‍British F3/GB3 Championship – Spa Francorchamps and Snetterton
Christian Mansell, Sebastian Alvarez, Hunter Yeany

It was a thrilling double header for the newly-renamed GB3 Championship, as the paddock took a trip to Spa-Francorchamps before Snetterton’s 70th Anniversary weekend. Joining Christian Mansell and Sebastian Alvarez, Hunter Yeany made his European racing debut during a one-off outing at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Spa

Posting the fastest time in practice when action got underway at Spa, Christian maintained his speed by earning two second row starting positions in qualifying. With his eyes on the prize he certainly wasted no time in capitalising on his pace and talent by scoring the victory in the opening race of the weekend, with fastest lap to boot. Taking his second victory of the season in spectacular style, almost 4.5 seconds ahead of his rivals. With his business not finished with the Belgian circuit, he continued to earn another podium finish in Race 2 and 5th in the final race.

Taking to the track for his first race weekend in Europe, Hunter Yeany was eager to prove himself on one of the most iconic race tracks in the world. Building great results in his native country, racing in the Formula Regional Americas Championship following a dominant campaign to take the US Formula 4 title last year, Hunter was right up to speed in no time at all. Learning at a rapid pace with no prior experience at the tricky undulating circuit, he fired his way from 12th to 8th in the opening race. This pace only grew when in Race 3 he earned a podium in only his 3rd day on track, crossing the line to take 3rd place honours and a trophy as a souvenir for his trip.

“Hunter really dropped in and was rapidly up to speed, it was incredible to see his progress over the weekend, racing at Spa is always special and to take a podium at your first time is even better! We’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him” – Gary Catt, Director of Infinity Sports Management

It was a strong showing from Seb as the Mexican racer scored top 10 finishes, building confidence in his pace and ability as the championship headed to Snetterton just a few days later.

Snetterton

With the BRDC British F3 officially renamed as GB3 Championship earlier in the week, Seb and Christian were eager to get out on track to kick the new era off in style.

Punching in a strong opening lap in qualifying, Seb was immediately showing himself as the one to watch at Snetterton, his consistent pace earned him pole position for Race 2. Firing from 7th in Race 1, Seb fought back from his five place grid penalty (from a previous round) to claim 4th place. This strong pace gave him confidence going into Sunday’s race where he was in prime position for the win. Despite his rival getting a better start and taking the lead into the opening lap, Seb soon was promoted back into the lead when the leader suffered a mechanical failure. From there he showcased his supreme speed and managed the race from the front, holding off pressure from the championship leader. Crossing the line ahead of the pack, Seb clinched an emphatic maiden win in the GB3 Championship. Following such great progress throughout the season so far, the achievement was well deserved and earned a beaming smile from the Mexican.

“What a weekend for Seb, he’s put the work in and it’s definitely paying off! It was a strong weekend all round, especially in tricky conditions and I’m sure he’ll continue to fight for wins and podiums for the rest of the season”

Fighting back from a difficult qualifying, Christian claimed two top 10 finishes and plenty more points to his tally. With forward momentum despite a tricky weekend, the Australian driver boosted himself to 2nd in the championship standings.

“Taking the win at Spa was a dominant effort from Christian and one that I’m sure we’ll see again. He’s growing in pace and confidence every weekend and even when things don’t quite work out, he’s still fighting his way through the pack with ease. Second in the standings at this point in the season is a good place to be, we’ll see what he can achieve over the remaining races”

FIA Formula 3 – Hungaroring
Olli Caldwell, Matteo Nannini & Logan Sargeant

Racing at Hungaroring proved to be an exciting ride for our FIA Formula 3 squad. From tricky conditions and pole positions, to points, podiums and even a maiden win!

With overtaking notoriously difficult at the Hungarian track, the F3 grid certainly had their work cut out for them in qualifying, especially as the weather had dramatically changed rendering the practice session times irrelevant.

But that didn’t stop Logan putting in a stellar run to qualify 8th. Whilst Olli and Matteo felt disappointed with their positions in 9th and 13th respectively. But with 3 races to run, there were still plenty of opportunities available, which they definitely made the most of.

Starting on the front row for the reverse grid race, Olli was well within the fight and managed to seal himself second place finish. Fighting a resilient weekend where despite being disappointed with his qualifying performance, he bounced back to claim another podium finish and plenty of points to his championship title campaign. Proving that consistency is key he sits third in the championship standings, with eyes firmly set on success when racing resumes after the Summer break.

“It was a strong weekend for Olli, he puts his head down and works hard to make the results happen. He’s still in the championship fight and that is no easy feat. His pace and racecraft have built over the races so far and I’m sure another win will come soon"

Firing off the second row in the opening race, Logan made the most of his opportunities with strong race pace but was unable to find a way through, however his efforts were rewarded when a post race penalty promoted him to a well-earned podium position. Further collecting further points in Race 2 and the rain-soaked battle in Race 3, he scored a mega result for the team in one of their best weekends so far this season.

“Logan has worked well with the team throughout the season so far and it’s great to see the results coming for him and the team, to get a podium too he should be really proud of that. Spa has plenty of overtaking opportunities and that’s where I’m sure he’ll shine.”

Budapest proved to be a weekend of trouble and triumph for Matteo, collecting points in the opening race and unfortunately getting caught up in tangles in the final race – Race 2 was a sensational showing for the young Italian driver who started from P3 on the grid. Launching at lights out, he immediately piled the pressure on his rivals taking second place on the road from Stanek in the opening lap. All in the mirrors of race-leader Fittipaldi from that point, he stormed his way through to take the lead by Lap 4. From that point on Matteo’s dominance saw him take the flag with a 2.5s clear of the pack, crossing the line to become a Formula 3 race winner - his maiden victory in the highly competitive series.

“What a win for Matteo. He fought hard in those opening laps and it paid off. He’s really been putting in some great performances over the last few rounds, so to see him take his maiden victory is mega.”

Whilst the Formula 1 paddock is taking a short summer break, our single-seater stars in GB3 will still be battling hard this weekend as they take to the track at a firm driver favourite – Silverstone. Whilst the British F4 grid heads to Knockhill where it’s sure to be another thriller.