2025 | GB3 | Race 2 | Silverstone | Al Azhari clinches maiden GB3 victory in Silverstone thriller - Motorsport

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Keanu Al Azhari claimed his first 2025 GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC victory at Silverstone in dramatic fashion on Sunday morning in Race 2. The Hitech TGR driver seized his chance after a chaotic battle among the early leaders, keeping his composure to cross the line ahead of Patrick Heuzenroeder and Michael Shin.

Ninovic and Fairclough duel for the lead

Championship leader Alex Ninovic, who won Race 1, launched well from pole and initially held the advantage for Rodin Motorsport. Deagen Fairclough lined up alongside him and briefly threatened into Copse, but the Hitech racer had to settle for second on the opening lap.

Behind the pair, Patrick Heuzenroeder produced a strong start from fourth, passing Al Azhari to slot into third. The focus remained at the front though, as Fairclough pressed Ninovic hard. On lap two, he found a way through at the Village Loop, taking the lead with an assertive move.

Safety Car pause and restart drama

The action was briefly neutralised when Abbi Pulling stopped on track with damage, bringing out the safety car. Racing resumed on lap five, with Ninovic immediately attempting to re-take the lead at Copse. His bold outside move did not stick, forcing him to tuck back into second.

The fight came to a head on lap seven. Ninovic used the slipstream down the Wellington Straight to reclaim the lead, only for Fairclough to counter instantly at Brooklands. Their wheel-to-wheel combat ended in disaster — Fairclough lost his front wing, while Ninovic ran off the road.

Al Azhari seizes the moment

While the frontrunners tripped over each other, Al Azhari pounced. He had already passed Heuzenroeder moments earlier, and as chaos unfolded ahead, he swept decisively into the lead. From that point onwards, the young Hitech driver managed the pressure superbly. Even when Heuzenroeder fought back with a move at the Village Loop on lap nine, Al Azhari refused to be unsettled. Instead, he immediately responded at Brooklands, sliding back ahead in what ultimately proved the decisive pass for victory. With dark clouds circling overhead and the laps ticking down, he kept control to secure his breakthrough win by just over one and a half seconds.

Shin rounds out the podium with a tight pack close behind

Meanwhile, further down the order, Michael Shin delivered one of his best GB3 drives to date. The Hillspeed driver started fifth, but he quickly climbed to fourth off the line and held station behind Heuzenroeder during the early stages. When the drama at the front unfolded, Shin was perfectly placed to seize the opportunity and move into third. From there, he defended brilliantly in the closing laps, and as a result he kept Reza Seewooruthun at bay to claim his maiden GB3 podium.

Just behind, Seewooruthun took fourth. Although he was frustrated to miss out on silverware, he was nevertheless rewarded for his consistency across the race. Further back still, Noah Lisle made steady progress from eighth on the grid to finish fifth, while Will Macintyre initially crossed the line in that position but was later penalised for track limits, which dropped him to sixth. Consequently, his Elite Motorsport teammate Kai Daryanani moved up to seventh, with Yuanpu Cui recovering to eighth after losing ground early on.

In addition, Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel and Xcel’s Yevan David both benefited from the attrition among the leaders, and as a result they completed the top ten. By contrast, Fairclough and Ninovic were left to rue their clash; they tumbled down the order to finish only 20th and 21st respectively, which in turn handed a valuable points boost to their championship rivals.