The 2026 GB3 Championship returns to the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit from 30 July to 2 August for the fifth round of the season.
Silverstone also hosted the opening three races in April. However, four subsequent rounds at Spa-Francorchamps, the Hungaroring and Red Bull Ring have significantly changed the championship picture since the field last competed at the home of the British Grand Prix.
Nikita Bedrin now holds a commanding Drivers’ Championship lead after a near-perfect Red Bull Ring weekend. Nevertheless, Lucas Fluxá, Martin Molnar and Maxim Rehm will aim to halt his momentum as GB3 begins the second half of its eight-round campaign.
Silverstone begins the second half of the GB3 season
GB3’s second Silverstone visit opens the final half of the 2026 campaign.
The Grand Prix circuit launched the season in April before the championship began a three-round European run. After visiting Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring, GB3 made its first appearance at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.
The championship will remain in Britain after Silverstone, with Donington Park and Brands Hatch hosting the next two rounds. Barcelona will then stage the season finale in November.
Silverstone’s first round produced three competitive races. Bedrin recovered from a slow start to win Race 1 before completing a double victory in Race 2. Meanwhile, Jin Nakamura secured the reverse-grid finale after passing Flynn Jackes during a dramatic final lap.
Therefore, the returning drivers already possess current race data from the circuit. However, their progress across the following rounds should create a different competitive order when Qualifying begins on Saturday.
Bedrin arrives with a 106-point championship lead
Bedrin has established himself as the clear title favourite during the opening half of the season.
The VRD Racing driver leads the Drivers’ Championship with 319 points, while nearest rival Fluxá holds 213. Molnar follows on 206, with Rehm another 13 points behind in fourth.
Bedrin significantly increased his advantage at the Red Bull Ring. He won the first two races before charging from 12th to second in the finale, helping VRD Racing complete a clean sweep of the Austrian weekend.
The 20-year-old scored 97 points across the round and increased his championship lead to 106. Consequently, his rivals now need to outperform him consistently rather than rely on one difficult race to erase the deficit.
However, Bedrin cannot adopt a completely conservative approach. GB3 still has 12 races remaining, while the championship’s three-race weekends create several opportunities for sudden points swings.
Fluxá leads the pursuit of Bedrin
Fluxá arrives at Silverstone second in the championship following another strong performance in Austria.
The Xcel Motorsport driver finished second in the opening two Red Bull Ring races. Although contact during the reverse-grid finale limited his final result, he scored enough points to move ahead of Rodin Motorsport pair Molnar and Rehm.
Fluxá also demonstrated competitive pace during the opening Silverstone round, where he secured a podium. His previous experience of the circuit should give Xcel Motorsport a useful foundation during the six testing sessions.
Meanwhile, team-mate Rowan Campbell-Pilling enters the weekend ninth in the standings on 105 points. He has regularly challenged near the front but will seek cleaner results after contact ended his Red Bull Ring finale.
Ricardo Baptista completes Xcel Motorsport’s line-up and will aim to convert his improving pace into a stronger points haul.
Molnar and Rehm keep Rodin in contention
Molnar occupies third in the Drivers’ Championship with 206 points, only seven behind Fluxá.
The Hungarian driver has regularly featured near the front and claimed another podium during the Red Bull Ring weekend. Furthermore, he recovered from 11th to fourth in the Austrian finale after avoiding several incidents ahead.
Rehm follows in fourth on 193. Although the German continues to search for his first victory of the season, repeated podium finishes have kept him among the leading championship contenders.
However, Rehm’s Red Bull Ring finale ended after contact with Fluxá at Turn 3. The retirement allowed Bedrin to extend his advantage and enabled Molnar to move ahead in the standings.
Abbi Pulling completes Rodin Motorsport’s three-car line-up. The 2024 F1 Academy champion already claimed a landmark GB3 victory at Spa and returns to a circuit where she displayed competitive pace during the opening round.
Gonzalez brings race-winning momentum to Silverstone
Patricio Gonzalez enters Round 5 fifth in the standings after claiming his maiden GB3 victory at the Red Bull Ring.
The VRD Racing driver passed pole-sitting team-mate Rodrigo Gonzalez at the start and controlled two Safety Car restarts to win the finale. Bedrin’s second place subsequently completed a one-two finish for the team.
Patricio Gonzalez now holds 146 points, placing him 47 behind Rehm but 22 ahead of Jackes.
His breakthrough victory should provide additional confidence at Silverstone, where he produced one of his strongest weekends before the championship travelled to mainland Europe.
Rodrigo Gonzalez also led much of the Red Bull Ring finale’s fight for second. However, contact with Kyuho Lee dropped him out of contention during the closing laps. He will now seek a cleaner weekend as VRD attempts to maintain its recent dominance.
Jackes and Lee continue Elite Motorsport challenge
Jackes holds sixth in the championship with 124 points.
The Elite Motorsport driver claimed his first GB3 victory at the Hungaroring before finishing fifth in the final Red Bull Ring race. He also came within one corner of winning the season-opening Silverstone finale before Nakamura completed a late pass.
Therefore, Jackes returns to a circuit where he has already demonstrated victory-challenging pace.
Team-mate Lee follows in eighth on 108 points. The South Korean finished second in the opening Silverstone reverse-grid race after joining the final-lap battle for victory.
Elite Motorsport will also field Edu Robinson, who joins Jackes and Lee after completing previous testing programmes with the squad. All three drivers will use Thursday and Friday to refine their cars before Saturday’s Qualifying sessions.
Fairclough targets second-half reset at 2026 GB3 Silverstone Round
Deagen Fairclough begins the weekend 10th in the championship with 102 points.
The Hitech driver has demonstrated front-running speed throughout the campaign, qualifying inside the top five at all but one round and winning the opening Hungaroring race. However, six retirements from the opening 11 contests have prevented him from converting that pace into a title challenge.
Silverstone offers an opportunity to begin the second half with a cleaner result.
Fairclough showed strong pace during the season opener and earned the Sunoco Fastest Driver of the Weekend Award. Nevertheless, retirements in Races 2 and 3 limited his points haul.
Hitech operates from close to the circuit, while Fairclough has consistently performed well around Silverstone. Consequently, he should remain one of the leading candidates for pole position and victory.
Jacob Micallef and Yuhao Fu complete Hitech’s line-up for the weekend.
Silverstone presents high-speed technical challenge
Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit combines long straights with several of the calendar’s fastest corner sequences.
Drivers must carry speed through Copse before tackling the rapid Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel complex. However, slower sections at Village, The Loop and Vale also demand strong traction and braking stability.
Therefore, teams must find a balanced set-up rather than focus entirely on straight-line speed.
The circuit should also provide overtaking opportunities into Brooklands, Stowe and Vale. Furthermore, the GB3 car’s Drag Reduction System can help drivers attack along the Wellington and Hangar straights.
Qualifying will remain crucial, particularly as the first two races use the results from separate sessions to set their grids. Small margins could create significant position changes across a closely matched field.
Thursday testing opens 2026 GB3 Silverstone weekend
GB3 begins its Silverstone programme with three 30-minute test sessions on Thursday.
The schedule gives every driver 90 minutes of track time to reacquaint themselves with the circuit and begin refining their set-ups.
Thursday 30 July — live timing
09:35–10:05 — Session 1
11:55–12:25 — Session 2
15:20–15:50 — Session 3
The official GB3 website will provide live timing throughout all three sessions.
Friday offers final 90 minutes of preparation
Teams receive another three 30-minute tests on Friday.
Drivers can use the additional 90 minutes to complete Qualifying simulations, assess tyre behaviour and prepare their cars for the weekend’s expected conditions.
Friday 31 July — live timing
11:25–11:55 — Session 1
14:25–14:55 — Session 2
16:35–17:05 — Session 3
GB3 will again provide live timing and regular social media updates throughout the day.
Saturday Qualifying sets first two grids
The competitive action begins on Saturday morning with the championship’s two-part Qualifying session.
Qualifying One will determine the Race 1 grid, while Qualifying Two will set the starting order for Sunday morning’s Race 2.
Race 1 then begins early on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday 1 August — live timing and streaming
09:35 — Qualifying One
09:55 — Qualifying Two
13:25 — Race 1
GB3 will begin its Race 1 broadcast at approximately 13:05 local time. The official website will carry both the live timing and stream.
Sunday double-header completes Round 5
Two 25-minute races will conclude the weekend on Sunday.
Race 2 will begin at 10:50 before Race 3 brings the Silverstone round to a close during the afternoon.
Sunday 2 August — live timing and streaming
10:50 — Race 2
15:15 — Race 3
Live coverage will begin at approximately 10:30 for Race 2 and 14:55 for Race 3. All listed times use British Summer Time.
How to follow the 2026 GB3 Silverstone action
The official GB3 website will provide live timing for every test, Qualifying session and race.
GB3 will also stream all three races through its website and the MSV TV YouTube channel. The broadcasts will include pre-race coverage before each contest begins.
Bedrin’s rivals face crucial 2026 GB3 Silverstone weekend
Bedrin enters Silverstone with enough points to absorb a difficult result while retaining the championship lead.
However, the remaining contenders cannot allow the VRD driver to produce another dominant weekend. Fluxá, Molnar and Rehm already trail by more than 100 points, while Gonzalez must close an even larger deficit.
Silverstone should provide opportunities for several drivers to respond. Fairclough has repeatedly shown pace at the circuit, Jackes nearly won there in April and Pulling returns after strengthening her campaign with victory at Spa.
Nevertheless, Bedrin has set the standard through the opening four rounds. After winning both Silverstone races from pole in April and dominating the Red Bull Ring, he returns to the home of British motorsport as the clear favourite.
Three races now offer the chasing group an opportunity to reduce his advantage. However, another major Bedrin points haul could move the championship increasingly close to his control before GB3 heads to Donington Park.
