The GB3 Championship opened its season at Silverstone this weekend, the UK's premier junior single-seater category welcoming a new generation of drivers onto the iconic circuit across a packed three-race programme. Three Asian drivers featured across the entry list: Jin Nakamura for Hitech, Kyuho Lee for Elite Motorsport, and Alexandros Kattoulas for Fortec Motorsports. Across the five sessions of running, each told a different story.
Testing and practice set a positive early tone. Nakamura was the quickest of the three throughout, eighth in Thursday's combined test with a 1:51.178 before improving to sixth in Friday practice at 1:50.414. Lee ran P13 in testing at 1:51.701 and ninth in practice with a 1:50.622, while Kattoulas placed P19 in testing and P15 in practice, steadily finding his footing on the circuit.
Qualifying reinforced that order. In Q1, Lee edged Nakamura to lead the group, taking P7 at 1:50.601 while Nakamura placed P8 at 1:50.736. Kattoulas placed P15 at 1:51.197. The session was tight throughout, with just 0.683 seconds covering the top ten and the entire field blanketed by just over two seconds.
Q2 shifted the dynamic slightly. Nakamura moved to eighth with a 1:49.991, Lee dropped three places to tenth at 1:50.171, and Kattoulas qualified 13th at 1:50.467.
Race 1 produced a measured set of results. Lee was the best-placed of the three in P7, with Nakamura behind in P8 and Kattoulas in P9.
Race 2 was where the weekend's most dramatic moments unfolded. Nakamura was central to the action, involved in the fight for P3 behind the race leader following a second Safety Car, finishing P3 on the road and P4 after the dust settled. Lee ran in the midfield pack and held sixth through the closing laps. Kattoulas was ninth, though not without incident, losing the nose cap of his front wing after contact with Lee on the Wellington Straight.
Race 3 came down to a final-lap fight between Nakamura, Lee, and Kattoulas. Nakamura made the decisive move to take the lead and the win, with Lee crossing the line in second and Kattoulas finishing tenth. A post-race five-second penalty for Lee dropped him to ninth in the final classification.
It was a weekend that ended with as much to reflect on as to celebrate. Nakamura's Race 3 victory was as well-executed as it was dramatic, and his third place in the championship standings after Round 1 underlines the potential he brings to Hitech's programme. Lee's pace was evident throughout with two top-ten qualifying positions, P7 in Race 1, P6 in Race 2, and his role in that extraordinary Race 3 conclusion would have been a landmark result had the post-race penalty not intervened. Kattoulas showed consistency across the weekend, collecting points in all three races and gaining experience at a circuit that rewards precision. With the season only just begun, all three head to Round 2 with a clearer picture of where they stand.
