Vinci, Nobels And Bouzinelos Save Best For Last At Red Bull Ring
Austria’s Red Bull Ring provided an all-new challenge for the drivers of the GB3 Championship partnered by the BRDC over the weekend, 11th/12th July, where Hillspeed saved the best for last in the third and final race of the event – all three of the squad’s cars finishing in the top nine.
Dante Vinci and Aurelia Nobels each matched their season best results of sixth and eighth in round 12 on Sunday afternoon, while team-mate Peter Bouzinelos rounded-out his weekend with ninth position to bring a positive conclusion to an event which did have its on-track challenges.
In round 10 on Saturday afternoon Vinci was the only finisher for the Markham Vale squad in 12th place, as Nobels and Bouzinelos both fell victim to contact and subsequent retirement. In the first of Sunday’s two races, round 11, Vinci took 11th place, Nobels 12th and Bouzinelos 16th position.
Marking the first time GB3 has visited the home of the Austrian F1 Grand Prix, the championship now returns to the UK for the second half of the 2026 campaign which starts at the beginning of August with a return visit to Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.
Hillspeed racers stay focused to end RBR weekend on a high
As during the previous weekend’s race meeting at the Hungaroring, Hillspeed’s trio delivered very strong and competitive performances during the two practice days at the Red Bull Ring – Vinci, in particular, shining with the fourth fastest time on Friday, 10th July.
Hopes were justifiably high ahead of qualifying on Saturday morning, but the sessions for the round 10 and 11 grids didn’t quite go to plan. Vinci had to settle for 10th quickest in Q1, but improved to sixth in Q2 just half a second shy of pole. Nobels was a strong 12th in the opening session, with Bouzinelos 15th, but in session two Bouzinelos was a fraction quicker than Nobels in 13th and 14th on the times.
Vinci made a good start from the fifth row of the grid in Saturday afternoon’s race to maintain his top 10 placing, but Nobels’ involvement came to an end in the pits at the end of the opening lap after being hit from behind into the first corner – damage to the rear of the car too extensive to repair.
Into lap two, Vinci remained in 10th place while Bouzinelos ran in 14th position after moving up a spot on the first tour. At Turn Three, though, a tangle with Lewis Gilbert while battling resulted in both cars becoming stranded in the gravel and thus triggering the Safety Car.
At the resumption on lap five Vinci sought to challenge for ninth and he duly made his move on the sixth tour to take the place. Following a second Safety Car period he continued in ninth, then claimed eighth late on which he held to the flag. Due to a track limits penalty though, he was classified in 12th position.
Rather than begin round 11 on Sunday morning from row three, a penalty linked to an incident in race one meant Vinci had to start from ninth on the grid instead, with Bouzinelos and Nobels sharing the seventh row. Unfortunately for Vinci he wasn’t able to make an ideal launch and so slipped to 13th, before then being squeezed badly off track on lap two – the Australian showing superb car control.
As the race progressed the three Hillspeed team-mates ran nose-to-tail in the mid order, Vinci taking the flag on lap 18 at the head of the train in 14th place, with Bouzinelos sandwiched by his compatriot and Nobels. Post-race, a slew of penalties were applied to several drivers and so Vinci was elevated to 11th position, Nobels moved up into 12th while Bouzinelos slipped to 16th as a result of time penalties.
Having lost his chance of a top six start for race two, Vinci had another bite at the cherry in round 12 although it took two attempts to begin the race when a car stalled on the grid. Then, no sooner had the race launched, the Safety Car was deployed after a multi-car tangle at Turn Three. At that point, Vinci held seventh, Nobels had climbed to eighth and Bouzinelos was just outside the top 10.
At the resumption on lap five Nobels produced a strong pass on Vinci to grab seventh but after another few laps the Safety Car was required again. Racing resumed on lap 10 with Nobels eighth, Vinci ninth and Bouzinelos in 13th spot. At the next re-start Vinci repaid Nobels with a decisive pass and as several others became involved in skirmishes the Hillspeed trio came through to finish sixth, eighth and ninth.
Richard Ollerenshaw – Hillspeed Team Principal:
“We ended the weekend how we had hoped to start it, all three cars inside the top 10. Testing was very strong again from the outset, although qualifying didn’t quite go to plan, and then circumstances in races one and two meant we didn’t meet our potential.
“There were strong positives to take from our first visit to the Red Bull Ring, Dante, Aurelia and Peter produced some good pace and made progress which is always good to see – and the whole team worked incredibly hard as always. Now we’re looking forward to being back in the UK as we head into the second half of the GB3 season.”
Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the GB3 Championship will take place across the weekend 1st/2nd August at Silverstone GP Circuit, the category’s second visit of the year to the Northamptonshire venue. The race meeting will also mark the resumption of the 2026 GB4 Championship partnered by the BRDC.
GB3 Championship Driver Standings (after Rd12)
12th Dante Vinci, 92pts; 19th Aurelia Nobels, 56pts; 21st Peter Bouzinelos, 39pts
GB3 Championship Team Standings (after Rd12)
6th Hillspeed, 171pts
