Deagen Fairclough claimed his second GB3 Championship victory of the 2026 season after overcoming Martin Molnar in a thrilling fight during Race 1 at Silverstone.
The Hitech driver retained the lead at the start before Molnar passed him following an early Safety Car restart. However, Fairclough fought back at Vale and controlled the remaining laps to win by 0.758s.
Xcel Motorsport’s Rowan Campbell-Pilling completed the podium after briefly challenging Molnar for second.
Fairclough leads as battles erupt behind
Fairclough made a strong start from his maiden GB3 pole position and led the field through the opening corners.
Molnar retained second, while Campbell-Pilling and Lucas Fluxa fought intensely behind the Rodin Motorsport driver. The pair ran wheel to wheel as the field negotiated the opening section of the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
The early battling pushed Fluxa back to fifth by the end of the opening lap. Meanwhile, Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes made one of the strongest starts and climbed from sixth to fourth.
Fairclough initially created a small advantage at the front, but an incident further behind quickly erased his lead.
Baptista retirement triggers early Safety Car
Ricardo Baptista sustained damage and stopped his Xcel Motorsport car at Becketts during the opening lap.
Officials deployed the Safety Car, neutralising the contest and bringing Molnar, Campbell-Pilling and the rest of the field back onto Fairclough’s rear wing.
The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of lap three, giving Fairclough his first major challenge of the race.
The Hitech driver controlled the restart and attempted to rebuild his advantage. However, Molnar remained close and immediately placed the leader under pressure.
Molnar takes the lead at Brooklands
Molnar closed onto Fairclough through the opening sector and threatened a move at Village.
The Hungarian then drew alongside Fairclough down the Wellington Straight before attacking the inside line at Brooklands. Molnar completed the move and took the lead from the polesitter.
However, Fairclough refused to let the Rodin driver escape and remained close throughout the remainder of the lap.
Campbell-Pilling also joined the battle and increased the pressure on Molnar as the leading trio ran within striking distance of each other.
Fairclough fights back at Vale
Molnar’s lead lasted for less than one lap as Fairclough launched a decisive counterattack on lap five.
The Hitech driver committed to a late move under braking at Vale and reclaimed first place. Fairclough completed the pass and immediately attempted to create space behind him.
Campbell-Pilling then moved ahead of Molnar at Village and briefly claimed second. However, Molnar responded down the Wellington Straight and regained the position at Brooklands.
The fight behind allowed Fairclough to open an advantage of almost seven tenths by the start of lap six.
Fairclough controls the remaining laps
Fairclough maintained a similar advantage throughout the second half of the race as Molnar and Campbell-Pilling remained locked in their own contest.
Molnar kept the Hitech driver within sight but could not move close enough to launch another attack. Fairclough therefore completed the 12-lap race with a winning margin of 0.758s.
The victory gave Fairclough the perfect start to the second half of the championship after repeated misfortune disrupted his opening four rounds.
It also marked his second win of the season following his Race 1 triumph at the Hungaroring.
Molnar holds Campbell-Pilling for second
Molnar recovered from losing the lead to secure second place for Rodin Motorsport.
Campbell-Pilling remained close but could not find another opportunity after Molnar reclaimed the position at Brooklands. The Xcel driver eventually crossed the line 1.433s behind the Hungarian.
Nevertheless, third gave Campbell-Pilling his strongest result of the season and completed an all-British presence at the front alongside Fairclough.
Rehm and Fluxa collide at Brooklands
Maxim Rehm moved ahead of Jackes during the middle stages and continued his charge towards the leading group.
The Rodin driver then fought Fluxa for position at Brooklands on lap eight. However, the pair made contact and Fluxa spun towards the rear of the field.
Rehm continued in fourth and initially retained the position at the chequered flag. The stewards later handed him a one-second penalty for causing an overlap at the Control Line during the Safety Car restart.
The penalty dropped Rehm behind Jackes to fifth in the amended classification.
The stewards also gave Rehm a three-place grid penalty for his next race after holding him responsible for the collision with Fluxa.
Fluxa recovered to finish 17th, ending a race in which he had started from third.
Jackes inherits fourth after penalty
Jackes took fifth on the road after losing a position to Rehm but inherited fourth following the German’s time penalty.
Abbi Pulling completed the top six in the third Rodin Motorsport entry.
Leon Wilson delivered another strong result for Arden Motorsport after passing championship leader Nikita Bedrin during the final five minutes.
Wilson crossed the line seventh and retained the position despite receiving a one-second penalty for causing an overlap at the Safety Car restart.
Bedrin settled for eighth, while Hitech’s Jacob Micallef and VRD Racing’s Patricio Gonzalez completed the top 10.
Elite Motorsport teammates Kyuho Lee and Edu Robinson followed in 11th and 12th. Robinson’s result came on his GB3 debut after joining the grid at short notice.
Jack Taylor and Baptista recorded the race’s only retirements.
2026 GB3: Silverstone: Race 1: Amended results
- #6 Deagen Fairclough — Hitech — 12 laps
- #2 Martin Molnar — Rodin Motorsport — +0.758s
- #8 Rowan Campbell-Pilling — Xcel Motorsport — +2.191s
- #18 Flynn Jackes — Elite Motorsport — +7.933s
- #1 Maxim Rehm — Rodin Motorsport — +7.955s*
- #3 Abbi Pulling — Rodin Motorsport — +9.338s
- #27 Leon Wilson — Arden Motorsport — +11.498s*
- #20 Nikita Bedrin — VRD Racing — +12.202s
- #4 Jacob Micallef — Hitech — +12.648s
- #21 Patricio Gonzalez — VRD Racing — +13.487s
- #19 Kyuho Lee — Elite Motorsport — +14.037s
- #17 Edu Robinson — Elite Motorsport — +14.435s
- #22 Rodrigo Gonzalez — VRD Racing — +15.267s
- #10 Dante Vinci — Hillspeed — +16.824s
- #11 Peter Bouzinelos — Hillspeed — +19.212s
- #31 Jason Pribyl — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +19.816s
- #7 Lucas Fluxa — Xcel Motorsport — +21.999s
- #12 Aurelia Nobels — Hillspeed — +25.311s
- #5 Yuhao Fu — Hitech — +25.901s
Not classified
- #24 Jack Taylor — Fortec Motorsports — 8 laps
- #9 Ricardo Baptista — Xcel Motorsport — 0 laps
Penalties
- #1 Maxim Rehm: One-second time penalty for causing an overlap at the Control Line during the Safety Car restart. The penalty dropped him from fourth to fifth.
- #27 Leon Wilson: One-second time penalty for causing an overlap at the Control Line during the Safety Car restart. The penalty did not change his finishing position.
- #1 Maxim Rehm: Three-place grid penalty for his next race after causing the collision with #7 Lucas Fluxa.
