GB3 Vice Champion at Monza
GB3 Vice Champion at Monza
Patrick Heuzenroeder crowned Vice Champion in thrilling GB3 Season Finale at Monza
Australian racing talent Patrick Heuzenroeder delivered in a dramatic final round of the 2025 GB3 Championship at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza, securing the Vice Champion title after a weekend of intense competition, and high-stakes and high speed racing.
Heading into the season finale at the famous Temple of Speed, Heuzenroeder held a 33 point lead over 3rd placed competitor meaning it was all to play for on his first visit to the famous circuit at Monza having had his lead dramatically narrowed following two unfortunate DNFs in which he was an innocent victim in the prior two rounds.
After strong official practice performances on Friday, Heuzenroeder held provisional pole in Qualifying 1 until the final lap, narrowly missing out on pole position by only 0.003 seconds – an incredibly close margin across the 5km plus track. Qualifying 2 saw some traffic but another strong performance with P3, again only 0.002 seconds off P2 – a testament to his technical precision and pace around the high speed Monza track.
In Race 1, Heuzenroeder started from P2 and immediately began applying pressure on the race leader which he continued to apply throughout the race. But with passing being so difficult as the cars reached maximum speed on the long Monza straights, despite his fast pace, he could only cross the line in second place, extending his lead in the championship points to 38.
Sunday morning’s Race 2 proved more challenging. Starting from P3, Heuzenroeder’s hopes were yet again to take a hit, dashed on the opening lap after a yet another racing incident forced him into a third DNF in three rounds, intensifying the fight for the runner-up spot in the championship between three drivers heading into the final race, his lead reduced to a 14 point gap between 2nd and 4th in the Championship standings.
With everything on the line, the reverse-grid Race 3 set the stage for one of the most exciting drives of the season. Lining up P10, and with both championship contenders starting ahead of him, Heuzenroeder needed a P5 to be sure of securing Vice Champion for 2025. A less than ideal get away and some first corner action saw Heuzenroeder pushed wide and dropping briefly to P14 after just two laps, whilst his championship rivals each took their turn leading the race. Undeterred, Patrick launched a stunning comeback, carving his way through the field with impressive overtakes, particularly the high speed passes in the famous and daunting 2nd Lesmo and Ascari curves. Setting multiple fastest laps along the way, he made up an amazing 9 places, ultimately to cross the line in P5.
With his rivals only able to secure P2 and P3 respectively in the race, Heuzenroeder secured enough points to be officially crowned the 2025 GB3 Vice Champion – a remarkable achievement after a year of impressive consistency and hard work. The achievement is all the more impressive given his team, Xcel Motorsport, is a brand new team to the Championship, able to take it to Championship rivals who between them have won every GB3 Championship over the past 6 years, and securing a P3 in the Teams’ Championship fight.
“It was an absolutely rollercoaster weekend,” said Heuzenroeder. “Qualifying was insanely close, and Race 1 felt great to be fighting at the front with real pace and a solid drive for P2. Race 2 was really tough to take, but I knew I had to get back up and give everything in the final race. My drive back up to P5 following the difficult first laps in Race 3 is one of the most rewarding races of my career – I delivered under pressure and am very happy with that performance. Such huge thanks to my team, my mentor David Brabham, my family and everyone who’s supported me this season.”
Heuzenroeder ends the 2025 GB3 season with a win and 4 podiums to his name, demonstrating consistency and impressive race craft, and earning a reputation for being a fierce competitor – he is one to watch.tps://www.gb-3.net
About Patrick Heuzenroeder
Patrick is a 19-year-old Australian racing driver currently battling for the lead in the British GB3 Championship after finishing 4th in the 2025 Toyota Formula Regional Championship in New Zealand and competing in 2024 in the British formula 3 series, GB3. Patrick is mentored by ex-F1 driver and 3x winner of Le Mans 24 Hour, David, Brabham, son of Sir Jack Brabham 3x F1 World Champion.
Patrick embarked on his motorsport career at 13-years-old after a chance visit to Sydney’s Eastern Creek go-kart circuit ignited his passion for racing. After kart racing in Australia for the following three years, Patrick made the jump to cars and circuit racing, competing in the 2022 NSW Formula Ford Championship where he was third overall in the standings before departing for the UK after his skill was recognised by Ferrari when Patrick earned a top six finals place from 24 competitors in the 2022 Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific trials.
2023 brought a season in British Formula 4 where the highlight of multiple top ten finishes in a competitive field of more than 20 drivers was an impressive third place at the demanding Snetterton track in Norfolk. For 2024 he moved up a gear and into GB3, Britain’s top single seater series, where he once again established himself as a regular points scorer and top five finisher.
Most recently in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in New Zealand Heuzenroeder has showed he can compete with the best from F2, F3, Indy Next and V8 Supercars, finishing in fourth place in the Championship with nine top 5 finishes and four podiums.
