GB3 | 2025 | Testing | Spa-Francorchamps | Slater sets the benchmark in Belgium - Motorsport

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Freddie Slater made a commanding start to his GB3 return at Spa-Francorchamps by topping Thursday’s combined 2025 Round 3 test times. The Hillspeed driver, already a double winner at Silverstone earlier this year, set the pace across both sessions at the Belgian Grand Prix venue.

Flying start for Slater

To begin with, Slater immediately stamped his authority on proceedings. He topped the opening run of the day with a 2m14.414s, and then, as the track evolved, he lowered his benchmark to 2m14.030s in the second session. Moreover, his improvement came despite a light drizzle lingering in the Ardennes air, which made his effort even more impressive.

Not only was his lap the outright quickest of the day, but significantly, it was also faster than the official GB3 qualifying lap record at Spa. Furthermore, it was more than two seconds under the existing race record, which highlighted both his confidence and Hillspeed’s performance at one of the world’s most iconic circuits.

Tight battle behind

Meanwhile, the contest behind Slater developed into a fascinating duel. On one hand, Rodin Motorsport’s Gianmarco Pradel emerged as the nearest challenger, finishing just over a tenth of a second adrift. On the other hand, Argenti with Prema’s Reza Seewooruthun delivered his strongest showing of the campaign so far by taking third place.

In addition, Deagen Fairclough ensured that Hitech TGR also featured prominently near the front. Consequently, four different teams filled the top four positions, underlining the competitive depth of the 22-strong grid.

Further back, Slater’s teammate Kanato Le strengthened Hillspeed’s overall showing by securing fifth. Directly behind him, Will Macintyre carried the flag for Elite Motorsport in sixth. Notably, Zandvoort winner Hugo Schwarze finished only 0.018s behind Macintyre, which kept VRD Racing in the leading mix.

Cui leads the midfield

Beyond the top seven, Mercedes junior Yuanpu Cui ensured Argenti with Prema remained visible inside the top ten by placing eighth. In contrast, Hillspeed’s Hiyu Yamakoshi followed closely in ninth, while Rodin’s Alex Ninovic completed the top ten.

Importantly, the margins between the frontrunners stayed remarkably tight. In fact, just over one second covered the leading 13 drivers at the end of the day. Therefore, as the weekend progresses, the fight for pole position promises to be particularly close.