The GB3 Championship season kicks off at Oulton Park this weekend, with one of the biggest single-class junior formula grids in the UK for several decades.
The minimum 24-car entry features eight returning drivers and 16 contenders that are making full season GB3 debuts this season. The line-up includes two dominant Formula 4 champions, multiple F4 and GB4 race winners and 13 different nationalities.
Here’s your full guide to this year’s runners and riders.
Hitech Pulse-Eight
One of many teams to undergo a rebrand for 2023, reigning champions Hitech Pulse-Eight have an all-new line-up of GB3 rookies this year, each looking to emulate Luke Browning and claim the crown. A formidable line-up includes a rampant F4 title winner and a member of the Red Bull Junior Team.
Alex Dunne (Ireland) – the dominant British F4 champion steps up to GB3, aiming to follow in the footsteps of Browning to become a double British champion. The 17-year-old claimed 11 British F4 wins last year on the way to the title, as well as three victories in Italian F4, taking the runner-up spot there too.
Souta Arao (Japan) – as a member of the prestigious Red Bull and Honda junior programmes, big things will be expected of the 17-year-old Japanese contender as he races in the UK for the first time. Finishing third overall in French F4 last year with three wins, he’s made a good start to GB3 with competitive times in testing.
Michael Shin (South Korea) – the third F4 graduate in Hitech’s line-up, 18-year-old Shin stays in the UK for a second season after a campaign in British F4 last year. Seventh in the 2022 rookie standings, he took an overall victory at Brands Hatch and also competed in the FIA Motorsport Games in November and Formula Regional Middle East earlier this year.
Rodin Carlin
Another team with a new name in 2023, Rodin Carlin just missed out on last year’s Teams’ championship in the final race of the year. Determined to fight back in 2023, they’ve retained one of last year’s stars, welcomed one of 2022’s surprise contenders, and introduced an exciting Australian talent.
Callum Voisin (British/Swiss) – expecting nothing more than a title challenge in 2023, Voisin returns having won three races last year, and been in the mix for many more too. Having topped pre-season test days at Donington Park and Snetterton in varying conditions, there’s already some ominous signs ahead of the season!
John Bennett (British) – having stepped out of the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, Bennett wasted no time in impressing during his maiden campaign of single-seater racing, culminating in a first podium during the final race of the season. Switching to Rodin Carlin, the young Brit, whose father Tony also used to race, is eyeing regular wins this year.
Costa Toparis (Australia) – the young Aussie only turns 16 on the eve of the Oulton Park race weekend, and is making his European race debut this season in GB3. With backing from Rodin, he raced in Australian and UAE F4 last year and has shown promising pace on his step up to GB3.
Elite Motorsport
In just their second season of single-seater racing, Elite Motorsport lived up to their name by finishing third in the championship standings, with Tom Lebbon winning more races than any other driver aside from champion Luke Browning. The team has a new driver line-up for 2023, but has been right at the top of the testing times.
McKenzy Cresswell (British) – returning for a second GB3 season, but switching to Elite, the multiple British F4 race-winner has staked his claims as a title contender with some rapid times in pre-season testing. A second quicker than last year’s pole position time at Silverstone shows he means business in 2023.
Ayato Iwasaki (Japanese) – following a promising debut event at Donington Park last year, which netted a best result of sixth, the 19-year-old remains with Elite for a full campaign this time around. With races in Formula Regional across Asia and the Middle East and a handful of races in Japanese F4, he has decent single-seater experience to build on.
Oliver Stewart (British) – the Scottish contender graduates from the British F4 Championship, having taken a victory at Thruxton and finished 10th overall in the standings. A strong pre-season testing campaign shows he’s adapting well to the step up, and was one of four drivers to lap beneath the outright Oulton Park lap record in testing a few weeks ago.
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec came so close to claiming last year’s Drivers’ title with Joel Granfors, taking the fight right down to the final day of the season. The Northamptonshire squad will likely be in the mix again this season, thanks to an impressive driver line-up that mixes experience and raw potential.
Max Esterson (American) – one of only three drivers on the grid to have won in GB3, Esterson is aiming for a consistent title challenge this year, having proven on multiple occasions last year that he’s capable of running at the front. Consistent wins are the aim for one of the world’s leading iRacing competitors.
Jarrod Waberski (South African) – the young South African was one of the stars of last year’s inaugural GB4 Championship, winning four races including two at the season finale, and challenging for the title despite no pre-season testing. He’s already enjoyed significant GB3 mileage with Fortec, and has the pace to match it too.
Edward Pearson (British) – following a strong debut single-seater campaign last year, in which the 16-year-old took 17 top-10 finishes, Pearson makes the step up to GB3 to continue a rapid ascent through karting, Ginetta Junior and British F4. Regular top-10 appearances in pre-season testing suggests he’ll be competitive this year.
Douglas Motorsport
One of only two teams to win races with all three drivers in 2022, the Corby-based team will hope to do the same this year. An impressive all-new driver line-up includes two very exciting F4 graduates and a Formula Ford contender set for a first taste of slicks and wings.
Tymek Kucharczyk (Poland) – one of the youngest drivers on the grid at 16-years-old, Kucharczyk was an impressive third overall in Spanish F4 last season, with a victory at Jerez and 11 further podiums from the 21 races. Wasting no time getting to grips with GB3 machinery, he’s been right at the sharp end of testing throughout pre-season.
Lucas Staico (Brazil) – entering GB3 as the runner-up in the inaugural Brazilian F4 season last year, Staico is a multiple karting champion in South America and claimed nine podiums in his first single-seater campaign and three wins, with two of those coming at Interlagos. The 17-year-old was just six tenths of a second away from top spot at the Donington media day test.
Shawn Rashid (American) – the Californian may be the oldest driver on the grid at 26, but is among the least experienced after a late start to his motorsport career. His National Formula Ford campaign last year was his first full season of racing, and was a race winner. His GB3 adaptation has included shipping a Tatuus MSV-022 car to the USA for private testing!
Arden VRD
After an initial tie-in with Velocity Racing Development mid-season in 2022, single-seater powerhouse Arden and Dan Mitchell’s VRD have fully combined efforts for 2023, with a strong North American feel to this year’s driver line-up. At time of writing, the team still had a seat to fill, though potential series returnee James Hedley has tested with the squad on numerous occasions and was fastest at Snetterton last week.
Nico Christodoulou (Canadian) – after making his GB3 debut as part of the VRD link at the third round of last season, Christodoulou wasted no time in showing his pace, and was unlucky not to take a podium finish throughout the season. Podiums will be his first target, and pre-season testing suggests he has the pace to do that.
Noah Ping (American) – the 20-year-old has experience with VRD in USA F4 and the YACademy Winter Series. He was fourth in the former with four wins and four other podium finishes. With some decent GB3 seat time already, Ping has shown plenty of potential in pre-season testing.
Chris Dittmann Racing
The Gloucestershire-based squad maintained a four-year winning streak in the UK’s premier single-seater category last year, and will aim to keep that record up in 2023. A mix of experience and promising rookie talent should prove to be a strong combination as the season progresses.
Zak Taylor (British) – the 20-year-old joined the team for the final quarter of the 2022 season, and impressed with three top-10 finishes, and showed a big improvement in pace with his best qualifying results. The F4 race-winner will be aiming for podiums as a starting point, having taken a maiden rostrum at Spa last year.
Arthur Rogeon (French) – the forthcoming GB3 campaign marks Rogeon’s car racing debut, and the 16-year-old from Le Mans has committed to a two-year programme with the team. The FIA Karting World Championship graduate was an impressive sixth at the media day test, only 0.3s from the fastest time.
JHR Developments
Despite contending the majority of the 2022 season with just a single car for the team’s British F4 champion Matthew Rees, it was an impressive first full season in GB3 for JHR Developments, including a first series victory at Brands Hatch. The Derbyshire squad grows to a full three-car entry in 2023.
Matthew Rees (British) – it didn’t take long for the Welshman to get onto the pace in GB3, taking a podium during the first weekend of the season at Oulton Park. A first win followed at Brands Hatch where he was the fastest driver of the event, and pre-season testing has suggested that he’s a firm title contender.
David Morales (American) – a first GB3 campaign netted a podium at Oulton Park, but also showed his steely side after bouncing back from a fearsome crash at Spa-Francorchamps to race again at Silverstone just a week later. He moves to JHR for a second season, and could be a dark horse having set the fourth fastest time at the media day.
Joseph Loake (British) – the 17-year-old from Macclesfield has taken seven victories with the team in British F4 across the past two years, and makes the step up to GB3 having first tested the car over a year ago. A former Fiesta Junior champion too, Loake has won in just about every championship he’s competed in.
Hillspeed
Staples of the British motorsport scene over the past five decades and beyond, the Derbyshire team expands to a two-car line up for 2023, and has been boosted by a link up with the Hitech GP Academy. Two debutant drivers with lots of potential suggest a decent year is in store.
Gerrard Xie (Hong Kong) – one of the most dominant F4 champions around, Xie won 12 of the 14 Chinese F4 races last year as he demolished the field, and followed that up by taking the runner-up spot in the famed Macau GP. The step up to GB3 is a big one, but lapping within 0.65 seconds of the pace at Donington suggests there’s a talented driver here.
Daniel Mavlyutov – born in the USA and brought up in Turkey and the UK, Mavlyutov is one of the least experienced drivers in the field, having only started racing at the end of 2021. However he’s made up for that with a full season in British F4 last year and additional races in Spanish F4 and Formula Regional Middle East.
