Matthew Rees remains in contention for the GB3 driver’s title heading into the Donington Decider this weekend, but the Welshman knows it will take a big turnaround for him to land his second British title.
The Welshman is 97 points off the championship lead with a theoretical maximum of 105 points up for grabs. His second season has seen him gain more consistent results compared to his maiden campaign last year, and he credits his team for keeping him in the mathematical hunt despite a few setbacks.
“After the amount of DNFs and number of qualifying laps that have not counted because of red flags, to be in with a chance of the title, albeit mathematically, speaks to the efforts of Liam Hewitt (Rees’ mechanic) and the JHR Developments team.
“To be honest, I can’t think of the championship at all, I am only thinking about how I can end the season, which has been difficult, as positively as possible at a track that I really love driving on.”
Rees’ main focus instead is on helping his team to claim the teams’ title, with the squad likely only needing a few points in each race to wrap up their first crown of any sort in GB3.
“I know how important it is for JHR Developments to win the GB3 Championship, having helped the team win the British F4 Teams’ title in 2021.
“As Liam puts it: it’s not bad for a small team from Sheffield to compete against and beat the established motorsport names of Arden, Carlin, and Hitech. Winning it would be a true reflection of the dedication and hard work that all the team gives to us drivers, but on a personal level it would be nice to give something back to Steven Hunter for the belief that he has shown me throughout my time with JHR.”
Rees entered GB3 last year as the reigning British F4 champion, but he reckons his time in GB3 has greatly assisted his development as a driver, as he’s surfed the highs and lows that every motorsport campaign generates. In addition, it’s also helped him to develop his personality, facing life challenges beyond those posed in the driving seat.
“The obvious answer is GB3 has been a huge learning curve for me personally, whether experiencing and mastering new levels of downforce in the cars or driving new tracks, especially the F1 circuits of Spa and Zandvoort.
“There have been huge highs this year certainly – pole at Snetterton when not even my mum gave us a hope in hell, and then double pole at Silverstone in the next race.
“But sadly [there’s been] quite a few lows – namely the DNFs that have peppered our season this year – particularly at Spa with two non-scoring races. You can’t have this and expect to challenge for a championship especially when your rivals do not.
“GB3 has also provided invaluable lessons on my journey to becoming a professional racing driver, ones that I know I will appreciate for the rest of my motorsport career, such as how to conduct myself during media interviews, always making myself available to sponsors and fans, and being genuine and relatable to all. It has also allowed me to gain the confidence to publicly speak about my autism and hopefully increase acceptability for others with similar neurodivergent conditions as myself, which is something which I will continue to champion in the future.”