2026 | GB3 | Red Bull Ring | Race 3 | Gonzalez claims maiden win as Bedrin charges to second

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Patricio Gonzalez claimed his maiden GB3 Championship victory after controlling the final race of the Red Bull Ring weekend through two Safety Car restarts.

The VRD Racing driver passed pole-sitting team-mate and brother Rodrigo Gonzalez at the start before leading all 12 laps. Nikita Bedrin charged from 12th to second to complete a VRD one-two, while Arden Motorsport’s Leon Wilson secured his first GB3 podium in third.

Gonzalez crossed the line 0.841s ahead of Bedrin, with Wilson another 0.483s behind. The result completed a clean sweep of the weekend’s three victories for VRD Racing after Bedrin won Race 1 and Race 2.

Fairclough problem delays the start

Drama began before the formation lap when Deagen Fairclough failed to leave his grid position.

Officials ordered an additional green-flag lap as marshals removed the Hitech car, reducing the race duration to 22 minutes. Fairclough consequently failed to start after a weekend in which penalties had already disrupted two promising results.

When racing finally began, Patricio Gonzalez made the stronger launch from second and immediately attacked his brother for the lead.

Abbi Pulling also made an excellent getaway from third and briefly threatened both VRD drivers. However, congestion through Turn 1 delayed the Rodin Motorsport driver and left the field tightly grouped on the run towards Turn 3.

Turn 3 collision eliminates three contenders

The race changed dramatically at Turn 3 as Maxim Rehm and Lucas Fluxá made contact in the braking zone.

The collision spun Rehm across the circuit and into the path of several cars. Rowan Campbell-Pilling and Pulling could not avoid the incident, and both joined the German in the barriers.

All three retired without completing a racing lap, while Fluxá sustained damage and returned to the pits. The incident removed several leading contenders and triggered the first Safety Car period.

At the front, Patricio Gonzalez led Rodrigo Gonzalez, Kyuho Lee and Wilson. Meanwhile, Bedrin had already gained seven places after avoiding the opening-lap chaos.

Gonzalez controls the first restart

Racing resumed on lap five with 12 minutes remaining, and Patricio Gonzalez timed his restart well.

The leader quickly created a half-second advantage over his brother, while Rodrigo focused on resisting Lee’s pressure for second. Behind them, Bedrin attacked Wilson and moved into fourth.

Bedrin had started on the sixth row after the reverse-grid format placed the weekend’s fastest qualifiers outside the top 10. However, the championship leader combined an excellent opening lap with decisive moves after the restart to move into podium contention.

The two Gonzalez brothers remained separated by only a few tenths over the following laps. Patricio maintained control at the front, while Rodrigo defended firmly from Lee and Bedrin.

Gilbert spin brings out second Safety Car

The race lost its rhythm again when Lewis Gilbert spun his Arden Motorsport car into the gravel at Turn 4.

Officials deployed the Safety Car for a second time, erasing Patricio Gonzalez’s advantage and setting up a short sprint to the chequered flag.

The restart came on lap 10 with approximately three minutes remaining. Gonzalez again controlled the field and retained the lead, while Rodrigo continued defending second from Lee.

Bedrin sat directly behind the pair and remained ready to capitalise if their fight created an opening.

Rodrigo Gonzalez and Lee collide

Lee launched his attack around the outside of Rodrigo Gonzalez at Turn 4 shortly after the restart.

However, the two drivers made contact as they contested the corner. Lee sustained race-ending damage to the right-rear of his Elite Motorsport car, while Gonzalez ran through the gravel and lost his place near the front.

Rodrigo eventually recovered to finish 13th, ending his hopes of joining his brother on the podium after holding second for most of the race. Lee completed 10 laps and took 14th in the provisional classification.

The clash promoted Bedrin into second and Wilson into third. Neither driver could challenge Patricio Gonzalez during the brief remaining distance, allowing the Mexican to complete his breakthrough victory.

Bedrin completes podium sweep from 12th

Bedrin’s charge from 12th to second completed an exceptional Red Bull Ring weekend for the championship leader.

The Italian won the opening race with a late pass on Rehm before controlling Race 2 from pole position. His recovery drive in the reverse-grid finale then gave him a podium in all three contests.

Bedrin also set the fastest lap of Race 3 with a 1m26.849s on lap 11. His haul of 97 points increased his championship advantage to 106 points ahead of the next round at Silverstone.

Wilson secures maiden GB3 podium

Wilson converted fifth on the grid into third despite the two Safety Car periods and the battles around him.

The Arden Motorsport driver initially lost fourth to Bedrin after the first restart. However, the incident between Rodrigo Gonzalez and Lee moved him into the final podium position.

Wilson remained close to Bedrin over the last laps and finished only 1.324s behind Gonzalez. His result marked his first top-three finish in GB3 and gave Arden a strong conclusion to the Austrian weekend.

Molnar climbs to fourth as Jackes charges forward

Martin Molnar avoided the incidents to rise from 11th on the grid to fourth for Rodin Motorsport.

The Hungarian finished 0.651s behind Wilson and completed the weekend with three top-four results after starting Race 1 from pole and Race 2 from the front row.

Flynn Jackes produced another significant recovery drive for Elite Motorsport. He started 15th but climbed 10 places to finish fifth, only 0.842s behind Molnar.

Dante Vinci retained sixth for Hillspeed, while Fluxá recovered from his opening-lap pit visit to take seventh. The Xcel Motorsport driver’s comeback followed two second-place finishes in the weekend’s earlier races.

Nobels and Micallef make major gains

Aurelia Nobels climbed from 13th to eighth and matched her best GB3 result for Hillspeed.

Team-mate Peter Bouzinelos followed in ninth, giving Hillspeed three cars inside the top nine alongside Vinci.

Jacob Micallef completed the top 10 after starting 19th and last. The Hitech driver avoided the opening-lap collision and gained nine positions during the shortened contest.

Ricardo Baptista and Yuhao Fu followed in 11th and 12th, while Rodrigo Gonzalez and Lee completed the classified runners. Officials applied a 15-second track-limits penalty to Fu.