Hillspeed has long been synonymous with British single-seater racing, but 2025 represented a significant turning point for the Derbyshire-based squad. After years of operating as a respected but often underestimated contender, the team surged into the spotlight in GB3’s new Tatuus MSV GB3-025 era, delivering victories with four different drivers and finishing a remarkable fourth in the Teams’ Championship—despite missing two full events.
For a team that entered the category during its launch as BRDC F4 back in 2013, this resurgence marked more than just a successful year. It signalled a major shift in capability, expectation and momentum. Now, with unprecedented interest from drivers and a technical package that appears fully unlocked, Hillspeed approaches 2026 with rare confidence.
A decade of persistence pays off
Since joining the championship over a decade ago, Hillspeed has guided notable talents through its garage doors—drivers such as Seb Morris, now a British GT champion, and Nico Varrone, a World Endurance Champion and Le Mans class winner. Those victories demonstrated the team’s potential, but the consistency required to challenge for honours across a full campaign had remained elusive.
In 2025, that changed as the team became a constant presence at the sharp end of the pack, and when Richard Ollerenshaw reflects on how the upturn occurred, he credits both the new car and the calibre of drivers choosing to join the programme.
“The strength of the team has become noticeable from the quality of the drivers we’ve had in the car.”
Crucially, Hillspeed did not suddenly reinvent itself. Instead, the team maintained its established approach but finally benefitted from a fully competitive, fully occupied garage.
Ollerenshaw explained this consistency, adding: “The team itself hasn’t done anything new, it’s done what we’ve done year on year but we’d not been blessed with filling all three seats. Obviously the drivers we’ve had are those that are well established in their career and were using GB3 to support a dual programme.”
Slater shines as a benchmark of future potential
Among the four race-winning drivers who contributed to the team’s resurgence, Freddie Slater was the standout addition. Fresh from a dual programme and already widely regarded as one of the UK’s brightest junior prospects, the now-Formula Regional European champion delivered sensational performances across just nine starts.
His professionalism and maturity left a lasting impression on Ollerenshaw, who describes the experience of working with him with genuine admiration: “It was an absolute privilege to work with Freddie, not only in the car but outside of the car. He’s a champion of the future in the making. His work ethic is exceptional and he’s definitely a standout talent that we’ve had to work with over the years.”
Yet Slater was only one part of a broader story. Hillspeed’s 2025 campaign showcased depth, versatility and adaptability, qualities that allowed multiple drivers to win in a variety of conditions.
Four winners, one unified approach
While Slater grabbed the headlines, Hillspeed also celebrated victories with Kanato Le, Lucas Fluxa and Maxim Rehm. That breadth of success was unmatched by any other team on the grid and underlined how quickly the operation had mastered the new Tatuus package. Ollerenshaw traces their strong form to two pillars: technical understanding and the team’s long-standing development philosophy.
Reflecting on the season, he revealed: “It’s twofold, one we got to grips with the new car and had a good package throughout the season. But the philosophy that we’ve built Hillspeed on over the years is that a happy driver is a fast driver and we have to give them the environment for them to be happy within. The structure within the Hillspeed team provides that for the drivers and the results speak for themselves.”
For Ollerenshaw, the link between emotional security and on-track execution is fundamental, and he believes the team’s 2025 success stemmed from maintaining that equilibrium.
“If you can give them the environment where they feel that they can grow and flourish, you will get the better results out of them. That is fundamentally what we have done with all our drivers. That’s what we pride ourselves on doing, not only the build and the car that we turn out, but the way that we interact with the driver and either their family or the support team around them.”
A season full of defining moments
The 2025 campaign could not have started better. Hillspeed opened the season with victory at Silverstone, courtesy of Slater. It then closed the year in identical style—a new driver, Maxim Rehm, winning on debut at Monza. Between those bookends were some of the season’s most memorable GB3 drives. Slater’s last-to-first triumph at Spa-Francorchamps instantly became one of the standout performances of the year, while wins for Le and Fluxa underlined that Hillspeed’s package and preparation were competitive across a variety of tracks.
Reflecting on the year’s defining flashes of brilliance, Ollerenshaw said: “It’s nice to be able to look back on the season and be spoilt for choice of the defining moments. For me personally, the first win with the new generation car was something that we wanted to get. Having seen the pace that we’d had pre-season, you never like to go to any race with pre-conceived ideas or anything else. But it was definitely the one that we wanted.”
Mixed emotions at Spa
Spa, however, brought mixed emotions. While Slater’s charge from the back was extraordinary, Ollerenshaw remains convinced the team could have pulled off something historic.
“The ‘Fred race’ at Spa, it was actually a bit bittersweet, I think we’d had the potential there to win all three races. I don’t think that’s overblowing our own trumpet, the pace that we’d got was phenomenal and unfortunately we had an issue in qualifying which robbed Fred of setting a time.”
With a clean session, he believes the weekend would have unfolded very differently.
“But I think had we set the time I think we’d have seen Fred on pole for race one and two, and then starting from 12th [in race three] would have been half the job he went on to do.”
Nevertheless, that recovery drive remains a highlight—an emphatic demonstration of both driver and team capability. Ollerenshaw summed it up powerfully.
“Spa was fantastic, to go from the back of the pack to win is incredible, but you always look at what could have been and I think it could have been something that nobody achieves for a long time, which would be to win all three races.”
Momentum builds for 2026
After such a statement season, Hillspeed has become one of the most sought-after destinations on the GB3 grid. Drivers are taking notice of the team’s form, environment and upward trajectory. That demand has surged, and Ollerenshaw confirmed as much.
“Interest in the Hillspeed seats has never been higher. When there are revisions made to a car you can never rest on your laurels, you have to go out there once pre-season starts and treat it as a new package. We know that the teams we’re fighting against are quality opposition and they won’t give us an inch.”
The perception of Hillspeed has changed dramatically. Once viewed as an underdog, the team now commands respect from rivals and admiration from drivers who previously might not have considered the red-and-white machines a frontline option.
“At the end of the day, we might have been the most underestimated package that was on the grid, but by round three of the championship it had instantly changed, and there were drivers that were wanting to take any available seats that we had.”
With a promising winter ahead and driver negotiations underway, the team now aims to convert its breakthrough into sustained contention. Ollerenshaw concluded with an eye firmly on the future.
“We will go into 2026, we’ll do our work over the winter and hopefully put a nice strong line-up together and be back to race at the front again.”
