Lucas Fluxá will take renewed momentum into the 2026 GB3 Championship finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after ending a 357-day wait for victory with a commanding performance at Brands Hatch.
The Xcel Motorsport driver claimed his second career GB3 win in the reversed-grid Race 3, almost a year after scoring his maiden victory at Donington Park. His Brands Hatch triumph also kept his outside Drivers’ Championship hopes alive, leaving him one of the contenders still mathematically capable of challenging Nikita Bedrin when the season concludes in Spain.
Fluxá heads into Barcelona fourth in the standings with 355 points, 90 behind Bedrin with a maximum of 102 still available. The deficit leaves the 17-year-old requiring a dramatic championship swing, but his latest result provides encouragement as he prepares for a circuit he already knows and a finale that carries added significance as his home event.
Electric start transforms Brands Hatch finale
Fluxá started the reverse-grid race from fourth but immediately turned that position into the lead with one of the starts of the weekend. With passing notoriously difficult around the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, he recognised that the opening run towards Paddock Hill Bend offered his best opportunity to take control.
“I knew it was really important to get a good start because it is quite difficult to overtake around here,” Fluxá explained. “Everyone started focusing on other people and there was a gap on the right. I went for it, as I knew it was the only option. I took the gap and it all worked out.”
The move proved decisive. Once ahead, Fluxá controlled all 19 laps and kept Hitech’s Yuhao Fu behind despite the Chinese driver remaining within range for much of the contest. He eventually crossed the line 0.844s clear to secure his first victory of 2026, while Kanato Le completed the podium for Hitech.
The result also denied Deagen Fairclough a clean sweep of a weekend in which the Hitech driver had dominated the two conventional-grid races. More importantly for Fluxá, victory ensured his championship challenge remained mathematically alive before the final round.
Limited track time adds significance to victory
The Brands Hatch result carried additional satisfaction because Fluxá entered the weekend with significantly less preparation than many of his rivals. He missed the pre-event test while competing at Silverstone in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, where he has combined an LMP3 programme with his second GB3 campaign.
That clash left him with only a brief opportunity to reacquaint himself with the Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout before competitive running began. Fluxá admitted the limited preparation contributed to a difficult opening to the weekend, making his eventual victory particularly rewarding.
“We didn’t do the test days here this year,” he said. “I only had 15 minutes to adapt to the GP layout. It was challenging [but] we maximised all we could.” After finishing 10th in Race 1 and seventh in Race 2, the reversed-grid contest provided the breakthrough he needed. “It was important to finish on a high note and to bring the momentum to Barcelona.”
The victory represented a significant turnaround after two races in which Fluxá had struggled to make the championship gains he needed. Instead of leaving Brands Hatch with his title hopes extinguished, he departs as a race winner and still part of the four-way fight that will conclude in Barcelona.
Outside title chance remains for Barcelona
Fluxá’s 355 points leave him 90 behind Bedrin heading into the finale, while 102 remain available across the final weekend. His championship prospects therefore depend heavily on the results of the drivers ahead, but the Spaniard remains focused on maximising his own opportunities rather than treating the outcome as already decided.
“It’s the last round and everything is to play for,” Fluxá said. “Anything can happen. It is racing, so we’ll be ready for anything.”
The Brands Hatch result also demonstrated how quickly the championship picture can change. Bedrin appeared capable of potentially wrapping up the title during the penultimate round, but his false-start penalty in Race 3 helped ensure the fight continued into Barcelona. Fluxá’s victory simultaneously maximised his own score and prevented his remaining mathematical chance from disappearing.
His position remains difficult, but simply carrying the possibility into the finale gives Xcel Motorsport another objective alongside pursuing individual race victories.
Previous Barcelona experience could help
Unlike at Brands Hatch, Fluxá will arrive in Barcelona with recent experience of the circuit. He raced at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during his 2024 Spanish F4 campaign and has returned this year through his Le Mans Cup programme, giving him familiarity with both the layout and its characteristics.
The circuit’s faster, more flowing nature also provides a significant contrast to Brands Hatch. Fluxá expects the layout to create more overtaking opportunities, something that could prove particularly important during a finale where championship contenders may need to make progress through the field.
“It is a very nice track to drive, very fun and fast-flowing,” he said when reflecting on his previous appearances at the circuit. “It should be good racing, with plenty of overtaking opportunities, so I’m really looking forward to that.”
His experience across both single-seaters and prototypes should also leave him familiar with the circuit under different racing conditions, removing some of the adaptation difficulties he faced during the previous round.
Home victory provides additional motivation
Beyond the championship implications, Barcelona gives Fluxá an opportunity to secure his third GB3 victory in front of family and home supporters. The Spaniard made his name through domestic single-seater racing before moving into GB3, making the final round a rare chance to compete in the championship on familiar ground.
“It would mean a lot [to win] and hopefully my family can come,” Fluxá said. “A win is a win, it doesn’t matter where, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m just looking forward to it, and we’ll push as much as we can.”
His reflection on his Brands Hatch victory underlined how important the result was after almost a full year without standing on the top step. It also arrives at an ideal point in the campaign, giving Fluxá confidence immediately before returning to one of the circuits he knows best.
A championship remains a difficult proposition with such a large deficit to Bedrin, but Brands Hatch ensured Fluxá still has something significant to fight for when GB3 reaches Barcelona. At minimum, another strong weekend would allow him to complete his second season in the championship with the same kind of form that delivered his long-awaited return to victory.
