The 2025 GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, continued at Autodromo Nazionale Monza with two competitive Free Practice sessions on Friday. Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder and Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic set the early benchmark, each topping a session ahead of Saturday’s all-important qualifying.
Free Practice 1: Heuzenroeder leads the way in close opening session
Patrick Heuzenroeder made a strong statement in the first Free Practice session of the weekend by setting the fastest time of 1m43.583s. The Australian driver delivered his best lap with just seven minutes remaining in the 45-minute session, finishing just 0.010s shy of Thursday’s testing pace.
Notably, his Xcel Motorsport teammate Kabir Anurag also impressed, securing third fastest overall and continuing his consistent form from the pre-event tests. Between the pair, Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic slotted into second place, trailing Heuzenroeder by only 0.119s.
Furthermore, Noah Lisle showed strong pace for JHR Developments, ending up just 0.030s behind Anurag in fourth. Meanwhile, Hillspeed’s duo of newcomers, Maxim Rehm and Newman Chi, both delivered standout performances, taking fifth and sixth respectively and separated by a mere 0.020s.
In addition, Reza Seewooruthun (Argenti with Prema) finished seventh, just ahead of Xcel’s Jack Sherwood in eighth. Hillspeed’s strong session continued with Lucas Fluxa securing ninth, ensuring all three of the team’s cars placed inside the top ten. Hitech TGR’s Deagen Fairclough rounded out the top ten, narrowly edging Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel.
Classification: Monza: Free Practice 1
- Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport – 1m43.583s
- Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport – +0.119s
- Kabir Anurag, Xcel Motorsport – +0.455s
- Noah Lisle, JHR Developments – +0.485s
- Maxim Rehm, Hillspeed – +0.495s
- Newman Chi, Hillspeed – +0.515s
- Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema – +0.569s
- Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport – +0.672s
- Lucas Fluxa, Hillspeed – +0.687s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR – +0.691s
- Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport – +0.735s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport – +0.784s
- Bart Harrison, JHR Developments – +0.686s
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul, VRD Racing – +1.167s
- Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments – +1.295s
- Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR – +1.366s
- Isaac Phelps, Elite Motorsport – +1.510s
- August Raber, Argenti with Prema – +1.811s
- Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport – +1.944s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport – +2.153s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing – +2.318s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing – +2.486s
Free Practice 2: Ninovic responds as Rehm and Chi impress again
Later in the day, Alex Ninovic bounced back to top Free Practice 2 with a time of 1m44.321s. Despite the slightly slower pace compared to the morning, the Rodin Motorsport driver edged out Hillspeed’s Maxim Rehm by just 0.010s.
Importantly, the session was cut short by a red flag following a crash for Kabir Anurag at Lesmo One. Fortunately, the Xcel Motorsport driver emerged unharmed and still managed to retain eighth on the timesheets.
Meanwhile, Hillspeed’s strong debut continued, as Newman Chi once again placed inside the top three, only 0.092s off the fastest time. Jack Sherwood led the Xcel Motorsport charge in fourth, with Heuzenroeder just behind in fifth, marking another consistent run for the team.
As the field continued to tighten, Noah Lisle finished sixth again, this time narrowly ahead of Gianmarco Pradel. Abbi Pulling and Deagen Fairclough rounded out the top ten, both within half a second of the leader. Notably, all of the top 15 drivers finished within a second of Ninovic, underlining the competitiveness of the grid heading into qualifying.
Classification: Monza: Free Practice 2
- Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport – 1m44.321s
- Maxim Rehm, Hillspeed – +0.010s
- Newman Chi, Hillspeed – +0.092s
- Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport – +0.142s
- Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport – +0.204s
- Noah Lisle, JHR Developments – +0.280s
- Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport – +0.285s
- Kabir Anurag, Xcel Motorsport – +0.315s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport – +0.376s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR – +0.477s
- Isaac Phelps, Elite Motorsport – +0.489s
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul, VRD Racing – +0.789s
- Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR – +0.812s
- Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments – +0.961s
- Bart Harrison, JHR Developments – +0.988s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing – +1.021s
- August Raber, Argenti with Prema – +1.207s
- Lucas Fluxa, Argenti with Prema – +1.243s
- Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport – +1.602s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing – +1.932s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport – +2.577s
- Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema – No time set
Qualifying set to be incredibly close
With two different pace-setters across the sessions and margins consistently tight throughout the field, qualifying on Saturday morning promises to be highly competitive. While Heuzenroeder holds the fastest overall time from FP1, Ninovic’s strong response in FP2 confirms the reigning champion remains a serious threat.
Furthermore, Hillspeed’s new signings Rehm and Chi have proven their one-lap speed, consistently running at the front. Xcel Motorsport appears especially strong, with all three of its cars inside the top eight in both sessions.
As the teams now shift focus to qualifying, every thousandth of a second could prove decisive at Monza – a circuit where slipstream and precision are key. The first qualifying session begins at 10:20 local time on Saturday.
