Maxim Rehm secured another important 2026 GB3 Championship podium at Spa-Francorchamps, finishing third on the road after a hard-fought opening race of the weekend.
The Rodin Motorsport driver started second alongside teammate Abbi Pulling, who converted pole position into a historic victory. Rehm initially held a podium position and spent much of the race in contention near the front, but Nikita Bedrin eventually found a way past in the closing stages.
Although Rehm could not match Pulling’s race-winning pace or keep Bedrin behind until the flag, he still added another strong result to his full-season GB3 campaign. Moreover, the result kept him firmly in the championship fight after a consistent start to the season.
Rehm values important 2026 GB3 Race 1 points at Spa
After the race, Rehm focused on the points gained rather than the position lost to Bedrin. The German driver admitted that Rodin lacked some race pace, especially once he entered dirty air behind other cars.
“Yeah, I think another podium, another important points. Important points here in the first race. I think we’ve just been lacking pace for the race, sort of. I tried to go for Abbi, but in the midfield, we just lost so much time. I had a lot of aerowash as soon as I got behind someone. So, I was struggling a lot.”
Rehm’s comments reflected the challenge of racing in traffic at Spa. While the circuit offers long straights and slipstream opportunities, the middle sector can punish drivers who sit too close behind another car.
As a result, Rehm struggled to maintain pressure on Pulling while also defending from Bedrin. That balance became harder after the Safety Car restart, when the field bunched up and the lead battle intensified.
Long-term championship view remains positive
Despite losing second place on track, Rehm looked at the result in the wider context of the championship. With another podium finish, he continued to build consistency across the early part of the season.
“But, yeah, I think if you look in the long term, just P3 is not bad. We have important points and I think we’re still second in the championship. So, we can fight from there, yeah.”
That long-term approach could prove important. Rehm has not yet taken a victory this season, but he has repeatedly placed himself near the front and continued to collect strong points.
Furthermore, Rodin Motorsport showed impressive strength at Spa. Pulling led from pole and controlled the race, while Rehm kept himself in the podium fight throughout. Therefore, the team left Race 1 with plenty of evidence that it could challenge VRD Racing across the weekend.
Bedrin battle shapes closing stages
Rehm’s fight with Bedrin became one of the key storylines of the race. The VRD Racing driver spent several laps applying pressure before finally moving ahead at Les Combes in the closing stages.
Once Bedrin cleared Rehm, he quickly reduced Pulling’s advantage. However, the move came too late for him to challenge properly for victory, leaving Rehm to bring the car home in third.
For Rehm, the battle showed both the strength and the limitations of his race. He defended well for much of the contest, but the aerowash and lack of pace in certain phases eventually made the position difficult to hold.
Rehm addresses Fairclough contact
Rehm also faced questions after the race about contact with Deagen Fairclough. The incident drew attention after the race, although Rehm said he needed to review it properly before making a full judgment.
“Yeah, there was a little contact between me and Deagan. We have to look into it and then we’ll see after the race.”
His response reflected the uncertainty immediately after the chequered flag. While the podium result gave him valuable points on the road, any post-race review had the potential to affect the final classification.
Nevertheless, Rehm kept his focus on the bigger picture. He had completed another race at the front, added to Rodin’s strong showing, and remained in position to continue his championship push.
Rehm targets more consistency at Spa as 2026 GB3 Race 2 looms
Rehm’s Race 1 at Spa combined frustration with value. He could not quite match Pulling or keep Bedrin behind, but he still secured a strong result during a weather-disrupted day.
The German driver has built his early GB3 campaign on consistency, and Race 1 continued that trend. As the weekend moves forward, Rehm will look to turn that consistency into an even stronger result while keeping pressure on the championship leader.
