Hitech’s Jacob Micallef dedicated his maiden GB3 victory to Malta after producing a dramatic last-lap overtake to win the reversed-grid race at Silverstone.
The 16-year-old defeated VRD Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez by just 0.176 seconds after making his decisive move around the outside at Brooklands on the final lap. The result marked Micallef’s first victory in single-seater racing and came in only his third GB3 weekend since joining the championship in Budapest in July.
For Micallef, however, the significance extended beyond his own breakthrough as he celebrated the opportunity to represent Malta at the front of an international single-seater championship.
Micallef proud to represent Malta
Micallef highlighted his national identity immediately after securing the victory, describing the opportunity to represent Malta as an important part of his racing career.
“It means so much to represent Malta and I’m super happy I can do that,” he said. “I hope to see other Maltese drivers doing the same in the future.”
The victory gave Micallef an opportunity to put Malta on the top step of the GB3 podium while also providing encouragement for other young drivers from the country.
His breakthrough came after a closely fought race in which he remained within striking distance of Gonzalez before launching his attack during the final tour.
Last-lap move leaves Micallef ‘speechless’
Micallef spent much of the 3.660-mile final lap applying pressure to Gonzalez and repeatedly filled the Mexican driver’s mirrors as he searched for an opportunity.
That chance finally arrived at Brooklands, the penultimate corner, where Micallef committed to an ambitious move around the outside and emerged ahead.
The emotion of achieving his first single-seater victory quickly took over.
“I’m literally speechless,” he said. “I sent it fully, was committed and made it stick, it was a very good overtake. I was raising my hand and literally crying on the in-lap.”
Micallef then held the advantage through the final corner and crossed the line less than two tenths clear of Gonzalez.
Nakamura provided inspiration for decisive overtake
The winning manoeuvre also carried a familiar look for Hitech.
Earlier in the season, Jin Nakamura had taken victory in the reversed-grid race at Silverstone after making his own decisive move at the same corner. Micallef now occupies the seat previously raced by Nakamura and recalled that overtake when he found himself in a similar situation.
“When I was in the same position, I remembered watching [Jin’s overtake] on YouTube,” laughed Micallef. “I need to send him a bit of a thank you for the idea.”
That reference proved useful as Micallef committed to the outside line and completed the move when the opportunity arrived.
Rapid progress continues after Budapest debut
Micallef’s victory came just weeks after he entered GB3 for the first time at the Hungaroring.
Despite his limited experience in the championship, the Maltese driver quickly became comfortable with the car and believes that early connection has helped accelerate his development.
“[After] the first lap at the Hungaroring, I just fell in love with the car,” he said. “The hard work is paying off slowly but now we have to keep working hard so we can keep getting these results.”
The Silverstone win provides the clearest evidence yet of that progress, but Micallef remains focused on continuing to improve rather than treating the victory as an endpoint.
“I’m looking forward to keep on learning about the car and keep developing and improving as a driver.”
With his first GB3 victory secured after only three weekends, Micallef now has a major result to build from as he continues his rookie campaign with Hitech.
