The GB3 Championship battles resume at the Hungaroring this weekend (5/6 July), during the series’ second visit to the host venue of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Australians continue to dominate the championship battle, with two Antipodean drivers at the top of the table as the first half of the campaign comes to a close.
Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic heads to Hungary as the driver to beat, and is the only driver on this weekend’s entry to have won more than once so far this year. Ninovic’s victories have come at Zandvoort and Spa-Francorchamps, and he has two pole positions to his name so far also. His current margin at the top is eight points over fellow Aussie Patrick Heuzenroeder, though with two DNFs, Ninovic could well have been further ahead, had it not been for damage at Silverstone and an errant wheel at Spa.
Heuzenroeder is enjoying his best single-seater campaign in his career so far. The Xcel Motorsport driver claimed a first GB3 win in race one at Zandvoort in commanding style, and has further podiums to his name at Silverstone and again at Zandvoort. He also showed his overtaking abilities last time out at Spa, as he surged from 22nd in the early stages to fourth after 11 laps of racing.
Looking to disrupt the Aussie battle is Hitech TGR’s Deagen Fairclough. The reigning British F4 champion has not had a straightforward season so far, having started towards the back of the grid in six of the nine races so far this year due to various woes, but has gained a staggering 83 places so far this year! Despite all that, he’s just 32 points off the championship lead, and will be a force to be reckoned with should he get a normal weekend under his belt!
Another Aussie, JHR’s Noah Lisle is next up, with two Silverstone podiums to his name and a string of top-eight finishes to back that up. He’s just five points further back from Fairclough, adding further intrigue to the title battle.
Elite Motorsport’s Will Macintyre led the GB3 Championship standings during last year’s visit to Hungary, and a title shot isn’t out of the question this year either, with a win to his name at Silverstone during the season opening weekend.
The final Australian on the grid, Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel has the second best qualifying average on the grid, behind teammate Ninovic, but hasn’t had the luck to match it in the races. Even so, he’s secured two podiums so far this year, and should be a win contender in Hungary.
Argenti with Prema's Reza Seewooruthun heads to Hungary buoyed by his best GB3 result yet at Spa, where he surged through the field in the final race to take home a first podium finish.
VRD Racing’s Hugo Schwarze has hit a rich vein of form recently, with a breakthrough win at Zandvoort followed up immediately with another podium at Spa, while Argenti with Prema’s Lucas Fluxa has built up his pace during his maiden GB3 campaign.
Hitech TGR’s Keanu Al Azhari is becoming an ever more present threat towards the front of the GB3 pack, and led his first laps of the season at Spa. With a podium secured at Zandvoort, he’s knocking on the door of a first win, as is JHR’s Kai Daryanani, who has shown excellent pace in his own first GB3 campaign.
Mercedes F1 junior Yuanpu Cui continues to make progress for Argenti with Prema, while Rodin Motorsport’s reigning F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling is on the fightback after a strong season opener at Silverstone was followed by trickier rounds afterwards.
Xcel’s Jack Sherwood registered his best GB3 result so far in the Spa finale, with Elite Motorsport duo Flynn Jackes and Bianca Bustamante completing the entry for this weekend’s action.
On track running starts with two 30-minute test sessions on Thursday at 09.00 and 13.51 local time, and Friday’s action comprises two 45-minute free practice sessions at 11.36 and 16.59.
The two-part qualifying session will start Saturday’s schedule at 10.50, with the first race at 17.20. Two races feature on Sunday, with race two starting at 11.05 before the reverse grid finale at 17.40.
Watch all the racing action via GB3’s live timing page here.
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Hungaroring entry list:
#3 Lucas Fluxa, Argenti with Prema
#5 Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport
#6 Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR
#7 Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR
#9 Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport
#10 Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema
#11 Noah Lisle, JHR Developments
#12 Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport
#16 Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport
#21 Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport
#33 Hugo Schwarze, VRD Racing
#37 Will Macintyre, Elite Motorsport
#55 Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport
#56 Yuanpu Cui, Argenti with Prema
#78 Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport
#88 Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments