Dante Vinci says Hillspeed’s strong start to the 2026 GB3 Championship weekend at Spa-Francorchamps reflects months of work after he topped Thursday’s combined testing order.
The Australian set the pace in the first of three 30-minute sessions at the Belgian Grand Prix venue, producing a 2:11.875 to edge VRD Racing’s championship leader Nikita Bedrin by just 0.020s. His benchmark also marked a major step beyond previous GB3 pace at Spa, running more than 1.8 seconds quicker than last year’s best pole time and over three seconds faster than the existing race lap record.
Although Vinci ended the day at the head of the times, he kept his focus on the work still required before Qualifying and racing begin.
Vinci credits hard work after topping Thursday running
Vinci welcomed the early pace but stressed that Hillspeed still needs to understand its final-session performance, where he ended 17th quickest.
“I’m pleased, but it’s just the hard work coming together,” he said at the end of the first day. “Obviously it’s only testing so we’ve got to maintain it. We’ve got to look at what happened in that last session [where he was 17th quickest] just to start on the right foot tomorrow.
“But with all the testing at Spa, Red Bull Ring, Barcelona last year, but also the testing we had this year at the British tracks, Brands Hatch and Donington for example, we were really fast. We just sometimes lacked the opportunity to actually show it.
“But now it’s a European track and I’m used to the European scene, and I’m looking forward to the European leg itself, because I tend to have a liking more for European tracks.”
That European comfort could prove important as GB3 begins its continental phase. Vinci’s experience at circuits such as Spa, Red Bull Ring and Barcelona gives him a familiar platform after the opening British rounds.
Silverstone pace gave Vinci confidence
Vinci also believes his Spa performance did not come as a surprise. He felt he already had strong pace during the Silverstone season opener, even though qualifying compromised his weekend.
“At Silverstone the pace was really good, as I think I said on my interview on YouTube after race three, I said that qualifying makes that huge difference and qualifying didn’t go well. So the weekend was really difficult throughout.
“Also in a very small way, FREC is here [at Spa] and that was kind of a thing that was quite common when I was racing in Italian F4. So it’s kind of that certainty as well as having another championship that’s known to me, which makes a very small difference mentally.”
Therefore, Spa has offered Vinci both a performance reset and a more familiar racing environment. With the Formula Regional European Championship also on the bill, the weekend carries similarities to his earlier single-seater experience.
Upgraded GB3 car adds to Spa challenge
Vinci has also enjoyed the demands of the upgraded GB3 car around Spa’s high-speed layout. The circuit’s fast corners and long straights have highlighted the impact of the new package, particularly through one of its most challenging sections.
“It’s definitely been nice, Pouhon is a lot nicer. That’s a big challenge this year as well compared to last year. But it is nicer with the new engine too and also with the longer gear ratios compared to the testing we had earlier this season.”
The extra performance helped Vinci produce one of the standout laps of Thursday testing. However, Spa’s flowing nature also leaves little room for error, especially with qualifying set to decide track position at a circuit where slipstreaming and racecraft can play major roles.
Friday Qualifying format suits Vinci
This weekend’s schedule also differs from a standard GB3 event, with Qualifying taking place on Friday evening rather than Saturday morning. Vinci, however, does not see that as a disadvantage.
“Throughout all of last year, pretty much most of my qualis were on the Friday so I’m kind of used to it at this point! But we’ve started on the right foot and typically we tend to go quite well when we start on the right foot so we will see.
“We need to keep on focusing on our job, the team has done a great job today with getting the car ready and having a good car. So we will see how tomorrow goes, but it’s just about doing the same process and getting the job done.”
Vinci will now aim to convert Hillspeed’s testing pace into a strong qualifying result. After setting the outright benchmark on Thursday, he heads into Friday with momentum, confidence and a clear target as the GB3 field prepares for one of the most important sessions of the weekend.
