Rodin Motorsport’s Abbi Pulling topped the third and final Free Practice (FP3) session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday afternoon, setting a 1:32.756 to finish more than half a second ahead of the field. The British driver secured her second consecutive session-topping performance ahead of the 2026 GB3 Championship season finale.
Pulling recorded her fastest lap during the final ten minutes, finishing 0.561 seconds ahead of JHR Developments newcomer Thomas Ingram Hill. Xcel Motorsport’s Lucas Fluxá completed the top three, setting an identical lap time to reigning GB4 champion Ary Bansal, who finished fourth for TJ Speed Motorsports.
Rodin teammate Martin Molnar completed the leading five, ahead of Hitech debutant Theo Palmer. Elite Motorsport’s Kyuho Lee followed in seventh, while championship contender Deagen Fairclough, Yuhao Fu and JHR newcomer Lewis Wherrell rounded out the top ten.
Despite Pulling’s substantial advantage, only 0.169 seconds separated the drivers from second to tenth. Meanwhile, championship leader Nikita Bedrin finished 14th, although his FP1 benchmark of 1:32.674 remained the fastest lap of Friday’s running.
Pulling completes Friday practice double with commanding FP3 performance
Pulling continued her strong Barcelona form by topping FP3 with a 1:32.756, securing a second consecutive session-leading result after also setting the pace during Friday afternoon’s FP2.
The Rodin Motorsport driver had established a 1:33.531 during FP2 before officials brought the session to an early conclusion following a red flag at Turn 4. However, she found considerably more pace in the final practice session, improving her previous benchmark by 0.775 seconds.
Her fastest lap came during the final ten minutes, when she displaced Ingram Hill at the top of the classification. The JHR Developments newcomer had previously led the session, but Pulling’s improvement established an advantage of more than half a second that none of her rivals could overcome.
The performance also represented a substantial improvement on her sixth-place finish in FP1, when she recorded a 1:33.130. Although she could not eclipse Bedrin’s morning benchmark, Pulling finished FP3 just 0.082 seconds away from the fastest lap of the day.
Her latest result provided encouragement for Rodin as the organisation prepares to defend its narrow Teams’ Championship advantage over VRD Racing during the final three races.
Ingram Hill delivers strongest performance of debut weekend
JHR Developments’ Ingram Hill continued his impressive progression by finishing second with a 1:33.317. The British driver briefly led FP3 before Pulling’s decisive improvement, ultimately finishing 0.561 seconds behind the Rodin driver.
His result marked another significant step forward during his first GB3 weekend. Ingram Hill had finished 20th during Thursday’s four-hour Barcelona test before improving to ninth in FP1 and seventh in FP2.
The GB4 graduate continued building on those performances during the final practice session, emerging as Pulling’s closest challenger and finishing ahead of several established GB3 competitors.
Ingram Hill joins JHR for the Barcelona finale after finishing fourth in the 2026 GB4 Championship. His promotion provides an opportunity to gain experience in the more powerful GB3 machinery while continuing his development with the returning team.
JHR’s performance also demonstrated its competitiveness during its first weekend back in the championship, with teammate Wherrell completing the top ten. Both drivers have featured among the leading competitors across Friday’s practice sessions, providing an encouraging foundation ahead of qualifying.
Fluxá and Bansal record identical lap times in battle for third
Fluxá delivered his strongest performance of the Barcelona weekend by finishing third with a 1:33.342, placing him 0.586 seconds behind Pulling and just 0.025 seconds behind Ingram Hill.
The Xcel Motorsport driver had struggled to match the leading pace during the previous sessions, finishing 14th in FP1 before dropping to 20th during FP2. However, his improvement in the final session brought him back among the leading contenders ahead of qualifying.
Fluxá also enters the weekend as one of three drivers mathematically capable of challenging Bedrin for the Drivers’ Championship. The Spaniard sits third in the standings on 355 points, just one behind Fairclough, making the final round particularly important in the battle for the championship’s remaining leading positions.
Bansal followed in fourth for TJ Speed Motorsports, matching Fluxá’s 1:33.342 exactly. However, the Xcel driver secured the higher position because he completed his fastest lap first.
The reigning GB4 champion continued his encouraging introduction to GB3 after placing fifth in Thursday testing and fourth in FP1. Although Bansal slipped to 11th during FP2, his latest performance returned him to the leading group during his debut weekend.
Molnar leads championship contenders as Palmer impresses again
Molnar completed the top five for Rodin Motorsport, recording a 1:33.360 to finish 0.604 seconds behind teammate Pulling. The Hungarian ended the session just 0.018 seconds behind Fluxá and Bansal, continuing his consistent performances during the Barcelona weekend.
Molnar had finished second during Thursday’s testing before placing fifth in both FP1 and FP2. His latest result therefore maintained his position among the leading contenders as Rodin prepares for the decisive Teams’ Championship battle.
Hitech newcomer Palmer followed in sixth, recording a 1:33.415. The British F4 runner-up finished 0.659 seconds behind Pulling and just 0.055 seconds away from Molnar.
Palmer had finished 12th in FP1 before improving to eighth during FP2. His sixth-place finish in the final session represented another encouraging step forward as he continued adapting to the GB3 machinery.
The Hitech driver also finished ahead of several established championship competitors, maintaining his strong form throughout the afternoon.
With Rodin entering the finale 16 points ahead of VRD Racing, the performances of Pulling and Molnar could prove particularly important during the final three races.
Lee leads Elite as Fairclough and Fu complete Hitech’s top-ten presence
Elite Motorsport’s Lee finished seventh with a 1:33.426, placing him just 0.011 seconds behind Palmer. The Korean driver once again emerged as his team’s fastest competitor after previously finishing seventh in FP1.
Lee’s performance continued the closely contested battle behind Pulling, with only 0.109 seconds separating Ingram Hill in second and the Elite driver in seventh.
Fairclough followed in eighth for Hitech, recording a 1:33.460. The British driver finished 0.704 seconds behind Pulling and just 0.034 seconds away from Lee as he continued preparing for his final opportunity to challenge Bedrin for the Drivers’ Championship.
Fairclough enters Barcelona on 356 points, 89 behind the championship leader. His remarkable second-half resurgence has included six consecutive victories in conventional-grid races, although Bedrin remains the overwhelming favourite for the title.
Hitech teammate Fu secured ninth with a 1:33.481, finishing just 0.021 seconds behind Fairclough. The Chinese driver had briefly led FP3 around the halfway point before several rivals improved during the closing stages.
Nevertheless, Hitech placed all three of its drivers inside the top nine, an encouraging result ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
Wherrell completes top ten as four newcomers impress
JHR Developments’ Wherrell completed the leading ten with a 1:33.486, finishing just 0.005 seconds behind Fu and 0.730 seconds away from Pulling’s fastest lap.
His result continued an encouraging debut weekend after he finished fourth during Thursday’s test and FP2, demonstrating competitive pace against several established GB3 drivers.
Wherrell’s performance also meant that four of the weekend’s newcomers finished inside the top ten. He joined teammate Ingram Hill, TJ Speed’s Bansal and Hitech’s Palmer among the leading competitors, reflecting the strength of the new arrivals.
The margins among the chasing group remained particularly narrow. Although Pulling established an advantage of more than half a second, just 0.169 seconds separated Ingram Hill in second and Wherrell in tenth.
VRD Racing’s Patricio Gonzalez narrowly missed the top ten in 11th, recording a lap 0.801 seconds behind Pulling. The Mexican had previously placed third in FP1 and second in FP2 but could not maintain a position among the leading competitors during the final session.
Hillspeed’s Dante Vinci followed in 12th, ending FP3 0.992 seconds away from the leading time.
Bedrin finishes 14th but retains fastest lap of Friday
Xcel Motorsport’s Campbell-Pilling finished 13th, recording a lap 1.067 seconds behind Pulling. The British driver had topped Thursday testing before finishing second in FP1, but could not replicate that pace during the final two sessions.
Championship leader Bedrin followed in 14th for VRD Racing, finishing 1.189 seconds behind Pulling’s benchmark. The result represented a considerable change from the morning session, when he established the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:32.674.
Despite finishing outside the leading ten in FP3, Bedrin remained the quickest driver across Friday’s three practice sessions. His morning lap was 0.082 seconds faster than Pulling’s best effort, providing a positive indication ahead of qualifying.
The Italian enters the finale with a commanding 89-point advantage over Fairclough. With a maximum of 102 points available across the final three races, he needs only 14 additional points to secure his maiden single-seater championship.
The Barcelona season-finale preview also outlines the closely contested Teams’ Championship, with Rodin leading VRD Racing by just 16 points.
For Bedrin, Saturday’s qualifying sessions will provide an opportunity to regain the front-running pace he demonstrated during FP1 while strengthening his position ahead of the opening race.
Final practice concludes as teams prepare for qualifying
Behind Bedrin, Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes finished 15th, just 0.010 seconds ahead of Hillspeed’s Aurelia Nobels. Rodin’s Maxim Rehm followed in 17th, with Elite newcomer Fred Green completing the top 18.
Hillspeed’s Peter Bouzinelos finished 19th, while Xcel Motorsport’s Ricardo Baptista completed the top 20. TJ Speed’s Arjen Kräling followed in 21st, ahead of VRD Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez and Arden Motorsport’s Leon Wilson.
Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing’s Jason Pribyl finished 24th, while Arden’s Matan Achituv completed the 25-driver classification.
Friday’s practice sessions therefore produced two different pace-setters, with Bedrin leading FP1 before Pulling topped both FP2 and FP3. However, the final session also highlighted the competitive nature of the field behind the leading Rodin driver, particularly with four newcomers finishing inside the top ten.
The drivers will now turn their attention towards Saturday’s qualifying sessions, which will determine the grids for the opening two races of the championship’s final round.
2026 GB3 Barcelona FP3: Full classification
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport — 1:32.756
- Thomas Ingram Hill, JHR Developments — +0.561s
- Lucas Fluxá, Xcel Motorsport — +0.586s
- Ary Bansal, TJ Speed Motorsports — +0.586s
- Martin Molnar, Rodin Motorsport — +0.604s
- Theo Palmer, Hitech — +0.659s
- Kyuho Lee, Elite Motorsport — +0.670s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech — +0.704s
- Yuhao Fu, Hitech — +0.725s
- Lewis Wherrell, JHR Developments — +0.730s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +0.801s
- Dante Vinci, Hillspeed — +0.992s
- Rowan Campbell-Pilling, Xcel Motorsport — +1.067s
- Nikita Bedrin, VRD Racing — +1.189s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport — +1.249s
- Aurelia Nobels, Hillspeed — +1.259s
- Maxim Rehm, Rodin Motorsport — +1.266s
- Fred Green, Elite Motorsport — +1.379s
- Peter Bouzinelos, Hillspeed — +1.498s
- Ricardo Baptista, Xcel Motorsport — +1.557s
- Arjen Kräling, TJ Speed Motorsports — +1.567s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +1.701s
- Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport — +1.730s
- Jason Pribyl, Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +2.010s
- Matan Achituv, Arden Motorsport — +2.251s
FP3 fastest lap: Abbi Pulling — 1:32.756.
Fastest lap of Friday: Nikita Bedrin — 1:32.674 (FP1).
Barcelona finale continues with qualifying and Race 1
Pulling concluded Friday’s final practice session with a comfortable advantage, strengthening Rodin Motorsport’s preparations for the championship-deciding weekend. However, Bedrin retained the fastest overall lap of the day, leaving both teams with encouraging results ahead of their close Teams’ Championship battle.
Ingram Hill, Fluxá and Bansal also demonstrated competitive pace, while Hitech placed Palmer, Fairclough and Fu inside the top nine. The narrow margins among the drivers behind Pulling suggest another closely contested qualifying session.
The official GB3 weekend schedule confirms that Saturday’s two qualifying sessions will begin at 10:55 and 11:15 local time (CET), followed by Race 1 at 15:00.
The final two races will take place on Sunday, 8 November, bringing the 2026 GB3 Championship to a conclusion as the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles are decided.
