Hillspeed’s Freddie Slater topped the times during 2025 GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC testing at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on Wednesday. The British driver, already a three-time race winner this season, produced a lap quicker than the official series race lap record to underline his form ahead of the upcoming event.
Slater’s record-breaking benchmark
Slater’s best effort of 1m18.634s came in the third and final session of the day, almost half a second faster than the GB3 race lap record. As a result, his pace placed him 0.157s ahead of championship leader Alex Ninovic, who had been fastest in both of the earlier sessions before ultimately settling for second overall.
Nevertheless, Ninovic’s consistency again proved impressive as the Rodin Motorsport driver kept himself at the sharp end across all three runs. Meanwhile, Hitech TGR pair Deagen Fairclough and Keanu Al Azhari slotted into third and fourth respectively, separated by just 0.015s. Furthermore, Al Azhari carried momentum from his maiden victory at Silverstone, while Fairclough continued to rebuild form in the title chase. In addition, Xcel Motorsport’s Patrick Heuzenroeder completed the top five, only 0.058s adrift of Al Azhari, after setting his best lap during session two.
The remainder of the top 10 all set their quickest laps in the afternoon’s final session, therefore underlining the improvement in track conditions. Elite Motorsport’s Will Macintyre secured sixth, narrowly ahead of Hillspeed’s Hiyu Yamakoshi. Shortly afterwards, Rodin’s Gianmarco Pradel followed just 0.016s behind, while JHR Developments’ Noah Lisle and Rodin’s Abbi Pulling rounded out a tightly packed top 10, all within 0.791s of Slater’s benchmark.
Combined Test Results – Brands Hatch
- Freddie Slater, Hillspeed, 1m18.634s
- Alex Ninovic, Rodin Motorsport, +0.157s
- Deagen Fairclough, Hitech TGR, +0.534s
- Keanu Al Azhari, Hitech TGR, +0.549s
- Patrick Heuzenroeder, Xcel Motorsport, +0.607s
- Will Macintyre, Elite Motorsport, +0.712s
- Hiyu Yamakoshi, Hillspeed, +0.746s
- Gianmarco Pradel, Rodin Motorsport, +0.762s
- Noah Lisle, JHR Developments, +0.771s
- Abbi Pulling, Rodin Motorsport, +0.791s
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul, VRD Racing, +0.941s
- Kanato Le, Hillspeed, +1.004s
- Nikita Johnson, Hitech TGR, +1.048s
- Reza Seewooruthun, Argenti with Prema, +1.234s
- Jack Sherwood, Xcel Motorsport, +1.238s
- Liam McNeilly, Fortec Motorsports, +1.259s
- Flynn Jackes, Elite Motorsport, +1.372s
- Lucas Fluxa, Argenti with Prema, +1.649s
- Kai Daryanani, JHR Developments, +1.701s
- August Raber, Argenti with Prema, +1.885s
- Bianca Bustamante, Elite Motorsport, +5.265s*
*Recorded times in session one only
Slater’s pace-setting lap established him as the benchmark heading into the Brands Hatch weekend, while Ninovic once again showed consistency at the front. With Fairclough, Al Azhari and Heuzenroeder all within striking distance, the battle for supremacy at the iconic circuit looks set to be fiercely contested.
