GB3 season preview: Can favourite Fairclough be stopped?

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A radical new car and and a tweak to the weekend format are among the changes as the 2025 GB3 season gets underway this weekend at Silverstone

Behind the wheel, Deagen Fairclough will be gunning for his second single-seater crown in as many years after storming to the British Formula 4 title in record-breaking fashion last season. But he is unlikely to have things all his own way on stepping up to GB3. Several other highly rated rookies will be also looking to make their mark, including fellow British rising star Freddie Slater, who is only contesting a partial campaign but is expected to be among the leading contenders for race victories at round one.

Will GB3 grow further with its bold new challenger?

Following three successful years with the previous car, GB3 is raising the bar for 2025 with the introduction of the Tatuus MSV GB3-025. It hopes that the Italian manufacturer’s most advanced car to date will provide faster and better racing than ever before, thanks to its Formula 1-inspired underbody aerodynamics producing 35% more downforce and an adjustable Drag Reduction System (DRS) rear-wing to aid overtaking.

With an extra 30bhp from its Mountune engine and fitted with two-inch wider Pirelli tyres, the car has been around a second quicker than its predecessor in testing at various British circuits.

While grid numbers grew into the low 20s with the outgoing car, GB3 is hoping the new model will further widen its appeal in the gap that exists on the single-leader ladder between F4 and Formula 3, especially when faced with competition at that level from the likes of Formula Regional and Eurocup-3. FRegional’s European championship in particular has regularly attracted fields of more than 30 cars.

A record-equalling 25 drivers are on GB3’s entry list for this weekend [see full list at the bottom of this preview], a figure boosted by multiple last-minute additions.

It is early days with the new machine. As Slater confirmed during the Donington media days last month, with most drivers having only completed a handful of test days, there is “a lot of room for improvement on this car” compared to the FRegional machine which has multiple years of development behind it.

Several teams have experienced teething troubles in testing, having only collected their new GB3 cars in February, and the playing field appears to more open than previous years as everyone tries to unlock performance.

With the new car showing itself to be far better in high-speed corners, there is already a consensus amongst some in the paddock that it could handle a big increase in horsepower, should the series decide to make it even faster in future seasons.

As with most single-seater series, it is notoriously hard to overtake in GB3 on most circuits, and more downforce this year will only add to that challenge. To help create more passing opportunities and to equip drivers with experience for stepping further up the ladder, the series has introduced DRS for the first time, similar to that used in the higher categories.

Most drivers gave the device a thumbs up in testing. For Silverstone, the series has confirmed two DRS zones—on the Hangar Straight and Wellington Straight—with detection points at Maggotts and Village respectively. Drivers must be within one second of the car ahead to activate it. In qualifying, they will have free use of it in the DRS zones.

What else has changed for 2025?

The season will again feature a total of 24 races spread across eight rounds. In a further bid to attract potential F1 stars of the future, Oulton Park has dropped from the schedule in favour of Monza, which joins the calendar for the first time as the season finale in October.

Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Hungaroring all retain their spots, meaning half of GB3’s round will take place outside of the United Kingdom. With a second Silverstone round also on the schedule again, six of the eight weekends will take place on current F1 circuits. Late-season visits to Brands Hatch and Donington Park are the only exceptions – a move widely welcomed by teams and drivers alike.

“It’s testing, hopefully, for the future,” says Fairclough on the expanded international calendar. “It’s everyone’s goal to make it to F1, it’s been my goal since I was five years old, so to get the privilege of driving these tracks so early on in my career will really help in the future.”

The weekend format has been amended as well. Each round will still feature three races, but the way the grids are set for races one and two has changed.

A 30-minute qualifying session will again take place, but it will now be split into two 15-minute segments. The fastest times set in the first half will determine the grid order for race one, while the best times from the second part will set the race two grid. Previously, race two’s grid was based on drivers’ second-best laps from qualifying.

Additionally, the length of races one and two has been extended, with all three contests now 25 minutes in duration. The grid for the final race of the weekend will again be a reverse of the fastest 12 drivers from qualifying.

Two new teams have joined the grid for 2025, with Xcel Motorsport and Argenti Motorsport both expanding from F4. Intriguingly, Argenti is entering GB3 in partnership with single-seater powerhouse Prema, which will provide engineering support.

Who are the drivers to watch this season?

Fairclough will be many people’s title favourite having remained with Hitech GP, one GB3’s strongest two teams over the past few seasons, for his step up the ladder.  Last year, he was in a class of his own in British F4, taking an unprecedented 14 wins from 30 starts, and he is aiming to dominate again in GB3.

The 18-year-old’s reputation was further enhanced by being named the winner of the prestigious Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award winner earlier this year, having beat off competition from reigning GB3 champion Louis Sharp, recent Formula 2 race-winner Arvid Lindblad and Slater in the final-four shootout. As well as taking home a £200,000 cheque, Fairclough will also get to test an Aston Martin F1 car at Silverstone later this year as part of his prize.

“We’ve come off such a strong season of British F4, and now we’ve had the boost in confidence from winning the Autosport shootout,” says Fairclough. “I had a lot of belief in myself for that award, but there were some great drivers in the shootout and it was really competitive. It was a really difficult, pressurised two-day event but it was a privilege to even be in the shootout. To know that I’ve won and I’ve got a Formula 1 test coming up soon is incredible.”

While Fairclough’s GB3 chances have arguably been boosted by the new car, which has negated the advantage to some extent that second-year drivers ordinarily might enjoy, it does also bring an extra challenge as teams up and down the pitlane try to get to grips with it.

“It’s really hard to tell because it’s a new car,” adds Fairclough. “Who knows, a team might have got it right before everyone else going to Silverstone, some might be on the backfoot, you never know. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and if something suits us best then that’s what we’ll be using going to Silverstone. We’ve already done that track for two days and we ended up quite strong there, so we just want to develop and build on that.”

Several of Fairclough’s F4 rivals will be joining him on the grid in GB3, including his closest 2024 challenger Alex Ninovic. While he was a distant runner-up to Fairclough in British F4, Ninovic was still best of the rest by some margin in his first season of racing in the UK, scoring five wins and finishing 86 points clear of the driver in third.

The Australian is continuing with GB3’s most successful team, Rodin Motorsport, for the step up in category. He feels better prepared to give Fairclough a much closer challenge this time around, and there has been little to separate the pair throughout pre-season testing.

“Coming away from [last] season with that many wins, and really strong performances, definitely gives me confidence going into this year, knowing that I’ve done all these tracks in the UK and also learned how to drive in the cold conditions and all the other tricky bits that come with it,” he explains.

“The team has made a good start with the setup of the car and we’ve found what works. Over the last couple of months we’ve been chipping away at it. I’ve been getting used to the faster car, obviously it’s not F4 anymore, so it’s a lot different.  This year we should be able to give a lot more of a fight compared to last year, which is really positive.”

Reza Seewooruthun, who finished third in British F4 as a rookie with two wins last year, is also moving up to GB3 with Argenti alongside fellow F4 graduates Yuanpu Cui and Lucas Fluxa, while Jack Sherwood steps up with Xcel after coming fifth in British F4 with multiple podium finishes.

Also remaining with Rodin for her GB3 debut is Abbi Pulling, who is one of the most high-profile drivers on this year’s grid having raced on the F1 support bill in the all-female series F1 Academy in 2024. Needing to win the crown to keep her career momentum going, Pulling did so emphatically by taking nine wins and finishing on the podium in every race.

She also raced alongside Ninovic in British F4, taking a maiden win in the Brands Hatch reversed-grid race and came seventh in the standings despite missing the two rounds that clashed with F1 Academy.

“I’ve been in F4 for a while and a few years longer than I thought , so it’s really nice to make that jump up after winning F1 Academy and getting that prize,” she relates. “If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be here.”

Having struggled to raise a budget to go racing for most of her career, Pulling is a facing a different kind of pressure this year, with her GB3 season – including testing – being co-funded by F1 Academy and Pirelli as her prize for becoming champion. She has also ended her three-year spell in Alpine’s F1 Academy.

“I put a lot of last year’s success down to mindset,” she continues. “I’m going to try and go into this year with a similar mindset, though more open-minded in the sense that there’s less pressure – I absolutely had to win last year. It wasn’t just in F1 Academy I had some good races, in British F4 I did as well, so it’s a shame that I couldn’t do the whole season [in that].

“This year I don’t have any real big financial pressures which I hope helps me get the most out of the car and myself. I’m so privileged to be in this position, so it’s keeping that performance going and showing why I deserve to be here.”

Pulling has experienced mixed fortunes in pre-season testing while learning the new car, showing pace at Snetterton and Silverstone but struggling at Donington. Up against several drivers who finished ahead of her in British F4 last year, she is aiming to finish in the top six in the standings this season.

“Snetterton went quite well, in the top six and every now and then, which is where I want to be. At Donington we struggled a bit more with certain things, there were some teething issues to say the least, but that’s what you get with any new car. We’ve been chipping away as a team and finding a bit of performance every time we turn a wheel on the track, and just looking forward to progressing and hopefully having a good first few races.”

Rodin’s three-car line-up is completed by a second Australian, Gianmarco Pradel, who took a race win in Italian F4 last season. He has quickly adapted to the GB3 car, topping the second Silverstone test day last month.

The driver who has displayed the strongest pre-season form, however, is Slater. Driving for Hillspeed, the 16-year-old has topped a day each at four different circuits.  He is one of several drivers dovetailing a full FREC assault with a part-time GB3 campaign, which includes the first two rounds at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps as well as the sixth round at Brands Hatch.

Despite being one of the youngest drivers on the grid, Slater already has one of the biggest reputations. He won two titles in F4 UAE and Italian F4 in his first full single-seater season in 2024, dominating the latter, and he ran Fairclough close during the two-day shootout for the Silverstone Autosport BRDC award. He recently stepped up to FIA Formula 3 in Bahrain and scored a podium on debut.

He made his GB3 debut last year with a cameo at the Donington Park round with Rodin, and the opportunity to help develop the new car with a different team has tempted him back for more.

“It’s a good experience to be developing a new car with a team like Hillspeed,” he reveals. “It’s a good challenge for me to develop myself more as a driver, to be able to develop a car as well. That’s the reason why we are doing it and also some experience on track as well – the more track time the better.

“Win as many races as possible, that’s the goal, and it should be good fun. It’s been a solid start in testing, though you don’t really know what’s going on, what people are running, what they’re testing, so the first round will tell.”

Pre-season testing ‘supertimes’ [in relation to daily test pace]

*Taken as percentage of fastest laptime on each day, averaged over the seven days of testing

Hillspeed has completed its line-up on the eve of round one with Japanese duo Hiyu Yamakoshi and Kanato Le who, like Slater, will both contest the three non-clashing GB3 rounds alongside full FREC programmes.

Yamakoshi is a fascinating addition, having been a front-running rival to Slater in both Italian F4 and Euro-4 last year, but faces a steeper learning curve than the Briton, having only first tested a GB3 car last week.

Le scored two wins in British F4 in 2023, shone during his GB3 cameo at Spa-Francorchamps last year and took a victory in FRegional Middle East at the beginning of 2025, but also has limited experience of the new GB3 car ahead of this weekend.

Dion Gowda (Xcel) and Rashid Al Dhaheri (Chris Dittmann Racing) are also competing in GB3 part-time alongside FREC. Both were podium-finishers Italian F4 last year. Mercedes-backed Dhaheri is one of four F1 juniors making their GB3 debuts this weekend.

Fellow Mercedes protege Cui and recently-confirmed Alpine junior Keanu Al Azhari will contest the full GB3 season, and Red Bull youngster Enzo Tarnvanichkul is last-minute addition to the grid with Velocity Racing Development.

Al Azhari, who was runner-up in Spanish F4 last year, has joined Hitech and is the best-equipped of the quartet to shine. He has completed a full pre-season test programme and has the benefit of two strong team-mates to compare data with.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for any junior driver,” says Al Azhari on joining Alpine. “It’s a big step in my career and I’m really grateful that they’ve given me the opportunity. They are already giving me a lot of support, I’ve been working with them for the last few weeks, and I’m ready to show them what I’ve got.”

JHR Developments has run title-contending drivers for the past two seasons, and this year is pinning its hopes on GB3 debutants Kai Daryanani and Noah Lisle, who both began their pre-season testing programmes later than others on the grid. Experienced GB3 racer James Hedley has also tested for the team in recent weeks, but has so far not confirmed his 2025 racing plans.

Multiple title-winning single-seater outfit Fortec Motorsports is running two cars: one for sportscar racing convert Stefan Bonstandjev, who made his single-seater debut in GB4 earlier this month, and one for British F4 graduate Mika Abrahams. James Higgins, who was fourth in British F4 year, took part several pre-season tests but has not committed to racing in GB3 so far.

A number of sophomore drivers will be aiming to challenge this year’s rookie contingent. The highest-placed returnee is Will Macintyre, who finished fifth in the standings with Hitech GP last season. He led the standings at one point after making a strong start with three wins across the first three rounds, but he couldn’t maintain that form beyond that.

Macintyre is hoping that a switch to Elite Motorsport, with whom he previously raced with in Ginetta Junior and GB4, will help him become a more consistent front-runner this time around. Joining him at Elite are fellow GB3 returnee Flynn Jackes and F1 Academy race-winner Bianca Bustamante.

“We’ll definitely be there, challenging for wins,” Macintyre predicts. “Last year, I stepped in at round one and got a race win. We’ve just got to keep the form going from round four onwards [this time].”

Hugo Schwarze, who came ninth with Elite last season, is only confirmed for the first round with VRD though is hoping to find more budget to continue beyond that. VRD has predominantly run American drivers in GB3 for the past two years, but recent developments in the US have hampered that plan for 2025.

One of VRD’s proteges, Nikita Johnson, has left its stable for Hitech this season. The American had to wait until turning 16 before making his GB3 debut at the third round last season, and he went on to win twice and finish 11th in the championship. He is racing on both sides of the Atlantic again this year, having stepped up from his 2024 title-contending USF Pro 2000 season to a part-time Indy Nxt campaign.

Patrick Heuzenroeder has also changed teams after coming 12th in GB3 with JHR last year. The Australian has joined Xcel, and will again be mentored by former F1 and sportscar ace David Brabham. He is another who has topped the times during testing and that has left him feeling confident heading into the season.

The top five drivers in this year’s standings will receive FIA super licence points, with 10 awarded to the champion. All of the previous six champions made the next step to FIA F3, and three of those have also raced in F2, so the future is likely to be bright for the driver who comes out on top this year.

GB3 entry list – Silverstone

**Part-time campaign only