Nikita Bedrin can claim the 2026 GB3 Championship drivers’ title with a top-seven finish in race one of this weekend’s season finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The VRD Racing driver has held a commanding lead in the drivers’ standings for much of the season and enters the final race weekend with an 89-point margin over his closest challenger: Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough.
With a possible 102 points up for grabs, the odds are firmly stacked in Bedrin’s favour as the Italian seeks his first single-seater title. He is enthused by the prospect of becoming drivers’ championship.
“Winning a title would mean a lot,” he said. “I’ve delivered when I have had to this season, so I can be proud of the job we have done. The team deserves it because they have been on the back foot in previous years, so it would mean a lot to everyone [to do the double].”
Not only could Bedrin secure the drivers’ title, but his VRD team are also in firm contention for the teams’ championship too. The American outfit head to Barcelona 16 points behind Rodin Motorsport, who are aiming for their third successive teams’ title.
Bedrin has six of VRD’s seven victories to his name this season but has not stood on the top step of the podium since the Red Bull Ring in July. The 20-year-old admitted he has taken a conservative approach to the second half of the year.
“We’ve played it safe in the last few races,” he said. “I haven’t been in the championship fight many times in recent years, so we have had to take it a little safer than we wanted.
“Now, we have a very safe gap [in the drivers’ standings] and are fighting for the team’s championship, so there is no more backing off. We will go all out because we really need to try and secure both titles.”
Having previously competed in FIA Formula 3 and the Formula Regional European Championship, Bedrin’s maiden year in GB3 has proved to be a big hit with the 20-year-old.
“This has been one of my favourite years in racing and I’m going to miss it a lot,” he said. “I’m really enjoying working with VRD because whenever we have struggled for pace, we have found out what is wrong, done some work and [fixed it]. I really like the work ethic we have in the team.
“When you have a good car, everything becomes easier from the driver’s side [and allows him] to be consistent and to deliver strong results.”
Bedrin begun the year in exemplary fashion, securing six victories from the opening 11 races, and finishing three more in second place. At the halfway stage of the season, he had opened up a 106-point lead in the drivers’ standings – more points than can be scored in a single race weekend.
While Fairclough has achieved similar dominance in the second half of the campaign, winning all six ‘main’ races, Bedrin has maintained a healthy margin at the top of the standings, despite some issues.
“We had difficult rounds at Donington Park and Brands Hatch, but in general it is still very positive,” he said. “We had some issues out of my control at Silverstone for the fifth round. We still managed to score some decent points, but the pace just wasn’t there.”
In Barcelona, Bedrin is heading to a circuit where he was prior experience, racing there in either F3 or Formula Regional each year since 2023.
“In the past, I have been quite bored of it because every single test we had was at Barcelona,” he laughed. “I haven’t driven it for almost a year, though, so I’m quite excited.”
Bedrin described the 2.894-mile Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as “one of the most physical tracks” he knows, saying that it is “a bit high cortisol” when you aren’t familiar with the circuit.
“On the qualifying laps, you need to be super precise,” he explained. “Barcelona is a track that suits our car a bit better than the UK tracks, so I’m confident we will have good pace there.”
With one hand firmly on the GB3 drivers’ title, Bedrin already has one eye on 2027, as he looks to make his next step. The 20-year-old is a member of the DS Penske Driver Development Program in Formula E and is hopeful of some good news from that avenue.
“I’m in a better position than I thought I would be a month ago,” he said. “We have some connections and while the chance is still not big, at least I’m in a position where I can show teams what I am capable of.”