Ninovic makes GB3 statement
A double delight at Brands Hatch has seen Alex Ninovic stamp himself as the favourite for the Aussie-dominated GB3 Championship.
Back-to-back wins at Brands Hatch last weekend pushed Ninovic’s win tally to six for 2025 and cemented an imposing 71-point buffer over fellow Australians Patrick Heuzenroeder and Gianmarco Pradel.
Ninovic knew he was on for a special weekend when he wrapped up the qualifying award for the entire season with five straight poles.
The Rodin Motorsport driver was in a league of his own, being the only driver to record a 1m17s time and took the two poles by 0.523s and 0.411s.
He converted pole position to a commanding opening race win after overcoming an early challenge from fellow front row starter Freddie Slater.
Slater looked threatening at Druids, but Ninovic responded by unleashing a series of lap records to assert his dominance.
Despite a Safety Car for a beached Jack Sherwood at Stirlings, Ninovic remained dominant and took a 2s triumph.
Alex Ninovic was a cut above at Brands Hatch. Image: Rodin
Heuzenroeder got a fast start and made the most of it to secure fourth place, while Pradel worked his way to seventh after a fight with Rodin teammate and F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling.
“Pretty good! The whole race was really nice and I thought I controlled the pace quite well,” Ninovic said after winning the 100th GB3 race.
“The start was okay, which made me a little bit vulnerable through one and two, but from there had enough pace to pull away.”
After a delayed start, Ninovic flexed his muscles again in Race 2.
He was initially unable to make the most of his strong start due to a first-lap incident that took out Keanu Al Azhari at Pilgrims Drop.
But he made a strong restart and crept away from the pack as the race went on to record another 2s win over Slater.
Heuzenroeder and Pradel made it three Australians in the top five being fourth and fifth respectively.
“So far it has been a perfect weekend
I cannot be happier. The cars feels amazing and I am on point so everything is coming together really well with two poles and race wins with a nice margin.
“To get the double pole and race win is probably my best weekend so far and it gives me good points for the championship.”
The reverse grid race proved to be a tricky one for the Aussies as Ninovic stayed out of trouble to be 12th, five places ahead of Pradel.
Pat Heuzenroeder fought at the front of the field. Image: Supplied
Heuzenroeder rocketed to sixth, but unfortunately, a clash saw him end the race in the gravel and suffer the first DNF of the year.
However, he still felt he got a lot out of the weekend.
“Overall, I’m happy with the points we scored,” Heuzenroeder said.
“ I delivered the maximum possible in qualifying, and we had the pace in the car to defend strongly when it mattered although it was challenging to move forward.
“Race 3 was a disappointing way to finish, but that’s racing. The important thing is we’re still second in the championship, a very strong position to be in given we are up against the team that has won 4 out of the last 5 championships.
“The whole Xcel team is working incredibly hard, they are doing a great job and of course I’m really motivated to finish the season strongly.”
There are only two GB3 rounds left at Donington (October 4-5) and Monza (October 18-19).
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