The 2026 GB3 Championship heads to the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit from 25–27 September for its penultimate round, with VRD Racing’s Nikita Bedrin holding a substantial championship advantage and potentially able to secure the title before November’s Barcelona finale.
Bedrin leads the standings with 392 points after six rounds, 79 clear of Rodin Motorsport’s Martin Molnar on 313. Lucas Fluxá follows on 305 for Xcel Motorsport, while the rapidly improving Deagen Fairclough has climbed to fourth on 268 after consecutive double-victory weekends. Maxim Rehm sits only two points further back on 266. The championship picture changed considerably at Donington Park, where Bedrin endured his first retirement of the year while several rivals made substantial gains.
Brands Hatch also arrives only two weeks after the field completed an official test on the Grand Prix circuit. Abbi Pulling set the fastest-ever GB3 lap at the venue, while Bedrin and Molnar finished within 0.080 seconds of her benchmark, suggesting the championship leader will face strong opposition as he attempts to move the title beyond his rivals’ reach.
Bedrin arrives with 79-point championship lead
Bedrin remains firmly in control despite suffering his most difficult weekend of the campaign at Donington. He arrived there with a 103-point advantage and initially strengthened his position by taking Race 1 pole before finishing second to Fairclough, but Sunday produced a major change in momentum.
The VRD Racing driver crashed at the Fogarty Esses on the opening lap of Race 2, recording his first retirement of 2026. He then struggled from 11th in the reverse-grid finale and finished 16th, meaning he collected only 29 points across the weekend. Molnar consequently reduced the deficit from 103 to 79, while Fluxá moved to within another eight points of the Rodin driver. The updated standings after Donington nevertheless leave Bedrin with a sizeable advantage and a chance to settle the championship at Brands Hatch.
The Italian has built that margin through a combination of victories, qualifying speed and consistency. He also leads the Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup with six poles, three more than Fairclough, giving him another target to pursue during the closing two rounds.
Molnar leads the chasing group
Molnar remains Bedrin’s nearest championship rival after another consistent weekend at Donington. He scored in all three races and increased his total to 313, strengthening second while reducing the gap to the championship leader.
His position is far from secure, however. Fluxá sits only eight points behind on 305, while Fairclough has transformed the battle further down the order by scoring 166 points across the previous two rounds. Rehm is also only two points behind the Hitech driver, leaving second through fifth considerably more closely contested than the championship lead.
Brands Hatch should provide Molnar with confidence. He previously held the outright GB3 lap record on the Grand Prix circuit from pre-season testing and was again among the quickest during the recent September test, finishing third overall and only 0.080s behind Pulling.
Fairclough carries major momentum
Few drivers arrive at Brands Hatch with more momentum than Fairclough. The Hitech driver has won four of the last five GB3 races, including both conventional-grid contests at Donington, and has surged from outside the leading championship positions into fourth.
At Donington, Fairclough defeated Bedrin in a close Race 1 battle before controlling Race 2 after the championship leader retired. He then recovered from 12th to fifth in the reverse-grid finale, producing an 88-point weekend that lifted him to 268. His Donington double continued a dramatic second-half improvement after he had also won twice at Silverstone.
His Brands Hatch test was less straightforward, with off-track moments interrupting the later sessions, but his opening-session benchmark still left him sixth overall and only 0.345s away from Pulling. That leaves Hitech with another realistic opportunity to challenge at the front.
Pulling sets benchmark before race weekend
Pulling produced the headline performance during the official Brands Hatch test on 10 September, setting a 1m16.593s to establish the fastest-ever GB3 lap around the Grand Prix circuit.
The Rodin Motorsport driver beat Bedrin by only 0.028s, while Molnar followed another 0.052s behind. Flynn Jackes placed fourth and Rowan Campbell-Pilling fifth, with the top five covered by just 0.322s. The full test classification highlighted how close the field could be when qualifying begins on Saturday.
Pulling also arrives after one of her strongest weekends of the season at Donington, where she claimed two podiums. Her recent Brands Hatch record includes victory in British F4 and a maiden GB3 podium at the circuit last year, giving her further reason to expect another competitive weekend.
Teams’ Championship separated by four points
The Drivers’ Championship is not the only title fight approaching a critical stage. Rodin Motorsport leads VRD Racing by only four points in the Teams’ Championship after overturning a 40-point deficit at Donington.
Rodin has 657 points compared with VRD’s 653, while the battle for third is even closer. Xcel Motorsport sits on 556 and Hitech follows on 553, meaning only three points separate those teams entering Brands Hatch. Donington completely reshaped the Teams’ Championship as Bedrin’s difficult Sunday coincided with strong scoring from Molnar, Pulling and Rehm.
The recent Brands test suggests all four teams could again be competitive. Rodin placed Pulling and Molnar inside the top three, VRD had Bedrin second, Xcel’s Campbell-Pilling finished fifth and Fairclough put Hitech sixth.
Kanato Le returns with Hitech
Hitech’s line-up changes for Brands Hatch as Kanato Le returns to GB3 alongside Fairclough and Yuhao “Felix” Fu. The Japanese driver replaces Jacob Micallef, whose planned stint with the team has concluded because his other commitments clash with the final two events.
Le has raced in GB3 on selected occasions since 2024 and already has proven success in the category. He claimed pole and a victory at Spa-Francorchamps during 2025 and added two further podiums across that weekend. His full-time 2026 programme has been in FIA Formula 3, where he scored several points finishes and a podium at the Hungaroring. His return to GB3 with Hitech gives the team another experienced option as it attempts to continue its recent run of victories.
Le also knows Hitech from previous programmes in British F4 and the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, reducing the adjustment required despite this being his first competitive outing with the upgraded 2026 GB3 package.
AKCEL GP makes championship debut
The grid also expands with AKCEL GP making its GB3 Championship debut alongside returning driver Aditya Kulkarni. The Snetterton-based team moves into the category after programmes in Formula 4 Middle East and Formula Regional, adding another operation to the championship during its closing stages.
Kulkarni completed a full GB3 season in 2024 and subsequently raced with AKCEL GP in the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship. That existing relationship gives both parties some familiarity as they begin their GB3 programme together.
Their preparations have already included the official Brands Hatch test, where Kulkarni finished 19th as the team gathered its first representative mileage with the car. The weekend now provides the first competitive measure of AKCEL GP’s developing programme.
Brands Hatch rewards commitment
The 3.916km Grand Prix circuit remains one of the most demanding venues on the GB3 calendar. Brands Hatch combines major elevation changes with several corners that punish hesitation, beginning with the steep descent through Paddock Hill Bend before the lap continues onto the less frequently used Grand Prix loop.
The current GB3 car’s additional downforce and improved 2026 engine package have produced significantly quicker lap times than previous generations, reflected by Pulling’s testing benchmark being more than a second faster than the 2025 pole time.
Track position should also carry considerable importance. Overtaking opportunities are more limited than at several of the championship’s European venues, placing extra value on the separate qualifying sessions that determine the grids for Races 1 and 2.
Qualifying could shape title weekend
GB3 retains its two-part qualifying format at Brands Hatch. Qualifying 1 establishes the Race 1 grid before Qualifying 2 separately determines the order for Sunday morning’s second contest. The fastest combined qualifying times are then used for the top-12 reversal that forms the Race 3 grid.
Bedrin has been particularly effective over one lap this year, with six poles giving him the lead in the separate Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup. Fairclough follows with three, Molnar has two and Pulling one. Another strong qualifying performance could therefore give Bedrin an important opportunity to extend his championship advantage before the reversed-grid finale introduces greater unpredictability.
Friday testing schedule
The weekend begins with four 25-minute sessions on the shorter Brands Hatch Indy circuit. A total of one hour and 40 minutes of running gives teams a final opportunity to prepare before the championship moves onto the Grand Prix layout for Saturday and Sunday. Live timing will be available through the GB3 live timing page.
- 09:30–09:55 — Test Session 1
- 11:30–11:55 — Test Session 2
- 14:15–14:40 — Test Session 3
- 16:15–16:40 — Test Session 4
All times are local BST.
Saturday schedule
Saturday begins with a short Free Practice session before the two qualifying contests determine the grids for Races 1 and 2. The first race then follows during the afternoon, providing Bedrin with the first opportunity of the weekend to move closer to — or potentially secure — the championship.
- 09:00 — Free Practice
- 11:00 — Qualifying 1
- 11:20 — Qualifying 2
- 15:05 — Race 1
The Race 1 broadcast begins at approximately 14:45 BST.
Sunday schedule
The final two races follow on Sunday, beginning with Race 2 before the reversed-grid finale concludes the penultimate round later in the afternoon.
- 11:05 — Race 2
- 15:45 — Race 3
Live coverage begins at approximately 10:45 for Race 2 and 15:25 for Race 3.
How to watch the Brands Hatch round
Live timing will be available throughout the weekend through the GB3 website, covering Friday testing, Free Practice, both qualifying sessions and the races.
All three races will also be streamed live through the same GB3 page and the MSV TV YouTube channel. Each broadcast starts around 20 minutes before the scheduled race time.
Bedrin has first opportunity to settle championship
Brands Hatch represents Bedrin’s first opportunity to turn the commanding advantage he has built across the opening six rounds into the 2026 GB3 title. His 79-point cushion still provides considerable protection despite the setbacks at Donington, but Molnar, Fluxá and the rapidly improving Fairclough ensure there is little room for complacency.
The recent test also suggests the championship leader will not have an easy route to maximum points. Pulling was quickest, Molnar remained within a tenth and several other drivers were close enough to challenge at the front. Combined with Fairclough’s recent run and the arrival of Le, the penultimate round should provide a considerably deeper fight than the championship gap alone suggests.
Even if Bedrin leaves Brands Hatch without securing the crown, the weekend will define the situation he carries into Barcelona. Behind him, the battle for second remains extremely close, the Teams’ Championship is separated by only four points and Xcel and Hitech are almost level for third. With three races at one of the calendar’s most demanding circuits, the penultimate round still has the potential to reshape almost every major fight before the season heads to Spain.
