Nikita Bedrin, driver of Velocity Racing Development, achieved a surprising victory in the inaugural race of the new season of GB3 at the Silverstone circuit. Despite a difficult start from pole, Bedrin demonstrated great resilience during the race.
The lights went out and, in an unexpected turn of events, Bedrin had a poor start that allowed Rodin Motorsport drivers Martin Molnar and Maxim Rehm to fight for the lead. Both cars engaged in an intense battle, with Molnar taking the lead at the Maggotts corner.
Bedrin, who dropped to fourth place, tried to regain positions and, during a risky maneuver, found himself off track at Chapel. However, he seized an opportunity during a battle between Fairclough and Rehm to advance and make up the lost ground.
Always looking toward victory, Bedrin managed to pass Rehm on the third lap and set out to catch Molnar, who had pulled away with a two-second lead. In less than a lap, Bedrin reduced that difference and, after a strong leadership at Stowe, took the lead of the race at Vale.
The race became complicated toward the end with the appearance of the safety car due to the breakdown of Dante Vince‘s vehicle from Hillspeed. However, Bedrin kept control of the situation upon restart and crossed the finish line with a margin of 2.5 seconds.
In addition to Bedrin’s victory, Rodin Motorsport achieved a double podium, with Molnar and Rehm completing the second and third spots respectively. Fairclough, despite not being able to reach the podium, secured fourth place and will start the second race from the second row of the grid.
After finishing the race, Bedrin commented on his experience: “We didn’t have many practice starts, but I’m happy with the result. My speed was really good and I was able to make overtakes easily.” In contrast, Molnar acknowledged they would need to improve their pace for the next weekend’s event.
Race Classification (13 laps)
1. Nikita Bedrin (VRD Racing) – 26m17.026s
2. Martin Molnar (Rodin Motorsport) +2.550s
3. Maxim Rehm (Rodin Motorsport) +2.749s
4. Deagen Fairclough (Hitech) +3.584s
5. Rowan Campbell-Pilling (Xcel Motorsport) +4.313s
6. Patricio Gonzalez (VRD Racing) +4.875s
7. Kyuho Lee (Elite Motorsport) +5.297s
8. Jin Nakamura (Hitech) +5.739s
9. Alexandros Kattoulas (Fortec Motorsports) +6.499s
10. Leon Wilson (Arden Motorsport) +7.176s
11. Rodrigo Gonzalez (VRD Racing) +9.365s
12. Lucas Fluxa (Xcel Motorsport) +10.102s
13. Jack Taylor (Fortec Motorsports) +11.063s
14. Ricardo Baptista (Xcel Motorsport) +12.853s
15. Aurelia Nobels (Hillspeed) +13.189s
16. Peter Bouzinelos (Hillspeed) +13.283s
17. Yuhao Fu (Hitech) +13.545s
18. Lewis Gilbert (Arden Motorsport) +13.949s
19. Kirill Kutskov (Elite Motorsport) +14.483s
20. Jason Pribyl (Nitrous Competition ADM Racing) +39.047s
Ret. Abbi Pulling (Rodin Motorsport)
Ret. Dante Vince (Hillspeed)
Ret. Flynn Jackes (Elite Motorsport)
Fastest Lap: Bedrin, 1m50.345s
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
