Deagen Fairclough, Leon Wilson and Martin Molnar reflected on three positive but contrasting outcomes after completing the podium in the second 2026 GB3 race at Donington Park.
Fairclough converted pole into his second victory of the weekend and fifth win of the season, extending an impressive run that has transformed the second half of his campaign. Wilson took advantage of a strong start and Nikita Bedrin’s opening-lap retirement to claim a career-best second, while Molnar completed the podium after spending much of the race applying pressure to the Arden Motorsport driver.
For Fairclough, the victory provided another indication of Hitech’s recent progress after a more inconsistent opening part of the year. Wilson celebrated his strongest GB3 result, while Molnar remained encouraged by another podium despite continuing his pursuit of a maiden victory. The three drivers discussed their races and looked ahead to the reverse-grid finale.
Fairclough enjoys calmer 2026 GB3 Donington Race 2
Fairclough faced sustained pressure from Bedrin throughout Race 1, eventually winning by only 0.317s after repeatedly defending against the championship leader. Race 2 unfolded very differently once Bedrin crashed at the Fogarty Esses late on the opening lap, allowing Fairclough to control proceedings without facing the same level of direct pressure.
Although two Safety Car periods repeatedly erased his advantage, Fairclough handled both restarts and eventually pulled 2.120s clear of Wilson. He described the race as noticeably calmer than Saturday’s contest while acknowledging that he had expected another fight with Bedrin.
“I mean, yeah, it’s perfect. A lot more chill, that race, compared to yesterday. A bit unfortunate for Nikita. I was looking forward to a battle again.
“But yeah, no, I’m super pleased, and this second half has been really strong so far, and the team have been working so hard, and the cars felt awesome. I’ve said it yesterday, and it’s just been really good so far, and looking forward to the reverse grid later.”
The victory completed Fairclough’s second double-win weekend of the season and continued his strong run after the summer break. More importantly, the Donington performance followed a weekend in which Hitech had already demonstrated considerable pace before the racing began.
Fairclough focuses on maximising strong Hitech package
Fairclough’s recent success contrasts sharply with the more difficult races that interrupted the first half of his campaign. While his outright pace frequently placed him among the frontrunners, retirements prevented him from turning every competitive weekend into a substantial championship haul.
Rather than dwelling on those missed opportunities, Fairclough placed greater emphasis on extracting the maximum result whenever Hitech gives him a car capable of fighting at the front. His two Donington victories demonstrated that approach, as he converted different race situations into the same outcome.
“Yeah, I mean, when we’ve had a car that’s working for us, we’ve been up there. So that’s the main thing, really. Yeah, we’ve had the DNFs and stuff, but it’s out of our hands, and it’s one of them things.
“We keep our head up, and we keep pushing on, and we try to get the strongest result out of it at the end of the year.”
Fairclough therefore approached the final race with momentum rather than frustration over earlier setbacks. After Hitech had swept the previous Silverstone weekend, he also hoped one of his teammates could take advantage of the reverse grid and continue the team’s winning sequence.
Fairclough hopes Hitech can continue winning run
The reverse-grid Race 3 placed Fairclough much further back than the first two contests, limiting his own chances of completing a clean sweep. However, the format potentially created an opportunity for another Hitech driver to take over at the front.
Fairclough specifically looked towards Jacob Micallef as he considered whether Hitech could replicate its success from Silverstone and leave another weekend with victories across all three races.
“I don’t know where my teammates are starting, so hopefully up the front, and hopefully Jacob can do it again.”
Fairclough ultimately started 12th and charged to fifth in Race 3, while Rowan Campbell-Pilling took victory. Nevertheless, his two wins had already established him as the standout performer across Donington’s conventional-grid contests.
Wilson celebrates career-best GB3 result
Wilson produced one of the strongest starts in Race 2, moving past Molnar from fourth and immediately placing himself behind Bedrin. When the championship leader crashed later on the opening lap, the Arden Motorsport driver inherited second and suddenly found himself with an opportunity to secure his best result in GB3.
He remained composed through both Safety Car restarts and resisted Molnar throughout the closing stages. Although the circumstances ahead helped move him into second, Wilson believed his own pace and opening-lap progress had already put him in a strong position.
“Yeah, no, it was a really good race. We just kept our head, went forward, and that’s the main thing.”
Wilson had a close view of Bedrin’s accident but could offer little explanation for what caused the championship leader to lose control. However, he believed his pace on the first lap could have created a passing opportunity even without the retirement.
“I’m not entirely sure. We saw on the broadcast. We just saw him in the wall. He had a big moment by himself and went off in front of me.
“Luckily, that was giving us the position, but shame for him. We probably could have made a move into the Melbourne anyway. He was quite slow on the first lap, so we had a good start as well to get past Martin and then just hum it around the outside.”
Bedrin’s retirement removed one obstacle, but Wilson still needed to keep Molnar behind for almost the entire race. That challenge became more difficult each time the Safety Car compressed the field and removed any advantage he had created.
Wilson holds off Molnar through repeated restarts
Wilson had qualified ninth in the first session on Saturday but improved significantly in the second classification, with the timing of Red Flags also helping him secure fourth for Race 2. Once the race began, his launch immediately allowed him to capitalise on that stronger grid position.
Molnar remained within striking distance after losing third at the start, but Wilson understood that Donington’s dirty air made following difficult. He therefore concentrated on creating enough space through the corners to prevent the Rodin driver from getting close enough to attack.
“Yeah, Martin’s very quick, especially after we qualified ninth yesterday. So fourth today, the red flags helped as well. But no, we had the pace to be there all along, but we knew it’s so hard to follow around here. As long as we get away from him, we’re OK.”
Second place confirmed Wilson’s strongest GB3 finish, but he did not intend to adopt a defensive mindset for the final race. Instead, he wanted to continue making forward progress regardless of his starting position.
“Just go forward again, really. As long as we can go forward, that’s the main thing.”
His Race 2 performance gave Arden Motorsport a significant result while also demonstrating that Wilson could convert an improved Qualifying position into a podium when the opportunity emerged.
Molnar continues search for maiden GB3 win
Molnar approached Race 2 with an opportunity to make a significant championship gain after starting third and seeing Bedrin retire. However, a difficult launch allowed Wilson to pass him immediately, leaving the Rodin Motorsport driver chasing second for the remainder of the contest.
Despite remaining close, Molnar could not create a clear overtaking opportunity. Wilson defended effectively, while Donington’s characteristics made following another car closely particularly difficult, forcing Molnar to settle for another podium rather than the victory he continues to pursue.
“Yeah, still didn’t get the race win, but yeah, hopefully at one point in the season we’ll get there. Yeah, it was a decent race. Didn’t have the best of starts again.
“Different issue compared to yesterday. But yeah, after that we had a decent race. I was trying to put him under pressure, but yeah, he was doing a really good job.
“So didn’t really have the chance to overtake. Yeah, looking forward to Race 3.”
Although Bedrin’s retirement helped Molnar reduce his championship deficit, the Rodin driver would have preferred the opportunity to battle directly with his rivals on track. He therefore turned his attention towards Race 3 and another chance to compete against the leading championship protagonists.
“Yeah, definitely. Hopefully in race three we’ll have a better battle with them.”
Race 2 consequently delivered valuable outcomes for all three podium finishers. Fairclough completed another double victory and strengthened his exceptional second-half form, Wilson converted a strong start into a career-best result, while Molnar continued adding significant points as his search for a first GB3 win continued.
