VRD Racing’s Nikita Bedrin claimed his fourth consecutive Omologato One to Watch Award after dominating the opening two races of the 2026 GB3 Championship’s Red Bull Ring weekend.
The championship leader won Race 1 and Race 2 in Austria to collect the maximum available 70 points towards the award. He then charged from 12th to second in the reverse-grid finale, completing a GB3-era record haul of 97 points across the weekend.
As a result, Bedrin further strengthened his championship advantage while maintaining his perfect record in the Omologato competition.
Bedrin completes second double victory of 2026
Bedrin entered the Red Bull Ring round as the clear GB3 championship leader and immediately strengthened his position with two victories.
The Italian started Race 1 from third before moving into contention during the opening stages. He eventually passed Maxim Rehm around the outside at Turn 6 and claimed his fifth win of the campaign.
Bedrin then produced a more controlled performance in Race 2. He led from pole position, recorded the fastest lap and finished ahead of Xcel Motorsport’s Lucas Fluxá.
The two victories gave Bedrin a perfect 70-point score across the first two races. It also marked the second time in 2026 that he had won both of a weekend’s opening contests.
Record recovery completes Austrian weekend
Bedrin faced a different challenge in Race 3 after starting 12th under the reverse-grid format.
However, he avoided the incidents that disrupted several championship contenders and steadily moved through the field. The VRD driver gained 10 positions before finishing second behind team-mate Patricio Gonzalez.
Bedrin collected 17 points for the runner-up result and another 10 through GB3’s overtaking bonus system.
Consequently, he scored 97 points across the three races, setting a new record for a single weekend during the GB3 era.
The result also extended his championship lead as the season moved beyond its halfway stage.
Fourth One to Watch Award for Bedrin
The Omologato One to Watch Award recognises the driver who scores the most points across Race 1 and Race 2 at each GB3 event.
Bedrin has now claimed the prize at all four rounds of the 2026 season.
He began the campaign with a maximum 70-point score at Silverstone before collecting 64 points at both Spa-Francorchamps and the Hungaroring. His Red Bull Ring double victory returned him to the maximum score.
Therefore, Bedrin has accumulated 268 points across the four award classifications and remains unbeaten in the competition.
Each success earns the winning driver a timepiece from Omologato Watches, GB3’s Official Timing Partner. Bedrin has now secured four watches during his championship-leading campaign.
2026 Omologato One to Watch Award winners
- Silverstone — Nikita Bedrin — 70 points
- Spa-Francorchamps — Nikita Bedrin — 64 points
- Hungaroring — Nikita Bedrin — 64 points
- Red Bull Ring — Nikita Bedrin — 70 points
Omologato partnership rewards GB3 performance
Shami Kalra leads Omologato, the United Kingdom’s prominent motorsport-focused watch manufacturer.
The company creates watches inspired by notable circuits, drivers and moments from motor racing history. Through its partnership with GB3, Omologato rewards the strongest performer across the first two races of every championship event.
Bedrin has so far controlled that contest as convincingly as the overall championship.
His two Austrian victories, record weekend score and fourth Omologato prize underlined another dominant performance from the VRD Racing driver.
