The GB3 Championship enters a new era in 2025 with a redesigned car, a revised format, new teams and an updated calendar for its fifth season since rebranding from British Formula 3. Feeder Series tells you everything you need to know about the upcoming season.

By George Sanderson

The 2024 GB3 season saw three drivers from three different teams enter the final round with a chance at the title. Rodin Motorsport’s Louis Sharp entered the series as the reigning British F4 champion and came out on top with five wins, five further podiums and 478 points, enough to beat John Bennett and Tymek Kucharczyk to the drivers’ championship.

Sharp has made the step up to FIA F3 in 2025, continuing on with Rodin for a third consecutive season, whilst runner-up Bennett made the leap to F2 with Van Amersfoort Racing late last year and remains there for 2025. Kucharczyk will compete in Euroformula Open with BVM Racing.

Gerrard Xie, Kucharczyk’s Hitech teammate from last year and one of eight race winners, has also graduated to F3 with the team. Ugo Ugochukwu, Callum Voisin, Martinius Stenshorne and Javier Sagrera all have full-time F3 seats after making cameo appearances in GB3 last season.

Like its junior series GB4, GB3 has also introduced a new car for 2025. The Tatuus MSV GB3-025’s new two-litre, four-cylinder Mountune engine will produce 280 brake horsepower, up from the 250 bhp of the Tatuus MSV-022, and the car will add 35 per cent more downforce at the same drag level. The inclusion of DRS for the first time is also a noteworthy addition for the series.

The 2025 drivers’ champion will receive 10 FIA Super Licence points, with seven for the runner-up and five, three and one for drivers finishing in third, fourth and fifth respectively.

The calendar

The 2025 GB3 calendar consists of eight triple-header rounds, this year split evenly between venues in Great Britain and venues in mainland Europe. The 2024 season-opening venue of Oulton Park has been removed because the circuit is not suited to DRS usage. Instead, the season begins a month later than in 2024 with a round at Silverstone at the end of April.

The three rounds following Silverstone are once again based at F1 tracks in mainland Europe. Zandvoort begins the European tour in mid-May, followed by Spa-Francorchamps two weeks later and Budapest at the start of July. 

The championship then returns to Silverstone before making trips to Brands Hatch and Donington Park, where GB4 will hold its final round. British GT headlines all of the British rounds except for the second visit to Silverstone.

For the first time in GB3 history, the season finale takes place outside of the UK. Monza makes its debut in the championship and has been chosen as the venue for the final round to be held in mid-October, three weeks later than it was last season.

• Round 1: Silverstone GP (26–27 April)
• Round 2: Zandvoort (17–18 May)
• Round 3: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (31 May–01 June)
• Round 4: Hungaroring (05–06 July)
• Round 5: Silverstone GP (02–03 August)
• Round 6: Brands Hatch GP (23–24 August)
• Round 7: Donington Park GP (4–5 October)
• Round 8: Monza (18–19 October)

The format

GB3 has introduced a number of weekend format changes for 2025. Each race weekend now features two 15-minute qualifying sessions rather than a single 20-minute session, while the three races are all 25 minutes in length. In comparison to last season, the first two races of the weekend have been extended by five minutes.

The first and second qualifying sessions, separated by a five-minute break for teams to return to pit lane, will determine the grids for race one and race two respectively. The top 12 qualifying times prior to the application of any penalties are then reversed for the final race of the weekend, with the rest of the grid remaining in qualifying order.

Points are awarded to the top 20 drivers in races one and two, with 35 points for a win all the way down to a single point for 20th. For the reverse-grid race three, only the top 15 drivers score points, with 20 points for victory down to one point for 15th.

In race three, drivers are also awarded points for the positions they gain, up to a maximum of 12 points. If, for example, a driver wins from sixth on the grid, they will earn a total of 25 points – 20 for the win and five for the positions they gained.

Test sessions remain available to teams and drivers on the Thursday and Friday of a race weekend. For Brands Hatch, testing is available only on the Friday and only on the shorter Indy circuit layout.

Where to watch

All races will be available to watch on the MSV TV YouTube channel and will include pre-race build-up and post-race analysis segments. The stream will also be shown on the GB3 Facebook page and website. Pre-weekend test sessions and qualifying are not streamed live. Live timing for all sessions is available through TSL Timing and the GB3 website.

Teams and drivers

Rodin Motorsport

Rodin Motorsport won both the GB3 teams’ and drivers’ championships in their first season under their new identity following the termination of the Rodin-Carlin partnership during the off-season. They head into 2025 with an all-new line up of three drivers as they look to retain their titles.

Alex Ninovic (#12) makes the step up to GB3 after finishing second in the 2024 British F4 Championship, in which the 18-year-old claimed five wins and 18 total podiums. He made his debut in single-seaters in 2023, finishing 10th in Spanish F4 with one podium.

Fellow Australian Gianmarco Pradel (#21) joins Ninovic at Rodin after racing in the Italian F4, Formula Winter Series and Euro 4 championships in 2023 and 2024. The 19-year-old claimed one win and six further podiums in 41 races in 2024, and he was also the runner-up in FWS in 2023 having previously competed in only three F4 races at the end of 2022.

Confirmation that Abbi Pulling (#9) had a seat at Rodin came from both GB3 and F1 Academy on 30 November last year as a result of her winning the championship in the latter, but Rodin only announced it late February. That news came alongside the Briton’s appointment to a brand ambassador position for the New Zealand car manufacturer and her departure from the Alpine Academy. The 22-year-old claimed the 2024 F1 Academy title with nine wins, finishing every race on the podium. She also took seventh in British F4 last season after becoming the first female race winner in the series with her victory in the fifth race of the season at Brands Hatch.

Hitech

Hitech, who have established themselves as a leading team from F2 to F4 over the past decade, made their series debut back in 2020. They finished as runners-up in 2021 and won both titles the following year thanks to drivers’ champion Luke Browning, but team and drivers have come up short in both 2023 and 2024. The Northamptonshire-based team have named a three-car line up for 2025.

Nikita Johnson (#7) became the youngest-ever winner in GB3 last season after taking victory in race three at Zandvoort aged 16 years, 1 month and 20 days. After turning the minimum age of 16 in May, the American raced in the final six rounds of the series in 2024 and finished 11th in the standings, while he was also the runner-up in the USF Pro 2000 Championship. Johnson most recently finished third in the 2025 FRegional Oceania Championship behind eventual champion Arvid Lindblad, now F2’s youngest winner.

Deagen Fairclough (#4) remains with Hitech for 2025 following a dominant second season in British F4. The 19-year-old Briton won 14 races last year, setting the record for most wins in a British F4 season. Having previously earned a fully funded British F4 seat for 2023 by winning the ROKiT Racing Star esports competition in 2022, Fairclough received a £200,000 prize in January when he was named the Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year. He has already shown strong pace in testing this year, topping the times on the second day at Snetterton and being a regular presence in the top five at the end of each day.

Emirati racer Keanu Al Azhari (#6) was announced to be racing with Hitech in GB3 in December and was unveiled as a member of the Alpine Academy in March 2025. In his second year in single-seaters in 2024, Al Azhari took four victories and 13 total podiums with MP Motorsport in Spanish F4 and finished as runner-up in a thrilling title battle with teammate Mattia Colnaghi that went until the season finale. He also finished third in the F4 UAE that winter, winning twice and claiming five further podiums.

Elite Motorsport

Elite Motorsport have been on the GB3 grid since 2021 while also racing in GB4, Ginetta GT and Ginetta Junior. Led by team principal Eddie Ives, the team have had alternating fifth- and third-place finishes over the last four seasons, scoring at least 600 points in each and taking as many as 729 last season.

British racer Will Macintyre (#37) returns to Elite Motorsport for the 2025 season after having last competed with them in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2022. The 17-year-old Briton claimed three victories in the first nine races last season and finished on the podium on three other occasions, but his early title run fizzled out. In 2023, Macintyre finished as runner-up to Sharp in British F4, with the two entering the final round just a single point apart and ultimately separated by 13. 

Bianca Bustamante (#16) comes to GB3 level after spending two years in F1 Academy, finishing both seasons in seventh place. The 20-year-old from Manila in the Philippines previously competed in the W Series in 2022, the championship’s final year. After joining F1 Academy the following year, she achieved two victories and two further podiums in her debut season and earned a place in the McLaren Driver Development Programme, which she left over the winter. Last year, she scored one podium in F1 Academy and made appearances in Italian F4, Euro 4, British F4 and FWS as well.

The third member of the Elite Motorsport team is Flynn Jackes (#55), who remains in GB3 after competing with Chris Dittmann Racing last year. Having made one appearance in GB3 in the final round of 2021, the Filipino-Australian scored a best finish of 10th last season before his campaign was cut short ahead of the penultimate round when he suffered a broken leg in a road traffic accident.

JHR Developments

Derbyshire-based JHR Developments, in operation since 1995, won the teams’ championship in 2023, their third season in the series. They finished fourth in the teams’ championship last season as current F2 driver John Bennett took the runner-up spot in the drivers’ championship. For 2025, they have a line-up of two drivers confirmed.

Mumbai-born Kai Daryanani (#88) makes the step up to GB3 following a 12th-place finish in British F4 last season. The 20-year-old also won the 2024 Formula Trophy UAE title with Evans GP and made appearances in F4 UAE, Australian F4, Euro 4 and Italian F4. In preparation for this season, he has raced in both FR Middle East and the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship, having made his FR debut in the Macau Grand Prix with Evans in November.

Eighteen-year-old Australian Noah Lisle (#10) returns to JHR Developments for the first time since 2022, when he raced in British F4 and Spanish F4 with the team. He returned to the championship in 2023 with Rodin Carlin, picking up three wins and three further podiums in British F4 on his way to a 10th-place finish. In 2024, Lisle competed in FR Middle East and Eurocup-3, finishing 19th and 12th respectively.

James Hedley has completed a number of test days with JHR in pre-season and is doing so again during the test days before the season opener at Silverstone. The 21-year-old Briton is not expected to take part in the first round, but he may feature later in the season. He made his GB3 debut in the final round of the 2021 season and has appeared every season since then, picking up two victories with Arden VRD in 2023 en route to sixth overall.

VRD Racing

With British team Arden Motorsport stepping away from GB3, American outfit VRD Racing will fully take over the entry with which they began their partnership two years ago. VRD entered the series in collaboration with Arden in 2023 and finished their debut season third overall. The team currently have two drivers confirmed for this season as they look to build on last season’s fifth-place finish.

Hugo Schwarze (#33) is set to return to the GB3 grid for the opening round of the 2025 season, with the hope of doing more rounds if budget allows. The 18-year-old from Köln, Germany, is also competing in the Le Mans Cup, finishing eighth in the season opener in a line-up also featuring 2019 French F4 champion and former FR frontrunner Hadrien David. Last year, Schwarze skipped the F4 level and jumped straight into GB3 with Elite Motorsport for his first single-seater season, in which he impressed with a ninth-place finish in the standings. He previously finished as the runner-up to Freddie Slater in the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship, securing two wins and 11 total podiums. 

Red Bull junior driver Enzo Tarnvanichkul (#8), the second driver at VRD this season, will compete on a part-time basis. The 16-year-old Thai driver will race at all of the British rounds as well as the season finale at Monza. Last year, he made his single-seater debut in FWS before moving on to Spanish F4, in which he finished 12th. Joining VRD marks the first time Tarnvanichkul has worked with a single-seater team besides Campos Racing, with whom he finished 13th in the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship at the start of this year.

Fortec Motorsport

Fortec Motorsport have been a member of the GB3 and British F3 grid since 2016. Having taken a best finish of third in the 2021 teams’ championship, the team have struggled more in the last two seasons, finishing sixth overall both years. The team boast alumni including F1 driver Ollie Bearman and current F2 driver Max Esterson. They currently have two drivers confirmed for 2025.

Having competed in sports cars for the past four years, Stefan Bostandjiev (#23) makes the move to single-seaters. The 20-year-old Bulgarian already featured with Pace Performance in the opening round of the GB4 season to help prepare for GB3, finishing third in the final race of the weekend. Bostandjiev competed in the ADAC GT4 Germany championship from 2021 to 2023, finishing second in the junior standings in his first year. In 2024, he competed with Iron Lynx in the pro classes of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe and World Final, along with one round of the Italian GT Sprint Championship in the GT3 Pro class.

Sixteen-year-old Mika Abrahams (#29) returns to Fortec Motorsport, this time in GB3, after competing with the team in British F4 in 2023. After missing the first three rounds because of age restrictions, the South African, a Danish F4 graduate, took part in seven rounds of the 2023 season, with a best finish of second at Donington Park. Abrahams remained in British F4 for 2024, competing in the first five rounds with Hitech GP and taking his first victory at Donington Park before pulling out because of budget restrictions.

Emerson Fittipaldi Jr appeared in the first day of testing at Silverstone for the team, but he had not appeared in a GB3 test previously and has not been announced for a race seat at the time of publication. The 18-year-old Brazilian, son of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, competed in Eurocup-3 with MP Motorsport last year, taking four podiums en route to fifth in the points. He will return to the series this year after having raced in the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship over the winter, finishing sixth.

Chris Dittmann Racing

Chris Dittmann Racing have also been part of the series since its beginnings as BRDC F4 in 2013. In the modern era of GB3, the team are yet to finish a season higher than sixth in the teams’ championship. Over the eight rounds of 2024, nine different drivers raced for CDR, with the team only having Sebastian Murray and Flynn Jackes as permanent drivers.

Mercedes junior driver Rashid Al Dhaheri (#14) is the only driver currently confirmed for CDR, with the Emirati racer set to join the team for selected rounds in 2025 alongside his FR Europe campaign with Prema Racing. The 17-year-old has raced with Prema for the past two years, finishing 10th in Italian F4 in 2023 and 2024, fourth in F4 UAE in the winter of 2024, and second with the Prema-run Mumbai Falcons in Formula Trophy UAE last year. Al Dhaheri finished sixth in the FR Middle East Championship over the winter, securing three podiums. He also finished third in the 2023 Macau F4 invitational and has also made appearances in Euro 4 and F4 SEA.

On the first test day at Silverstone, the team also ran Divy Nandan, who was not entered for the race weekend at press time. The 22-year-old Indian driver is familiar to CDR from doing two rounds with the team in British F4 in 2022. He last raced in 2024 in Indian F4, finishing fourth with four podiums. 

Hillspeed

Hillspeed are regarded as one of the most successful teams in British motorsport and have been part of the series since 2013. For 2025, they have three drivers confirmed to be contesting selected rounds of the GB3 season, although all are prioritising their full-time FR Europe campaigns.

Freddie Slater (#27) returns to the GB3 grid for selected races this season after finishing all three races in the top six on his sole appearance at Donington Park last year. The 16-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon broke the win records in Ginetta Junior in 2023 and Italian F4 in 2024, winning 16 of 21 races he entered in the former and 15 of 21 in the latter en route to both titles. He also won the F4 UAE title in 2024 and finished second in Euro 4 in 2024 and FR Middle East in 2025. Ahead of his FR Europe campaign with Prema this year, he also made his F3 debut with AIX Racing and finished on the podium in his first race.

Japanese driver Kanato Le (#19) will compete in selected GB3 rounds this season alongside his sophomore FR Europe campaign with ART Grand Prix. The 17-year-old took part in the FR Middle East Championship over the winter, taking one win en route to eighth in the drivers’ standings. In 2024, Le made a cameo appearance in GB3 at Spa-Francorchamps, securing a best finish of fifth, in addition to finishing 18th in his FR Europe campaign with G4 Racing. Le has experience of the British racing scene from competing in Ginetta Junior and British F4 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, finishing both seasons in seventh.

Fellow Japanese native Hiyu Yamakoshi (#66) is the final confirmed Hillspeed driver for 2025, joining for selected rounds alongside his full-time FR Europe campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing. The 18-year-old finished third and fourth respectively in Italian F4 and Euro 4 with VAR last season, taking a total of four wins and seven further podiums across the two championships. In his debut year in single-seaters in 2023, he finished fifth in French F4, with five podiums to his name. He also raced in the final three rounds of FR Middle East over the winter with Pinnacle Motorsport, finishing 16th overall with five top-10 finishes. 

Argenti with Prema

Argenti Motorsport have made their first venture above the F4 level in 2025 and formed a technical partnership with Prema Racing for the GB3 season. They have three drivers confirmed for the season, all of whom are making their first steps up to FR level.

After finishing third in his rookie year of British F4 last season, Reza Seewooruthun (#3) was confirmed as the first driver for Argenti with Prema back in December. The 18-year-old Briton only started karting in 2021 but came third in the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship behind Slater and Schwarze, having won four races and taken five further podiums. Seewooruthun was also third when representing Great Britain in the FIA Motorsport Games F4 Cup. 

Mercedes junior Yuanpu Cui (#56) remains with Argenti for 2025 after taking a ninth-place finish with the team in British F4 last season. The 17-year-old from Xi’an, China, took victory at Snetterton and one further podium at Knockhill in what was his first full season in single-seaters. Last year, he also took part in four races of Chinese F4, winning two, and four rounds of the F4 UAE season, in which he secured a best finish of ninth. He took a best finish of 15th in two rounds of FR Middle East over the winter.

Lucas Fluxá (#10) was the team’s third driver to be announced, joining older brother Lorenzo and younger sister Luna in having competed for Prema. The 17-year-old competed in Spanish F4 and FWS in 2024, securing eighth- and 13th-place finishes respectively in the drivers’ standings and taking two victories in the opening round of the former. He began 2025 by competing in the final five races of the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship, scoring 28 points to finish ninth overall.

Xcel Motorsport

UAE-based Xcel Motorsport also expand into GB3 for 2025 after entering British F4 last season and finishing on the podium in just their fourth race. In F4 UAE, Xcel claimed the teams’ championship for three consecutive seasons between 2019 and 2021, winning both titles in 2019 and 2020 courtesy of former F3 drivers Matteo Nannini and Francesco Pizzi respectively.

Xcel’s first driver confirmed for 2025 was Patrick Heuzenroeder (#5), who remains in GB3 after taking a 12th-place finish with one podium last season. The 19-year-old from Sydney made his GB3 debut in the final two rounds of 2023, finishing third in the final race of the season at Donington Park. Heuzenroeder was fastest on day one of official testing at Donington Park and has been in the top five on three other occasions. He also took one win and three further podiums to finish fourth in the drivers’ standings of FR Oceania over the winter.

Jack Sherwood (#78) also returns to GB3 after having raced in the penultimate round of the 2023 season at Zandvoort. The 18-year-old Briton competed in British F4 from mid-2022 to 2024, finishing his most successful season last year with eight podiums and fifth place in the drivers’ standings. He also raced alongside GB3 in 2022 with Elite Motorsport in GB4 and finished fifth overall with two wins and seven additional podiums.

Seventeen-year-old Dion Gowda (#25) completes Xcel Motorsport’s 2025 line-up. The Indian driver will only race this weekend at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Brands Hatch as he, like Yamakoshi, focuses on his FR Europe campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing. Gowda made his single-seater debut with Rodin Carlin in 2023, finishing fourth in British F4 with four wins and two further podiums, before moving on to Italian F4 with Prema Racing the following year and finishing 11th. Gowda has also raced in F4 UAE, Indian F4 and Euro 4.

Header photo credit: Dom Bessell