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Nikita Bedrin will make a surprise move to GB3 next year, joining Velocity Racing Development’s line-up.
The 19-year-old Russian raced in the FIA Formula 3 and Formula Regional European championships from 2023 to 2025, taking a win and two other podiums in the former and two podiums in the latter.
He also has experience in FRegional Middle East, where he was a race-winner in 2023 and ’25, and has cameoed in Eurocup-3 so will be well prepared for the upgraded version of Tatuus MSV GB3-025 car that GB3 will use next year.
“I’m really excited to be joining VRD for the 2026 GB3 championship. After some very positive testing where we showed strong pace in both wet and dry conditions, it’s clear that we have a strong foundation to build on heading into the season, and I feel confident in our potential together,” said Bedrin, who is a junior driver of Formula E team DS Penske.
“VRD has a great environment and a very motivated group of people, and I’m really looking forward to working closely with the team. We’re all fully focused on working hard and pushing for the best possible results throughout the championship.”
Dan Mitchell, VRD’s team principal, said “signing Nikita is a landmark moment” for the American team’s time in GB3.
Rodrigo and Patricio Gonzalez have also been announced as being part of VRD’s 2026 GB3 line-up.
They both did a half-season in GB3 this year. Rodrigo did one round with Chris Dittmann Racing before joining VRD, while Patricio did all of his races with the team. A sixth place was Patricio’s best result en route to 21st in the standings, and Rodrigo came 23rd with a single top-10 finish.
The pair have also been team-mates at DEForce Racing the last two years in USF Juniors. Patricio was 15th and Rodrigo was 20th in the 2024 points table, then Rodrigo came sixth this year while Patricio was eighth. Both claimed three podiums.
They also stepped up to USF2000 for a part-time campaign where Rodrigo beat his brother to 19th in the standings.