Kanato Le will return to the GB3 Championship with Hitech for this weekend’s Brands Hatch round, adding another appearance in the series following his 2026 rookie FIA Formula 3 campaign.
The Japanese driver will join Deagen Fairclough and Yuhao “Felix” Fu in Hitech’s three-car line-up for the September 25-27 event. Le takes the place previously occupied by Jacob Micallef, who has completed his planned programme with the team and will now focus on commitments that clash with the final two GB3 events of the season. Hitech confirmed that Felix Fu will remain in its line-up alongside Fairclough and Le.
Le already brings considerable GB3 experience despite never contesting a full season in the championship. He first appeared in the category during 2024 before making selected starts with Hillspeed in 2025, when he claimed a pole position, victory and two additional podium finishes across his appearances.
Le returns to familiar GB3 machinery
Le enjoyed his strongest previous GB3 weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in 2025. He secured his first championship pole with a qualifying lap record of 2m13.740s before converting that starting position into his maiden GB3 victory in Race 2.
His weekend had already begun strongly with third place in Race 1, while he added another podium by finishing second to Freddie Slater in the mixed-condition finale. Those results gave Le three podium finishes from the Spa meeting and underlined his competitiveness despite running only a partial GB3 programme.
Le now returns to the championship with substantially more experience after completing his first FIA F3 season with ART Grand Prix. He scored several points finishes during the year and secured his maiden F3 podium at the Hungaroring, where he finished second to Théophile Naël in the Sprint Race.
The Japanese driver also started on the front row at Monza after qualifying second and produced further points-scoring performances during the campaign, adding another season of experience at a higher level before his latest GB3 outing.
Le reunites with Hitech
Although Le raced for Hillspeed during his previous GB3 appearances, he already knows Hitech well. He first represented the team during the 2023 British F4 Championship before rejoining the squad for the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Trophy.
That winter campaign produced one victory and six podium finishes as Le finished sixth in the championship. His victory at Highlands Motorsport Park also delivered Hitech its first win in New Zealand’s premier single-seater series.
The existing relationship gives Le familiarity with Hitech’s engineering structure before he steps into the current-generation Tatuus MSV GB3-025 at Brands Hatch. The 2026 version uses a revised 2.4-litre Mountune engine package alongside aerodynamic and chassis updates introduced before this season.
Le said the opportunity to experience that updated package added to his anticipation ahead of the weekend.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back in the GB3 car and experiencing the new engine package. It’s also great to be back working with Hitech, I’ve really enjoyed working with the team in the past and I’m excited to get going and hopefully have a strong weekend together.”
Hitech carries strong momentum into Brands Hatch
Le joins Hitech during one of the team’s strongest periods of the 2026 campaign. Fairclough won twice at Donington Park during the previous round and has now taken four victories from the last five races, giving the team considerable momentum before Brands Hatch.
Hitech also enters the weekend with useful recent experience at the circuit after taking part in the official Brands Hatch test on September 10. Fairclough finished sixth overall during the test and ended the day only 0.345s away from the fastest time, highlighting the close margins expected around the 3.916-kilometre Grand Prix circuit.
Team Principal Phil Blow expects that competitiveness to continue during the race weekend and highlighted both Fairclough’s recent form and the advantage of returning to Brands Hatch shortly after testing there.
“Donington was another fantastic weekend for the team and Deagen delivered two outstanding victories.
“Brands Hatch is another important weekend for us and we know from the recent test that the field is very closely matched there. We’ll be looking to use what we learned in testing and continue fighting at the front.
“It’s also great to have Kanato back with us, while Felix has continued to make progress throughout the season. We’ll be looking to give all three drivers the best possible package and finish the weekend strongly.”
Micallef completes planned Hitech stint
Le’s arrival follows the completion of Micallef’s planned spell with Hitech. The Maltese driver joined the team during the season and made his GB3 debut at the Hungaroring before continuing through subsequent rounds.
His prior commitments clash with the final two GB3 events, leaving Hitech to restructure its line-up for Brands Hatch and the remainder of the year. Le will therefore join Fairclough and Fu as the team continues its push through the closing stages of the championship.
Fu remains in his first full GB3 season after stepping up from Formula 4. The Chinese driver has continued building experience throughout the campaign and finished inside the top 10 in Race 2 at Donington.
Brands Hatch offers Le another GB3 opportunity
Le’s return gives him another opportunity to race in GB3 machinery after completing his FIA F3 campaign, while Hitech gains a driver who already knows both the championship and the team.
Brands Hatch will host the penultimate event of the 2026 GB3 season from September 25-27 before the championship concludes at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in November.
For Le, the weekend combines several familiar elements. He returns to a championship in which he has already won, rejoins a team with which he has achieved success in two previous categories and brings the additional experience gained during his rookie FIA F3 season.
Hitech, meanwhile, enters Brands Hatch aiming to extend the momentum generated by Fairclough’s Donington double. With Le joining Fairclough and Fu, the team will field a three-car line-up as it targets another front-running weekend.
