconds from winning! He’s taken two more podium finishes than he did in 2022, but lies 97 points off the championship lead, with 105 still to play for. The Welshman is therefore relying on misfortune for the other contenders to have any sniff of adding to his 2021 British F4 crown, but his form is a big factor in JHR’s almost unchallenged position at the top of the team’s championship, with the Derbyshire squad likely only needing a handful of points to claim their first GB3 title.