July 29th, 2024

Patrick Heuzenroeder scored points in all three races as the GB3 championship returned to British soil for Round 6 (27-28 July) of the season at Silverstone.

Qualifying presented a mixed bag of emotions for the Australian to kick off the weekend around the 5.900 km (3.666 mile) Grand Prix circuit. “I was happy to be in the top 12.” Heuzenroeder remarked, “But overall a little bit disappointed that I wasn’t well inside the top ten as I had hoped, as I did at Zandvoort and Hungary.”

Initially securing 11th place, he was later pushed to 12th after another competitor’s lap was reinstated. Despite the setback, securing reverse-grid pole was an early silver lining for the JHR Developments driver.

The challenge was further compounded by following another car during the qualifying session. An issue that resulted in the No.10 wrestling aerodynamic wash rather than gaining the desired affect of a tow.

Race one on Saturday proved to be a tumultuous start for Heuzenroeder. “A really tough first lap. I got boxed in at turn one and then I was swamped heading into Maggots and Becketts.”

The Australian had no choice but to shortcut Chapel as a result and was later pushed off-track at the Loop, leaving him last after the first lap.

However, the safety car period allowed him to stage an impressive comeback, making up six positions in just two and a half laps. Highlighting the pace seen at the previous round at Zandvoort where he claimed his first podium of the season.

Resilience then paid off for the 18-year old as he recovered valuable points after a difficult start to the race.

Sunday morning’s race two saw him start and finish in 12th place. The Australian initially lost a position on the opening lap but quickly regained the place by the time the field arrived at Village.

Running with the same tyres from race one, the main focus for race two was to manage tyre wear throughout the race against competitors with fresher sets. This resulted in a race of defence, carried out to maintain his starting position as he crossed the finish line.

The final race was fraught with difficulties for Heuzenroeder. After starting the race on pole he then fell to third by Stowe. Battling understeer and dirty air made holding position a hard-fought battle with the car setup to be leading from the front.

A rival then made a move which pushed Heuzenroeder off-line, allowing a following group of cars to also take advantage and further push him back down the order.

Ultimately, he defended hard for several laps before settling into eighth place, finishing the race with a sense of frustration.

Despite all of the setbacks, Heuzenroeder delivered a weekend in which every race saw him finish higher than the previous result. This results in the Australian sitting 11th in the GB3 standings as the championship goes on a six week break before returning to action for Round 7 at Donington Park GP (7-8 September).

Patrick Heuzenroeder said:

“Race one was challenging. I was boxed in at turn one and had fallen to last. I recovered six positions after a safety car with some fun moves around Stowe and Village. Saturday as a whole was a frustrating day but we will learn from it.

“Race three didn’t go as planned. Starting on pole, I dropped to third and, after some overtakes and dirty air issues, finished eighth. It was an ok weekend overall, improving my position in each race means we were working in the right direction at least. We’ll review the footage and after the long break I am sure I’ll come back stronger for Donington.”

For more information, please contact:

Matt Bishop, Managing Director, Diagonal Comms: matt.bishop@diagonalcomms.com

Joe Downes, Business Director, Diagonal Comms: joe.downes@diagonalcomms.com

July 25th, 2024

Patrick Heuzenroeder will venture to Silverstone Circuit for Round 6 of the GB3 Championship season this weekend (27-28 July). He comes to the British track off the back of two successful rounds in Continental Europe that saw the Australian score one podium finish and three top-five results.

Heuzenroeder will attack the 5.891-kilometre (3.661 miles) Silverstone Circuit for the second time in 2024 having raced at the venue in April for Round 2.

The iconic circuit hosted the first Formula 1 World Championship race in 1950 and has been the permanent home of the British Grand Prix since 1987. Having become synonymous with the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport, amongst its 18 turns are some of the most famous corners in global competition. High-speed sweeps such as Copse, Maggotts, Becketts, and Stowe require ultimate commitment behind the wheel, whilst technical complexes such as Club and Village demand strong low-speed performance, culminating in one of the best circuits on the GB3 calendar to prepare drivers for their rise up the motorsport ladder.

Heuzenroeder returns to the UK with the momentum of his first podium finish of the season behind him. A breakthrough third-place at Circuit Zandvoort less than two weeks ago built upon his best round to-date at the Hungaroring, further evidencing supreme progress across his rookie campaign thus far as he establishes a run of strong points-scoring weekends. 

Such results were in touching distance on the 18-year-old’s first full-time weekend in GB3 at Oulton Park after taking two top 12 finishes in Races 1 and 2. However, a technical failure cruelly denied him a chance to fight for victory in a rain-soaked Race 3

Heuzenroeder secured two points finishes during Round 2 at Silverstone in difficult wet conditions, with the third race for which he was scheduled on pole cancelled due to weather conditions, whilst Round 3 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps saw him exhibit his overtaking ability to climb 16 positions in two races after a suspected technical issue hampered his performance in qualifying and an engine failure prevented his forward progress in the second race.

Heuzenroeder found his stride as the Continental European segment of the season continued at the Hungaroring. After taking seventh and sixth on the grid for Races 1 and 2, ‘The Racing Kelpie’ scored two top-five finishes and an eighth place, leaving the Hungarian venue with another 46 points to his name having performed on a par with championship contenders in race and qualifying conditions. 

Heuzenroeder continued to excel as the second half of the season commenced at Circuit Zandvoort. Sporting a dazzling new livery in collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails, the JHR Developments driver qualified 10th for Race 1 and a more representative sixth for Race 2 in treacherous mixed conditions. 

A lap one collision in Race 1 saw him sustain front wing damage and ultimately led to his retirement. However, he bounced back to take fifth in a heavily disrupted Race 2 on Saturday morning, reinforcing the pace he showed in Hungary to take another strong haul of points.

Starting from third for Race 3, Heuzenroeder immediately jumped to the front of the field with a lightning getaway. He settled into third position as the race progressed and crossed the line pressuring second place to take his first podium of 2024. 

Heuzenroeder sits 10th in the standings as he returns to Silverstone.

On-track action for Round 6 will begin in a formal capacity on Friday with two 25-minute official free practice sessions. 20 minutes of qualifying will follow early on Saturday morning where each driver’s fastest lap time will set the grid for Race 1 whilst their second-best times will determine their starting position for Race 2.

Race 1, a 20-minute contest, will then take place on Saturday afternoon. Race 2 will utilise the same format on Sunday morning before Race 3 will see the last of the running at the Silverstone Circuit for the season with 25 minutes of action. The grid for that race will be set by the results of qualifying with the top 12 reversed.

All sessions will feature live timing, available here, and every race will be broadcast live on YouTube via the MSV TV channel.

The full timetable for Round 6 is as follows (all times local, BST):

Friday 26th July:
FP1 — 11:45-12:10
FP2 — 15:00-15:25

Saturday 27th July:
Qualifying — 09:00-09:20
Race 1 — 12:05-12:25

Sunday 28th July:
Race 2 — 10:55-11:15
Race 3 — 15:15-15:40

Patrick Heuzenroeder said:
“Having stood on the podium for the first time in 2024 at Circuit Zandvoort less than two weeks ago, I am aiming to continue the same level of results at Silverstone during Round 6. 

“The track is fantastic to drive in the GB3 cars with so many high-speed corners that allow us fully to take advantage of the high downforce the cars generate. Overtaking is also much easier here than at a track like Zandvoort or the Hungaroring which should make for some even more exciting races.

“Overall, I am feeling confident about how well we can perform, especially having already visited Silverstone earlier in the season. That should level the playing field which will help me close in on the more experienced drivers.”

For more information, please contact:

Matt Bishop, Managing Director, Diagonal Comms: matt.bishop@diagonalcomms.com
Joe Downes, Business Director, Diagonal Comms: joe.downes@diagonalcomms.com

July 15, 2024

Patrick Heuzenroeder secured his first podium finish of 2024 and another top-five result during Round 5 (13-14 July) of the GB3 Championship season at Circuit Zandvoort.

Sporting an eye-catching livery representing a new collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails, Heuzenroeder kicked off Round 5 at the 4.259-kilometre (2.646-mile) Dutch track on Thursday with a rigorous testing programme. The Australian’s best time of the day, which featured four 45-minute test sessions, saw him in fourth position in the final batch of running, marking a strong start to running at the home of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix as he carried the momentum of his best round to-date at the Hungaroring three weeks prior.

Friday gave way to changeable weather conditions, providing Heuzenroeder the chance to gather valuable experience in the wet at Circuit Zandvoort across two 45-minute free practice sessions. He demonstrated promising wet weather pace, although it was difficult to complete consistent running with a number of red flags interrupting the sessions.

Clouds continued to threaten Circuit Zandvoort on Saturday morning and rain fell once again as qualifying approached. GB3’s field of 20 drivers were forced onto wet tyres and Heuzenroeder finished the challenging session in 10th position. However, his second-best lap time placed him sixth on the grid for Race 2 – a representative view of the Australian’s true pace.

Race 1 began with treacherous mixed conditions as light rain produced a greasy track, although drivers opted to battle through the race on slick Pirelli tyres due to a lack of standing water. Heuzenroeder held his position on lap one until an incident later in the tour saw him sustain front wing damage, ultimately retiring on lap four.

Despite the setback, The Racing Kelpie’ bounced back on Sunday morning. A good launch off the line from 6th saw Heuzenroeder make a bold late-braking move for a pass on the inside of turn one. He emerged from the lap one tussle, which was halted by a red flag for a multi-car incident on the grid, in sixth.

Heuzenroeder maintained his position as the race resumed with a second standing start but a safety car period soon interrupted the contest for a second time. The 20-minute race was reduced in length as a result of the stoppages, giving Heuzenroeder limited opportunities to move forward. He gained one place and crossed the line in fifth position with a clean run to the chequered flag, securing his third top-five finish in four races.

Race 3 took place under sunny skies with Heuzenroeder lining up for the 25-minute reverse-grid event in third position. A blistering getaway off the line saw the 18-year-old immediately leap to the front of the field, sweeping around the outside of his teammate to take the lead into turn one.

After losing positions by being slightly out of position through the tricky turn three, he found a rhythm in third place by the end of the lap and held his position confidently, placing the second-placed driver under constant pressure as the race progressed. Heuzenroeder crossed the line to take a landmark first podium of the season in third place.

Another strong weekend in Continental Europe sees Heuzenroeder solidify his current  10th place in the championship standings before GB3 ventures back to the United Kingdom for Round 6 of the season at Silverstone in two weeks (27-28 July).

Patrick Heuzenroeder said:

“It’s a great feeling to finish the Continental European leg of the GB3 season with my first podium of 2024. By performing at the same high level here at Circuit Zandvoort we proved that our speed in Hungary was representative of where we can be week in and week out, and hopefully we can just get faster and faster.

“It was a shame not to score points in Race 1 but we are leaving the Netherlands with another big haul of points nevertheless. In the top five and around the top three is where I want to be and I am looking forward to continuing this string of good results at Silverstone in two weeks.”

12 July 2024

Australian racing driver Patrick Heuzenroeder today announces a brand-new collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails.

Patrick is competing in his maiden GB3 Championship campaign in 2024 and is in the top 10 in the Championship standings after four of the eight rounds to-date – an outstanding result for a rookie driver with only limited experience of this car and the famous tracks upon which the Championship races. GB3 is the premier single-seater category in the United Kingdom. Patrick will kick-start the second half of the season this weekend (13-14 July) at world-famous Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands, where his car will sport a new and distinctive livery to mark the collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails.

It is the latest significant development in a landmark year for Patrick. In March, it was announced that he would be mentored in his 2024 campaign by David Brabham, the former Formula 1 driver, multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and multiple 12 Hours of Sebring winner, and by the highly regarded UK F1 comms and PR expert, Matt Bishop, Managing Director of Diagonal Comms.

That type of backing has supported Patrick as he goes from strength to strength in his rookie GB3 Championship season. He has recorded double-figure points-scoring finishes in half of the season’s 12 races so far, and he experienced his best-ever weekend at the previous round at the Hungaroring, Hungary, where he finished in the top five twice.

Patrick Heuzenroeder said:
“I’m delighted to announce this brand-new collaboration with Hard Rock Cocktails – one of the world’s most iconic brands. They know the world of motorsport and Formula 1 well and I’m looking forward to hitting the track in my car with its stunning new Hard Rock Cocktails look. It’s my dream to one day make it to F1, and having Hard Rock Cocktails in my corner, alongside the likes of David Brabham and Diagonal Comms, is hopefully another important piece in giving me every chance of making it. I can’t thank all of those who are supporting me enough for creating these opportunities.

“I’ve made a solid start to my maiden GB3 Championship season and, fresh from my best performance so far at the previous round in Hungary, I’m excited to crack on and keep climbing the standings in the second half of the season. That begins at Zandvoort this weekend and I can’t wait to get in the car and race in my new Hard Rock Cocktails livery.”

Hagay Naor (Hard Rock Cocktails) said:
“It is not without reason that Hard Rock has entered into cooperation with Patrick Heuzenroeder. Commitment, hard work, and hundreds of hours helped us to create cocktails that will allow our clients to create an amazing party in the comfort of their home, and to take the party to any dream place without unnecessary intermediate products. Hard Rock Cocktails, in addition to amazing taste sensations, also provide unforgettable emotions when celebrating any occasion. Where can you find greater and unprecedented emotions than at motorsport events?”

Notes to editors:

About Patrick Heuzenroeder

Patrick has enjoyed a meteoric rise since embarking on his motorsport career aged 13 following a chance visit to a karting circuit in Sydney, Australia. After racing karts in his homeland for the next three years, he progressed to cars when he competed in the New South Wales Formula Ford Championship. Despite lying an excellent third in the championship standings with the season still in progress, Patrick took the brave decision to depart for the UK in pursuit of his dream of one day reaching F1.

Patrick’s talent was recognised by Ferrari in their 2022 Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection programme, in which he progressed to the final six from an initial line-up of 23 of the most talented young drivers in Asia, Oceania and Australasia. Narrowly missing out on progressing to the world final in Italy only increased Patrick’s determination to pursue a career in single-seaters.

Aged just 16, Patrick made the 10,000-mile trip from his native Australia to the UK – to dedicate himself entirely to motorsport. After a rigorous winter testing programme, he joined the FIA Global Pathway with Argenti’s British Formula 4 team for 2023. Racing in one of the most competitive British F4 fields ever, Patrick developed quickly and impressed sufficiently in his rookie year to go on to take part in the final two rounds of the Formula 3 level GB3 Championship – the UK’s leading single-seater championship. Following a successful GB3 winter testing programme in which he showed impressive pace, Patrick secured a full seat with reigning GB3 Teams’ Championship winners, JHR Developments, for the 2024 GB3 Championship season.  

About Hard Rock Cocktails

It was only a matter of time before the best cocktails prepared by selected bartenders from Hard Rock – the global hospitality chain – would become available to a wider group of consumers around the world. Our experience and a large group of bartenders have developed recipes for Hard Rock Cocktails, which have gained fans all over the world and, most importantly, among people who do not have a Hard Rock property in their immediate area.

About Diagonal Comms

Founded in June 2023 on its principals’ unrivalled experience in general sport, motorsport and automotive, Diagonal Comms delivers strategic, sophisticated, authentic, effective, media-savvy, no-nonsense communications, digital/social media, and influencer marketing based on peerless expertise and a passionate commitment to understand, and deliver against, our clients’ challenges and objectives.

With a rich and varied 30-year career in top-tier motorsport, including extensive journalism experience, followed by senior leadership communications roles within McLaren’s and Aston Martin’s Formula One operations, Matt Bishop has carved out a reputation as an immensely capable strategist and communications expert, with considerable hands-on experience of crisis communications management.

He is also a passionate advocate and ambassador for diversity, equity, and inclusion, since he was one of the founders of W Series, the women-only single-seater racing championship, and is a founder ambassador of Racing Pride, which was established in association with Stonewall and seeks to support and further the rights and interests of LGBTQ+ people in motorsport generally.

For more information, please contact:

Matt Bishop, Managing Director, Diagonal Comms: matt.bishop@diagonalcomms.com
Joe Downes, Business Director, Diagonal Comms: joe.downes@diagonalcomms.com

Patrick Heuzenroeder executed his most successful weekend in the GB3 Championship so far during Round 4 (22-23 June), securing two top-five finishes at the Hungaroring.

With sunny skies overhead, the Australian turned his first laps of the 4.381-kilometre (2.722-mile) Hungarian circuit on Thursday, taking part in 60 minutes of open testing. He immediately broke into the top ten, finishing the day in eighth place. Two 45-minute practice sessions under 35 C temperatures followed on Friday and underlined an encouraging start to the round; Heuzenroeder’s best lap time of the day placed him fifth.

The 18-year-old continued to excel as qualifying rolled around on Saturday morning, taking seventh place on the grid for Race 1 in a tightly contested session, finishing just 0.055 seconds shy of fifth. His second-best lap time secured a sixth-position start for Race 2 – the best of the JHR Developments team – and placed him in good stead for the following contests.

Heuzenroeder backed up a promising qualifying session with strong long-run pace as Race 1 got underway on Saturday evening. A brilliant launch off the line saw him challenge for sixth place on lap one, although he would settle down in eighth as the 20-minute race matured. He closely followed the championship leader to the chequered flag, bagging a healthy haul of points in the top ten.

Running off the high of his best finish of the season, Heuzenroeder rose to fifth position on the opening lap of Race 2. Overtaking opportunities across the 20-minute contest were scarce due to the Hungaroring’s technical layout and Heuzenroeder settled down inside the top five, however, he consistently proved faster than the car ahead.

A post-race penalty for a competitor would later elevate ‘The Racing Kelpie’ to fourth, building on the positive momentum from Saturday’s strong performances with his first top-five finish of 2024.

Heuzenroeder concluded the weekend with another impressive showing in Race 3 on Sunday afternoon. He started the 25-minute reverse-grid race from sixth position and climbed to fifth with a well-executed switchback overtake at Turn 2, before pressuring the championship leader while defending from the chasing pack in a level-headed manner as the race continued. Heuzenroeder crossed the line fifth, marking his best weekend of the season.

A haul of 46 points from GB3’s second round in Continental Europe elevates Heuzenroeder to tenth in the championship standings as we pass the halfway mark in the season. The next stop for the JHR Developments driver is Circuit Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, on July 13-14.

Patrick Heuzenroeder: “It’s been a really strong weekend. Even though it was my first time at the Hungaroring, we had the pace from the first practice session and we carried that speed forward into qualifying and all three races. Not only did we prove that we were fast over one lap, but we showed that we could challenge the front-runners over a full race distance. To round out the first half of the GB3 Championship season with my best weekend so far is a great feeling. We’re looking forward to maximising this momentum in Zandvoort in three week’s time.”