JHR Developments’ Patrick Heuzenroeder heads into the new GB3 Championship season this weekend, bolstered by news that his career will receive support from former F1 racer and Le Mans legend David Brabham and F1 communications expert Matt Bishop.
The 18-year-old Australian made his GB3 debut late last year, and claimed a podium in just his second race meeting, having contested the British F4 Championship beforehand.
Heuzenroeder has been inducted into the Brabham Group’s mentoring programme for the new season, and will benefit from David Brabham’s over 30 years racing experience at the top levels of the sport. Brabham, son of F1 all-time great Jack, raced in F1 in 1990 and 1994, and won Le Mans outright in 2009, in addition to class wins in the two preceding years.
In addition, through Bishop’s Diagonal Comms agency, Heuzenroeder will develop his media and online presence, with media training, social media management, content creation and digital marketing.
“I am incredibly excited to be working with an Aussie racing legend of the stature of David Brabham” Heuzenroeder said. “He is part of one of the world’s greatest motorsport dynasties, the Brabham family, and I am very fortunate to have him as my mentor. I intend to learn as much from him as I can, as fast as possible. I am also thrilled to be working with Matt Bishop and his team at Diagonal Comms. Their skills and experience can help raise my profile and create new opportunities that will take me to where I want to be. My ultimate goal is Formula 1, and I am determined to chase and realise that dream.
“My motto is ‘purpose, commitment, and resilience’, and those are all qualities that I have shown since I left my home in Australia at the age of 16 and travelled 10,000 miles to the UK to pursue a career at the highest level of motorsport. I have sacrificed everything to be here, I am obsessed with racing, and I am totally focused on improving every day so as to achieve my goals.
“I am looking forward to taking the next step this season in the GB3 Championship – a highly competitive eight-round series that races on some of the world’s most famous circuits. I will be up against some of the most talented young drivers on the planet, and you can be sure that one of us will go on to make it to F1. I am working tirelessly – both in the car and out of it – every day to make sure that it is me.”
Brabham believes Heuzenroeder has the credentials to propel him further up the single-seater ladder.
“I very much look forward to working with Patrick Heuzenroeder over the course of the year as he competes in the very competitive GB3 Championship. I know that the path to Formula 1 will be a challenging one, but Patrick has speed and a great attitude, and he wants to learn. He has all the attributes needed to succeed in motorsport.
“I am looking forward to sharing my experience with him, opening up my network, and supporting him at tests and races, to get him to F1. In addition, I have known Matt Bishop for many years, and I am delighted that Patrick will be working with Matt and his Diagonal Comms team.
“Patrick is an ambitious and driven young man and I would encourage everyone to get behind him, not only in Australia but also elsewhere. I look forward to supporting and mentoring him in 2024 and beyond.”
For Bishop, this is the latest opportunity for him to work alongside a talented young racer, having previously headed up comms roles at McLaren and Aston Martin in F1.
“I have worked with many excellent drivers in my motorsport career, including four Formula 1 world champions [Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel], and one of the aspects of that work that I have always enjoyed most is identifying young talents and helping them develop and thrive,” he said.
“When I was McLaren’s Comms Director [2008-2017] I was very involved in the team’s young driver development programme, working closely with gifted young drivers such as Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Nyck de Vries, all of whom made it to F1.
“I am therefore absolutely delighted that Diagonal Comms will be working with a very exciting young talent, Patrick Heuzenroeder, from Australia. Patrick is only 18 but already we can say that we think he has what it takes to reach the highest level. Together with his mentor David Brabham, whom I have known for many years and whom I hold in very high regard, we will do our utmost to try to make sure he does just that.”