GB3: Esterson and Aron take maiden victories at Donington Park
Max Esterson and Bryce Aron ensured eight drivers have now taken wins from the first nine races of the 2022 GB3 Championship.
Douglas Motorsport’s Esterson took a maiden slicks and wings victory in race two from pole position, while Hitech Aron’s claimed his first win in the championship in the final contest.
Meanwhile, a charging drive through the field ensures Fortec’s Joel Granfors leaves Donington Park as the championship leader, and will enjoy a prize tour of the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 factory courtesy of John Cavill.
Race one
Esterson started from pole position, with the grid based on each driver’s second fastest lap times from qualifying. The New Yorker made a decent start from pole position, but had to resist a first lap challenge from fellow front row starter Callum Voisin, with the Carlin driver going around the outside of Redgate, the Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin, only to run wide.
That allowed championship contenders Luke Browning and Joel Granfors into the podium positions, with Hitech’s Browning applying pressure on Esterson throughout, but settled for second to reclaim the championship lead from Granfors, who finished third and a couple of seconds further back.
Elite’s James Hedley claimed fourth place, half a second ahead of Carlin’s Roberto Faria, while Matthew Rees was sixth for JHR Developments.
Race two
Aron started from pole position in the final contest, with the grid being an inverse of the qualifying result. The American contender, in his second GB3 season, led from start to finish to take his first victory, just a few weeks after claiming his first podium finish back at Silverstone.
While Aron extended a gap of two seconds, Chris Dittmann Racing’s Branden Oxley had slotted into second place and claimed a first podium in the championship ahead of Fortec’s Mikkel Grundtvig, who was fourth on the road but benefited from a time penalty for Tommy Smith to stand on the final step of the podium.
Meanwhile, the championship battle swung back in Granfors’ favour, as he shot up the order from 21st on the grid to tenth place, gaining 11 places, while rival Browning went from 16th to ninth.
Just one point separates the duo in the standings, with the Swedish driver earning a tour of one of F1’s leading facilities as a result. Esterson’s best weekend yet puts him third in the standings, just a couple of points ahead of Carlin’s Roberto Faria.
Race two winner Esterson said: “This feels great, I mean it was a pretty straightforward race. I got a decent launch off the line and had a bit of a battle into the Old Hairpin but managed to hold on. From there I was just looking forward as it’s very difficult to pass unless the leader makes a mistake, so as long as I didn’t make a mistake I knew it would be pretty easy.”
Race three winner Aron said: “That was really good, I’m very happy with that. It’s not been an ideal weekend by any means but I’m definitely happy to come back with that and salvage something. I need to thank everyone at Hitech GP, they did a great job and gave me a really good car. So thanks go to them and everyone that supports me and all my friends back home in America too, I appreciate their support.”
Championship leader Granfors said: “I thought it was close between me and Browning heading into this round with three points between us, but now after this race there’s just one point, and you can’t get closer than that! It’s very exciting to be getting a tour at Red Bull, I’ve been a fan of the team since Sebastian Vettel started driving for them and doing well. I was very young then so it’ll be good to see how they work.”
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park race two top-six:
1. Max Esterson, Douglas Motorsport, 12 laps
2. Luke Browning, Hitech GP, +0.762s
3. Joel Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, +3.357s
4. James Hedley, Elite Motorsport, +5.540s
5. Roberto Faria, Carlin, +5.983s
6. Matthew Rees, JHR Developments, +6.506s
Click here for full result
GB3 Championship, partnered by the BRDC, Donington Park race three top-six:
1. Bryce Aron, Hitech GP, 12 laps
2. Branden Oxley, Chris Dittmann Racing, +2.359s
3. Mikkel Grundtvig, Fortec Motorsport, +7.022s
4. John Bennett, Elite Motorsport, +7.627s
5. Tommy Smith, Douglas Motorsport, +16.195s
6. Callum Voisin, Carlin, +16.913s
Click here for full result
GB3 Championship, standings after race nine of 24:
1. Joel Granfors, Fortec Motorsport, 168pts
2. Luke Browning, Hitech GP, 167pts
3. Max Esterson, Douglas Motorsport, 145pts
4. Roberto Faria, Carlin, 143pts
5. Callum Voisin, Carlin, 132pts
6. Tom Lebbon, Elite Motorsport, 127pts
Click here for full standings
GB3 Championship, Teams’ standings after race nine of 24:
1. Carlin, 293pts
2. Hitech GP, 290pts
3. Elite Motorsport, 274pts
4. Fortec Motorsport, 272pts
5. Douglas Motorsport, 227pts
6. Chris Dittmann Racing, 175pts
Click here for full standings
For more championship information visit www.gb-3.net.