VRD Racing’s Nikita Bedrin secured the 2026 GB3 Championship with a remarkable comeback victory during Race 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Italian recovered from losing the lead on the opening lap to claim his seventh victory of the season, sealing his maiden single-seater championship in the opening race of the season finale.
Bedrin started from pole position but lost the lead to Xcel Motorsport’s Rowan Campbell-Pilling, who surged from fifth to first before the opening corner. However, the championship leader fought back following an early safety car intervention, eventually completing a daring move around the outside of Turn 1 on lap ten.
The 20-year-old subsequently extended his advantage to finish 0.975 seconds ahead of Campbell-Pilling, with Xcel teammate Lucas Fluxá completing the podium.
Behind the leading trio, Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes finished fourth, while JHR Developments newcomer Lewis Wherrell completed the top five. Meanwhile, Bedrin’s closest championship rival, Deagen Fairclough, finished ninth after receiving a five-second track limits penalty.
Bedrin enters Barcelona finale with commanding championship advantage
Bedrin arrived at Barcelona holding an 89-point advantage over Fairclough, having established himself as the championship favourite through six victories during the opening four rounds.
Although his rivals reduced his advantage during the second half of the season, the Italian remained firmly in control of the title fight. He required only a top-seven finish in Saturday’s opening race to secure the championship, regardless of his competitors’ results.
The VRD driver had already demonstrated his pace during Friday’s opening practice session, setting the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:32.674. He subsequently claimed his seventh pole position of the season during Saturday morning’s qualifying, securing the Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup and its £2,000 prize.
Despite needing relatively few points to guarantee the championship, Bedrin remained determined to finish the title fight with a victory. His ambition to secure both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships provided additional motivation heading into the final three races.
Campbell-Pilling storms into lead as opening-lap incidents trigger safety car
Although Bedrin started from pole position, Campbell-Pilling produced an exceptional getaway from fifth on the grid. The Xcel Motorsport driver gained four positions on the run towards Turn 1, sweeping into the lead ahead of the championship leader.
Bedrin consequently dropped to second, while Campbell-Pilling’s teammate Fluxá also made an impressive start. The Spaniard climbed from seventh to third during the opening moments, placing both Xcel Motorsport cars among the leading three.
However, the opening lap also featured two separate incidents through the first corners. Arden Motorsport’s Leon Wilson became stranded in the gravel at Turn 2, prompting race control to deploy the safety car.
The intervention neutralised the race during its opening stages, preventing Campbell-Pilling from immediately capitalising on his remarkable start. It also provided Bedrin with an opportunity to regroup after losing the lead, although the Italian still needed to find a way past the Xcel driver.
With the field running behind the safety car, the championship battle remained firmly in Bedrin’s favour as he occupied second position.
Campbell-Pilling builds early advantage after safety car restart
Racing resumed on lap five, with Campbell-Pilling immediately demonstrating his confidence at the front. The Xcel Motorsport driver controlled the restart effectively, establishing an advantage of approximately three-quarters of a second during the first lap after the resumption.
Bedrin initially struggled to close the gap, but the VRD Racing driver gradually began reducing Campbell-Pilling’s advantage. As the laps progressed, he moved closer to the leading Xcel car and started applying pressure through the final sector.
The Italian repeatedly closed onto Campbell-Pilling’s rear wing on the approach to Turn 1, creating opportunities to challenge for the lead. However, the Xcel driver initially maintained his position, forcing Bedrin to search for an alternative way through.
Behind them, Fluxá continued holding third, ensuring Xcel remained in contention for a double podium. The Spaniard had made significant progress during the opening lap and maintained his position while the leaders battled ahead.
With Bedrin continuing to reduce the gap, the fight for victory intensified as the race approached its final third.
Bedrin completes daring Turn 1 move to reclaim lead
The decisive moment arrived on lap ten, when Bedrin launched an ambitious move around the outside of Campbell-Pilling at Turn 1.
Having followed the Xcel driver closely for several laps, the championship leader committed to the outside line through the opening corner. The manoeuvre allowed him to gain the inside line for Turn 2, completing the overtake and moving back into the lead.
Campbell-Pilling attempted to respond, but Bedrin defended his position on the approach to Turn 4, preventing the Xcel driver from immediately reclaiming first place.
The move proved decisive. Once ahead, Bedrin began extending his advantage, gradually moving clear of Campbell-Pilling during the remaining laps.
The Italian eventually crossed the finish line after 15 laps, securing victory by 0.975 seconds. The result marked his seventh win of the 2026 season and confirmed him as GB3 champion with two races remaining.
After dominating the early stages of the championship, Bedrin had endured a considerably more challenging second half of the campaign. His first victory since July therefore provided a fitting conclusion to the title fight.
Campbell-Pilling and Fluxá secure double podium for Xcel Motorsport
Although Campbell-Pilling could not retain the lead, his second-place finish represented another strong performance for Xcel Motorsport. The British driver had started fifth before taking the lead at Turn 1, demonstrating impressive pace throughout the opening stages.
However, Bedrin’s recovery ultimately denied him victory, leaving Campbell-Pilling to settle for the runner-up position.
Teammate Fluxá completed the podium, finishing 1.427 seconds behind Bedrin after climbing from seventh to third on the opening lap. The Spaniard maintained his position throughout the remainder of the race, securing his eighth podium of the season.
Although Fluxá’s result was insufficient to keep him in contention for the Drivers’ Championship, it allowed him to move into second place in the standings.
The double podium also provided valuable points for Xcel Motorsport in the Teams’ Championship, which remains undecided heading into Sunday’s final two races.
With both drivers demonstrating strong pace, Xcel has established itself among the leading contenders during the championship’s first visit to Barcelona.
Jackes finishes fourth as Wherrell completes top five
Elite Motorsport’s Flynn Jackes delivered an impressive recovery to finish fourth after starting eighth. The Australian gained four positions during the race, eventually crossing the line 6.239 seconds behind Bedrin.
His performance continued Elite Motorsport’s competitive Barcelona weekend, particularly following the strong qualifying results achieved by several of its drivers.
JHR Developments newcomer Wherrell completed the top five, finishing 7.375 seconds behind the winner. The British driver had narrowly missed pole position during Q1, eventually qualifying second for his first GB3 race.
However, Wherrell lost several positions during the opening stages and could not recover sufficiently to challenge for the podium. Nevertheless, fifth place represented an encouraging result during his championship debut, particularly given the close competition throughout the field.
Elite Motorsport’s Kyuho Lee followed in sixth, finishing 8.030 seconds behind Bedrin. The Korean had qualified third but also lost positions during the opening lap, eventually settling for a place outside the leading five.
Ingram Hill and Pulling finish seventh and eighth
JHR Developments completed an encouraging opening race with both cars inside the top seven, as Thomas Ingram Hill followed teammate Wherrell home.
The GB4 graduate had qualified fourth for his first GB3 race but lost positions during the opening stages. He eventually finished seventh, 12.255 seconds behind Bedrin, securing a solid result on his championship debut.
Rodin Motorsport’s Abbi Pulling followed in eighth after a competitive race. The British driver had demonstrated impressive pace during Friday’s practice sessions, topping both FP2 and FP3, but qualified ninth for Saturday’s opening contest.
Pulling gained one position during the race, eventually crossing the line 12.662 seconds behind Bedrin and just 0.407 seconds behind Ingram Hill.
Her result provided Rodin with further points towards the Teams’ Championship, although teammate Martin Molnar endured a more difficult race and finished outside the leading ten.
Fairclough’s championship hopes end following track limits penalty
Fairclough entered Barcelona as Bedrin’s closest championship challenger, although he faced a substantial 89-point deficit heading into the final round.
The Hitech driver qualified sixth for Race 1, starting five positions behind the championship leader. While Bedrin required only a top-seven finish to secure the title, Fairclough needed a significantly stronger result to retain any realistic opportunity of overturning the standings.
However, the British driver endured a difficult opening race and could not make sufficient progress through the field.
His afternoon became more complicated when he received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits. The sanction dropped him to ninth in the final classification, 14.140 seconds behind Bedrin.
With Bedrin securing victory, Fairclough’s championship challenge came to an end regardless of his own finishing position.
Nevertheless, the Hitech driver remains involved in the battle for the remaining championship positions, with Fluxá moving ahead of him following his podium finish.
Green completes top ten as several drivers retire
GB4 runner-up Fred Green completed the top ten for Elite Motorsport, securing a points finish during his first GB3 race. The British driver had qualified tenth and maintained that position, finishing 17.554 seconds behind Bedrin.
Hillspeed’s Dante Vinci followed in 11th, ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Molnar in 12th. VRD Racing’s Patricio Gonzalez finished 13th, while Hitech’s Theo Palmer and TJ Speed Motorsports newcomer Ary Bansal completed the top 15.
Further back, VRD’s Rodrigo Gonzalez secured 16th, followed by Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing’s Jason Pribyl, Rodin’s Maxim Rehm, Hitech’s Yuhao Fu and Arden Motorsport’s Matan Achituv.
Xcel Motorsport’s Ricardo Baptista was the final classified finisher in 21st.
Three drivers failed to finish the race. Hillspeed’s Peter Bouzinelos retired after completing 14 laps, while teammate Aurelia Nobels completed seven. Wilson’s opening-lap incident also ended his race prematurely.
Meanwhile, TJ Speed Motorsports’ Arjen Kräling did not start the contest.
2026 GB3 Barcelona Race 1: Full provisional classification
- Nikita Bedrin, VRD Racing — 15 laps
- Rowan Campbell-Pilling, Xcel Motorsport — +0.975s
- Lucas Fluxá, Xcel Motorsport — +1.427s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport — +6.239s
- Lewis Wherrell, JHR Developments — +7.375s
- Kyuho Lee, Elite Motorsport — +8.030s
- Thomas Ingram Hill, JHR Developments — +12.255s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport — +12.662s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech — +14.140s
- Fred Green, Elite Motorsport — +17.554s
- Dante Vinci, Hillspeed — +18.508s
- Martin Molnar, Rodin Motorsport — +18.901s
- Patricio Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +21.671s
- Theo Palmer, Hitech — +22.098s
- Ary Bansal, TJ Speed Motorsports — +22.543s
- Rodrigo Gonzalez, VRD Racing — +22.991s
- Jason Pribyl, Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +24.213s
- Maxim Rehm, Rodin Motorsport — +25.468s
- Yuhao Fu, Hitech — +25.872s
- Matan Achituv, Arden Motorsport — +28.207s
- Ricardo Baptista, Xcel Motorsport — +36.556s
Did not finish
- Peter Bouzinelos, Hillspeed — 14 laps
- Aurelia Nobels, Hillspeed — 7 laps
- Leon Wilson, Arden Motorsport — 1 lap
Did not start
- Arjen Kräling, TJ Speed Motorsports
Race winner: Nikita Bedrin, VRD Racing
Championship: Nikita Bedrin crowned 2026 GB3 Drivers’ Champion
GB3 season concludes with two races on Sunday
Bedrin’s victory settles the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, but several positions in the final standings remain undecided ahead of Sunday’s double-header.
Fluxá has moved into second place following his eighth podium of the season, while Fairclough and Molnar remain among the drivers competing for the remaining championship positions.
The Teams’ Championship also remains open, with Rodin Motorsport, VRD Racing, Hitech and Xcel Motorsport all entering the weekend with mathematical opportunities to claim the title.
Sunday’s second race is scheduled to begin at 11:10 CET, with Wherrell starting from pole position alongside fellow newcomer Green. The third and final race of the season will follow at 14:50 CET, bringing the championship’s inaugural Barcelona visit to a conclusion.
Live timing and race coverage are available through the official GB3 website.
