Aurelia Nobels makes promising GB3 debut, finishes twice in top-15 in Silverstone
- RACERS
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Aurelia Nobels produced an encouraging and combative debut in the GB3 Championship opener at Silverstone, where the Brazilian combined steady progression with good races, finishing twice inside the top 15 as she graduated from F4.
Aurelia Nobels produced a highly encouraging and combative debut in the 2026 GB3 Championship opener at Silverstone Circuit, where the Brazilian-Belgian-American driver combined steady progression with clean races, finishing twice inside the top 15 on her first weekend in the highly-competitive series.
The weekend marked a significant transition for Nobels, stepping up from F1 Academy into the more powerful GB3 machinery. The 2026 season introduced an updated package featuring aerodynamic upgrades and a larger 2.4-litre engine, up from the previous two-litre unit, delivering a 25% increase in torque.
Adapting to both the performance jump from F4 machinery and new circuits, Nobels nevertheless showed promising signs from the outset with competitive team Hillspeed, building confidence through winter testing and carrying that momentum into the race weekend.
Friday practice sessions highlighted her rapid adaptation: she improved from P19 in the opening session to P17 in the second, setting a best lap of 1:51.215 and finding significant gains over the event. In qualifying, she continued to chip away at the gap. In Q1, a 1:51.746 placed her P19 in an extremely tight field, just over 1.5 seconds off pole. In Q2, she made another clear step forward, initially jumping to P12 with a 1:51.3 before lowering her benchmark to 1:50.975, breaking the 1:51 barrier, even if the final classification remained P19.
Race 1 saw Nobels take her first GB3 race start in a hectic opening phase. She launched well but had to take evasive action to avoid a slow-starting car ahead, maintaining P19 through the first lap. She soon capitalised on an error from Bouzinelos, who ran wide into the gravel, and engaged in a close battle with Pribyl.
As incidents unfolded ahead, including contact between Fluxa and Nakamura and a separate issue for Jackes, Nobels picked up positions and settled into a consistent rhythm in the 1:53.3 range, later improving to 1:53.1 while maintaining a stable gap to the cars around her.
Mid-race, she briefly dropped back to P19 after being passed by compatriot Baptista, but quickly regained positions as further drama unfolded: Kutskov spun after contact with Wilson and Pribyl also encountered trouble, promoting Nobels back into P17. She then had to defend from a recovering Fluxa while maintaining her pace. A key moment came on lap nine when a suspension failure for Abbi Pulling triggered a Safety Car, elevating Nobels to P16 with seven minutes remaining.
At the restart, with just two minutes left, the field bunched tightly and battles intensified. Nobels seized the opportunity with a superb move on the final lap at The Loop, going side-by-side in a multi-car fight and edging Bouzinelos by just 0.094 seconds at the line to secure P15, in an impressive top-15 finish in her first GB3 race.
Starting Race 2 from P19, Nobels gained a position before the start due to a rival’s issue on the formation lap and ran P18 after the opening corners. However, a difficult first lap saw her shuffled down to P22 after being overtaken by Pribyl and Gilbert in the tightly packed field. She quickly began to recover, gaining a position when Bouzinelos retired before The Loop, and moved up to P21 before the Safety Car was deployed for another stranded car.
On the restart at lap four, Nobels closed in on Gilbert and Pribyl and executed overtakes on both by lap five, climbing back through the field. She continued to push forward and gained another position by passing Taylor before a second Safety Car was deployed following a mechanical issue for Fairclough.
By the time the race was neutralised again, Nobels had climbed to P17. The race resumed with just one minute remaining, setting up a final-lap dash. Nobels delivered a clean and opportunistic restart, overtaking Vinci and then capitalising on a late-race collision ahead to move up to P15 at the chequered flag, thus claiming her second top-15 finish in as many races, showcasing her consistency and ability to navigate chaotic race conditions.
Launching from P19 in Race 3, the reverse-grid contest, Nobels immediately gained two positions on the opening lap, climbing to P17 after overtaking Fu and Bouzinelos; her momentum continued on lap two, where she gained two more positions to run P15, benefitting from issues for Wilson and Kutskov while establishing herself at the head of a chasing group.
She then began to close on Vinci ahead, but faced pressure from behind as Fu fought back and reclaimed P15 in a close battle. Nobels continued to lap competitively and held position in the midfield fight. However, her race was compromised by a 10-second penalty for a jump start, which would ultimately impact her final classification.
A Safety Car on lap six bunched the field again, and it was unfavourable timing given her penalty. With three laps remaining after the restart, Nobels maintained strong pace and held P15 on the road at the finish. However, the time penalty dropped her to P19 in the final classification, masking another solid drive in which she had once again fought her way into the top 15.
Despite the mixed final race, Nobels’ debut weekend was highly positive. Across all three races, she demonstrated consistent improvement, confident overtaking, and the ability to race effectively in busy midfield battles. Notably, she ran within the top 15 on track in every race and showed clear progression in pace throughout the event.
“A step up in every way and valuable experience gained", reflected Nobels on her first GB3 weekend. "Good progress across the weekend and plenty to build on. Strong base set, the direction is clear. Now it’s about maximizing everything heading into Belgium.”
The championship now heads to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on 30–31 May, a significant venue for Nobels given her Belgian ties, where she will look to convert her promising debut pace into even stronger results.
