2026 | GB3 | Hungaroring | Race 1 | Fairclough takes first win of 2026 after bold Turn 1 move

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Deagen Fairclough delivered a composed drive to claim his first GB3 Championship victory of the 2026 season in Race 1 at the Hungaroring.

The Hitech driver made the decisive move at the start, drawing alongside pole-sitter Martin Molnar on the run to Turn 1 before taking the lead at the tight right-hander. He then controlled the race, managed a mid-race Safety Car restart, and crossed the line 0.802s clear of championship leader Nikita Bedrin. Maxim Rehm completed the podium for Rodin Motorsport after charging through from ninth on the grid.

Fairclough takes control after Turn 1 pass

Molnar started from pole in front of his home crowd after his standout Qualifying performance on Saturday morning. However, Fairclough made the better launch from the front row and immediately placed the Hungarian under pressure.

The Hitech driver pulled alongside Molnar on the run to Turn 1 and completed the move at the corner. From there, he quickly settled into the lead and began to build a gap over the Rodin Motorsport driver.

Behind the leading pair, Bedrin held third for VRD Racing and kept Molnar under pressure. Rehm also made the strongest start of the midfield runners, gaining five positions on the opening lap to jump from ninth to fourth.

Consequently, the German driver placed himself in podium contention almost immediately, while Lucas Fluxa ran fifth for Xcel Motorsport ahead of Flynn Jackes.

Safety Car wipes out Fairclough’s advantage

Fairclough controlled the early laps and stretched his lead towards two seconds before the race changed shape on lap seven.

Abbi Pulling crashed at Turn 2 after contact during a battle involving Rowan Campbell-Pilling and Kyuho Lee. The incident ended Pulling’s race after six laps and brought out the Safety Car.

Campbell-Pilling continued despite being clipped from behind, while Lee also remained in contention. However, the intervention erased Fairclough’s advantage and brought Bedrin, Rehm and Molnar back into the fight at the front.

Bedrin and Rehm move past Molnar at the restart

Racing resumed on lap 11, and Fairclough handled the restart cleanly. The Hitech driver accelerated away well and immediately protected the lead.

However, Bedrin attacked Molnar into Turn 1. The VRD Racing driver sent a late move down the inside and took second place from the home favourite.

Crucially, Rehm reacted at the same moment. As Molnar lost momentum on corner exit, the Rodin Motorsport driver pounced and moved past his teammate, demoting the Hungarian from second to fourth within the space of one corner.

Fairclough then managed the final laps well. Bedrin reduced the gap late on, but he never moved close enough to launch a decisive attack. Fairclough therefore crossed the line first to take his first GB3 victory since the 2025 Monza season finale.

Jackes penalty promotes Lee to sixth

Molnar finished fourth after losing out at the restart, while Fluxa completed the top five for Xcel Motorsport.

Jackes finished sixth on the road for Elite Motorsport. However, officials handed him a 10-second penalty for a false start, dropping him to 14th in the final classification.

As a result, Lee moved up to sixth, while Campbell-Pilling finished seventh despite his involvement in the Pulling incident. Peter Bouzinelos secured eighth for Hillspeed, finishing just 0.327s behind Campbell-Pilling and claiming his best GB3 race result.

Hitech newcomer Jacob Micallef took ninth, while Patricio Gonzalez completed the top ten for VRD Racing after starting 16th.

The second race of the weekend is scheduled to start at 11:10 local time on Sunday morning.