VRD Racing’s Nikita Bedrin topped the opening Free Practice (FP1) session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday morning, setting the fastest lap of the 2026 GB3 Championship season finale so far. The championship leader recorded a 1:32.674 during the closing minutes, finishing just 0.029 seconds ahead of Xcel Motorsport’s Rowan Campbell-Pilling.
Bedrin’s late improvement displaced Thursday’s testing leader, who had held the fastest time heading into the final five minutes. VRD teammate Patricio Gonzalez completed the top three, finishing 0.186 seconds behind Bedrin, while TJ Speed Motorsports newcomer Ary Bansal continued his impressive debut weekend in fourth.
The 30-minute session again produced closely matched times, with the leading ten drivers separated by just 0.697 seconds. Fifteen competitors finished within one second of Bedrin’s benchmark, highlighting the competitive nature of the field ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions.
Bedrin sets fastest Barcelona lap ahead of championship decider
Bedrin continued his preparations for the championship-deciding weekend by recording the fastest lap of Friday morning. The VRD Racing driver produced a 1:32.674 during the final two minutes, improving on the fastest time from Thursday’s test by 0.316 seconds.
The performance represented a significant improvement from his ninth-place finish during the opening Barcelona testing session, when he recorded a 1:33.480 and finished almost half a second behind Campbell-Pilling.
The 20-year-old enters the finale as the clear Drivers’ Championship favourite, holding 445 points and an 89-point advantage over Hitech’s Deagen Fairclough. With a maximum of 102 points available across the remaining three races, Bedrin requires just 14 additional points to guarantee the championship.
His latest performance provides another encouraging indication ahead of qualifying, particularly as he also leads the Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup.
The Barcelona championship preview outlines the title permutations, with Fairclough, Lucas Fluxá and Martin Molnar remaining mathematically capable of challenging Bedrin.
However, the VRD driver remains firmly in control of his championship prospects as he attempts to conclude the season with both the Drivers’ title and another strong result for his team.
Campbell-Pilling narrowly misses consecutive fastest times
Campbell-Pilling continued his strong Barcelona form by finishing second, just 0.029 seconds behind Bedrin. The Xcel Motorsport driver recorded a 1:32.703, maintaining his position among the leading competitors after topping Thursday’s four-hour test.
The British driver had held the fastest time heading into the final five minutes before Bedrin delivered his decisive improvement. Nevertheless, Campbell-Pilling reduced his previous benchmark of 1:32.990 by 0.287 seconds, demonstrating further progress as teams refined their preparations.
His performance followed an encouraging conclusion to the previous round at Brands Hatch, where he secured second in Race 2. Campbell-Pilling also claimed his maiden GB3 victory during the reversed-grid finale at Donington Park, establishing himself as a competitive contender during the latter stages of the season.
However, Bedrin’s late improvement prevented Xcel Motorsport from securing the fastest time for the second consecutive session.
The narrow margin between the two drivers suggests another closely contested qualifying battle, although the remaining practice sessions will provide further opportunities to evaluate their pace.
Gonzalez strengthens VRD’s position as Bansal impresses
VRD Racing secured two positions inside the top three, with Patricio Gonzalez finishing third on a 1:32.860. The Mexican ended the session 0.186 seconds behind Bedrin and just 0.157 seconds away from Campbell-Pilling.
Gonzalez improved significantly compared with Thursday’s testing, when he finished eighth with a 1:33.460. His performance provided another encouraging result for VRD as the team prepares for its championship battle with Rodin Motorsport.
Bansal followed in fourth, continuing an impressive beginning to his GB3 career with TJ Speed Motorsports. The reigning GB4 champion recorded a 1:32.879, finishing just 0.019 seconds behind Gonzalez and 0.205 seconds away from the overall benchmark.
The Indian driver had placed fifth during Thursday’s test, when he also led a significant portion of the session before several late improvements changed the order.
His latest result strengthens the encouraging early signs from his promotion to GB3 with TJ Speed Motorsports, as the American organisation prepares for its first championship appearance.
Bansal also finished ahead of several established GB3 competitors, providing further evidence of his adaptability to the new machinery.
Molnar and Pulling lead Rodin’s championship preparations
Rodin Motorsport completed the top six through Molnar and Abbi Pulling, with the pair separated by just 0.083 seconds.
Molnar finished fifth with a 1:33.047, placing him 0.373 seconds behind Bedrin. The Hungarian had finished second during Thursday’s testing, but maintained a competitive position as he continued preparing for the final round.
Pulling followed in sixth, recording a 1:33.130 to finish 0.456 seconds behind the leading time. Her performance represented a significant improvement from Thursday, when she placed 11th and narrowly missed the top ten.
The third Rodin entry of Maxim Rehm also featured among the leading competitors, finishing eighth with a 1:33.349.
Rodin therefore placed all three of its drivers inside the top eight, providing an encouraging indication ahead of the decisive Teams’ Championship weekend.
The organisation enters Barcelona with 758 points, just 16 ahead of VRD Racing on 742. Although Bedrin and Patricio Gonzalez placed first and third, Rodin’s collective performance could prove important as both teams prepare to contest the final three races.
With only the two highest-scoring eligible drivers contributing to each team’s points total in every race, consistency among their leading competitors will play a significant role in determining the championship.
Lee leads Elite as Ingram Hill moves into top ten
Elite Motorsport’s Kyuho Lee finished seventh, recording a 1:33.346 to end the session 0.672 seconds behind Bedrin. The result made him the fastest of the team’s three drivers, while also placing him just 0.003 seconds ahead of Rehm.
Rehm followed eighth for Rodin, sharing an identical lap time of 1:33.349 with JHR Developments newcomer Thomas Ingram Hill. The Rodin driver secured the higher position through the order in which the two drivers completed their fastest laps.
Ingram Hill’s ninth-place result represented one of the most significant improvements from Thursday’s test, when he finished 20th. The British driver continued adapting to the GB3 machinery as JHR Developments returned to the championship.
The team’s Barcelona return with Ingram Hill and Lewis Wherrell has introduced two graduates from British F4 into the field, providing both with an opportunity to gain experience ahead of their future racing programmes.
VRD Racing’s Rodrigo Gonzalez completed the top ten with a 1:33.371, finishing 0.697 seconds behind teammate Bedrin.
The result gave VRD three drivers inside the leading ten, matching Rodin’s strong representation at the front as both organisations continued preparing for the Teams’ Championship decider.
Wherrell narrowly misses top ten as Palmer leads Hitech
JHR Developments’ Wherrell narrowly missed the top ten, finishing 11th with a 1:33.412. The British driver ended the session just 0.041 seconds behind Rodrigo Gonzalez, maintaining competitive pace after placing fourth during Thursday’s testing.
Hitech newcomer Theo Palmer followed in 12th, recording a 1:33.531 to finish 0.857 seconds away from Bedrin. His performance made him the fastest Hitech driver during the opening practice session, ahead of championship contender Fairclough.
Fairclough completed the top 13 with a 1:33.575, finishing 0.901 seconds behind Bedrin. The British driver had placed third in Thursday’s test but struggled to match the leading pace during Friday morning’s session.
Despite the result, Fairclough enters Barcelona following an exceptional run of six consecutive conventional-grid victories across Silverstone, Donington Park and Brands Hatch.
His determination to challenge Bedrin at the season finale remains central to his weekend, although the championship leader’s latest performance reinforces the difficulty of overturning the 89-point deficit.
Fluxá followed in 14th with a 1:33.613, placing him 0.939 seconds behind Bedrin. The Xcel Motorsport driver remains mathematically involved in the Drivers’ Championship, although his immediate focus will also include building momentum ahead of qualifying.
Hillspeed’s Dante Vinci completed the top 15 with a 1:33.664, ensuring that fifteen drivers finished within one second of the fastest lap.
Competitive midfield continues as field prepares for FP2
Behind the leading 15, Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes finished 16th, recording a lap 1.236 seconds behind Bedrin. Hillspeed’s Peter Bouzinelos followed in 17th, just 0.033 seconds behind Jackes.
TJ Speed’s Arjen Kräling placed 18th, continuing his preparations for his GB3 debut alongside Bansal. The German finished 1.294 seconds away from Bedrin, while Hillspeed’s Aurelia Nobels followed in 19th.
Xcel Motorsport’s Ricardo Baptista completed the top 20, ahead of Jason Pribyl for Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing and Hitech’s Yuhao Fu.
Arden Motorsport’s Leon Wilson finished 23rd, while Elite Motorsport newcomer Fred Green placed 24th. Matan Achituv completed the 25-driver classification for Arden.
The opening practice session therefore continued the closely contested running established during Thursday’s test. Although Bedrin produced a new benchmark, the narrow gaps among the leading competitors suggest further changes could emerge as teams prepare for qualifying.
The next 30-minute Free Practice session will begin at 14:20 local time (CET), followed by FP3 at 16:20.
2026 GB3 Barcelona FP1: Full classification
- Nikita Bedrin, VRD Racing — 1:32.674
- Rowan Campbell-Pilling, Xcel Motorsport — +0.029s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +0.186s
- Ary Bansal, TJ Speed Motorsports — +0.205s
- Martin Molnar, Rodin Motorsport — +0.373s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport — +0.456s
- Kyuho Lee, Elite Motorsport — +0.672s
- Maxim Rehm, Rodin Motorsport — +0.675s
- Thomas Ingram Hill, JHR Developments — +0.675s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +0.697s
- Lewis Wherrell, JHR Developments — +0.738s
- Theo Palmer, Hitech — +0.857s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech — +0.901s
- Lucas Fluxá, Xcel Motorsport — +0.939s
- Dante Vinci, Hillspeed — +0.990s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport — +1.236s
- Peter Bouzinelos, Hillspeed — +1.269s
- Arjen Kräling, TJ Speed Motorsports — +1.294s
- Aurelia Nobels, Hillspeed — +1.419s
- Ricardo Baptista, Xcel Motorsport — +1.598s
- Jason Pribyl, Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +1.712s
- Yuhao Fu, Hitech — +1.835s
- Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport — +2.233s
- Fred Green, Elite Motorsport — +2.589s
- Matan Achituv, Arden Motorsport — +6.044s
Fastest lap: Nikita Bedrin — 1:32.674.
Barcelona weekend continues with two further practice sessions
Bedrin therefore concluded the first Free Practice session with the fastest time of the week, strengthening his position ahead of the final qualifying sessions of the 2026 GB3 season.
However, Campbell-Pilling remained within 0.029 seconds, while Gonzalez and Bansal also demonstrated strong pace. Rodin Motorsport’s three drivers inside the top eight further highlighted the competition awaiting VRD Racing in the Teams’ Championship.
The next two Free Practice sessions will give teams further opportunities to refine their setups and evaluate their performance before Saturday’s qualifying sessions determine the grids for the opening two races.
With both championships still undecided, the margins established during Friday morning’s running suggest another closely contested weekend as the 2026 GB3 season approaches its conclusion.
