Press Release

• Granfors vs. Browning: GB3 champion to be crowned in decisive finale 
• 2022 campaign set for dramatic climax at Donington Park

Joel Granfors will go head-to-head with title rival Luke Browning in one last, decisive scrap over the GB3 Championship crown this weekend in the final round of the season.

It all comes down to Donington Park, where some 100 championship points remain up for grabs across three season-ending races. Browning and Granfors enter the weekend separated by just 16,5 after a year of intense battling.  

The initiative has swung between the two title contenders throughout the campaign, with Browning currently slightly ahead going into the finale – chased by a determined Granfors.  

“I’m extremely motivated for this weekend,” says Joel Granfors. “I’m second in the standings and have got nothing to lose. I’ll give it everything I have and tackle this event just like any other. It’s going to be full attack.”

The up-coming weekend will mark the second GB3 round at Donington Park in 2022. At the series’ first visit back in May, Browning and Granfors were typically equally matched, with the pair even caught up in a high-profile incident that caused them both to retire in the first race of the meeting.

Interestingly, Granfors had started that particular race from pole position; a factor that leaves the Fortec Swede extra optimistic heading to the finale.

TRACK GUIDE: Donington Park

“Qualifying is going to be important this weekend, and we know we had a fast car last time out at Donington,” Joel Granfors concludes. “Generally, the team has been strong there in the past. If we can repeat what we did in May and get the pole, that will be a big advantage. Overtaking is pretty difficult and having track position, I think, will be key.
 
“I feel no pressure at the moment and am just looking forward to getting out there one last time this year, giving it my all.”

The 2022 GB3 Championship finale gets underway with two days of testing across Thursday and Friday. Qualifying takes place on Saturday morning, ahead of the first race of the triple-header meeting. Races two and three, in which the title will be decided, both play out on Sunday.  

GUIDE: GB3 Championship – how it works

Live streaming will be available for all three races throughout the weekend. Streaming will be accessible through the GB3 website and social platforms, as well as directly from the start page at www.joelgranfors.com. 

• GB3 title contender tries out next-level series in Spanish three-day test
• Swede sets Carlin team’s fastest lap

Joel Granfors slotted in behind the wheel of an FIA Formula 3 car for the first time this week as the F1 support series staged an official post-season test at Jerez, completing three productive days of running.

Granfors formed part of British outfit Carlin’s line-up in the test, which spanned three days across Wednesday-Friday.

The Swedish teenager completed a total 223 laps around the 4.4 km Jerez circuit, and recorded the fastest time of the week among Carlin’s contingent of drivers. Others on the squad’s line-up included America’s Hunter Yeany – who raced in the FIA F3 Championship in 2021 and 2022 – as well as Formula Regional European Championship frontrunner Hadrien David (France). 

“It’s been a positive test and I’ve learned a lot,” says Joel Granfors. “The F3 car requires a different driving style to what I’m used to from GB3. You really have to look after the tyres here, but I think I got the hang of it relatively quickly. It’s been constant progress and this afternoon we had a very strong race run to cap it off. It has been a great experience, working with the Carlin guys as well, and just getting a feel for this championship and paddock. I’ve definitely enjoyed it.”  

Joel Granfors will be back on track on October 14-16 for the GB3 Championship decider at Donington Park, where he is set for a straight shootout for the title with Britain’s Luke Browning. 

More information about this week’s FIA F3 test: www.fiaformula3.com

• GB3 title contender set for three-day test at Jerez
• Swede to line up for single-seater powerhouse Carlin

Joel Granfors will make his debut behind the wheel of an FIA Formula 3 car this week as he takes part in a three-day test at Jerez, Spain.

Granfors – who is currently locked in a title fight in the British-based GB3 Championship – will try out the Formula 1 support series for the first time, driving for the renowned Carlin team throughout the three days of running from Wednesday-Friday.

“Getting the chance to drive an FIA F3 car for the first time will be exciting,” says Joel Granfors. “I’m really looking forward to trying it out this week at Jerez and to work with Carlin, one of the most legendary teams in motorsport. It will be a case of simply learning the car and getting a feel for the championship, and hopefully we can have a productive three days together.”  

In lining up for Carlin at this week’s test, Granfors’ first acquaintance of the 380-bhp Dallara-built F3 car will come with one of the most successful teams in junior-level racing. 

The UK-based operation has won a multitude of championship titles in Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4, Indy Lights and more, with over 200 drivers passing through its doors on their way to stardom – including the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Lando Norris and George Russell. 

The FIA Formula 3 Championship is one of the prime junior single-seater categories on the road to Formula 1, with all races forming part of the Grand Prix support bill. The grid features ten teams and a total of 30 cars. 

More information about FIA F3: www.fiaformula3.com

• Swede on the podium once again on mixed weekend at Brands Hatch 
• Title-decider to play out in tense season-finale next month

Joel Granfors will find himself at the centre of a captivating title climax in next month’s GB3 Championship finale, after another weekend of close-fought action across the penultimate round of the season at Brands Hatch.

Granfors took a slender lead into this weekend’s races, but lost ground to title nemesis Luke Browning around the Brands Hatch GP loop – with the duo now separated by virtually nothing in the standings.

Fortec driver Granfors opened the event with his 11th podium of the season, taking third in Race 1 on Saturday, and followed it up with fourth in Race 2.

In the concluding reverse-grid Race 3, the 17-year-old then made up a full six places on the opening lap alone, going from 18th to 12th and appearing primed for an important result as he ran well ahead of Browning.

Granfors continued to haul himself into the top ten as the race resumed following a red flag, only to see it all come undone when picking up front wing damage and vaulting down the order as the pack blazed through. He ultimately pitted for repairs, rejoined, and finished 19th.

Browning, meanwhile, lined up a P2, P2, P9 string that enabled him to take over the championship lead – the 20-year-old Briton edging 15.5 points clear to set up a thrilling showdown with just one round remaining and more than 100 points up for grabs.

“We’ve had good pace for much of the weekend, but unfortunately we didn’t bring the points home to show for it,” says Joel Granfors. “It was especially frustrating to lose out on the points in Race 3, where I’d made such a good start. It’s going to be an interesting finale, for sure, and I’m already looking forward to it.”

The GB3 Championship finale takes place at Donington Park on October 15-16. It will feature a straight two-way shootout for the title between Granfors and Browning.

RESULTS

GB3 Championship
Rd. 7 | Brands Hatch

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

GB3 Championship
After 7/8 rounds

1: Luke Browning (GBR), 430 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 414.5 p.
3: Callum Voisin (GBR), 312 p.
4: Roberto Faria (BRA), 305.5 p.
5: Tom Lebbon (GBR), 294.5 p.

View full standings

• Crucial weekend awaits in Granfors/Browning GB3 championship drama 
• Penultimate round of the season to be staged at Brands Hatch

GB3 Championship leader Joel Granfors is heading to the daunting Brands Hatch GP loop this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2022 campaign, as the title race heats up and enters a decisive stage of the season.

The Swedish Fortec driver currently leads the standings by 11.5 points from Hitech GP rival Luke Browning, with third-placed Callum Voisin (Carlin) a further 66 points adrift. 

Granfors has won two races so far this season, including one last time out at Silverstone, and is the only driver in the field to have graced the podium at each of the six championship meetings to date.

As the GB3 fraternity heads to Brands Hatch, the teenage rookie is keen for more – especially after topping an official test at the same track last week.  

TRACK GUIDE: Brands Hatch GP

“The GP track at Brands Hatch is a fantastic circuit,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s fast, flowing and challenging, which is exactly what you want as a racing driver. It’s hard to overtake there, though, so qualifying will be important.” 

In his capacity as championship leader, Granfors is the only driver who could mathematically seal the title in advance this weekend, although that remains largely unrealistic given the close nature of the fight with Browning.   

Instead, Granfors is bracing himself for another hard-fought weekend, well aware that the trio of races at Brands Hatch will play a pivotal role in setting up the decisive showdown at Donington Park next month. 

“We were fastest in testing on the GP track last week, which makes me confident, but I know it’s going to be close with Luke once again,” Granfors admits. “It will come down to delivering on the day, when it counts.”

Running begins at Brands Hatch on Friday with an opening day of testing, which will take place on the venue’s shorter “Indy” loop. The field then shifts across to the full-length GP circuit from Saturday onwards. The first race of the meeting takes place on Saturday, and the last two on Sunday. 

GUIDE: GB3 Championship – how it works

Live streaming is available for all races throughout the entire season. Streaming will be accessible through the GB3 website and social platforms, as well as directly from the start page at www.joelgranfors.com. 

• Swede takes second win of the season at Silverstone 
• Fortec racer completes sensational podium clean-sweep

Joel Granfors completed a near perfect weekend of racing at Silverstone to snatch the GB3 Championship lead, racking up a victory and podium clean-sweep in a critical phase of the season.

The Swede arrived at Silverstone with a 30.5-point deficit to erstwhile championship leader Luke Browning, but nurtured high hopes of turning the tables at the British Grand Prix track – where he scored his first win of the season earlier this year – and duly delivered in style.

After going quickest in both Thursday and Friday testing, Granfors converted a front row grid slot into victory in the first race of the triple-header meeting, scoring his second win of the campaign.

It was in Sunday’s Race 2, however, that Granfors overhauled Browning to snatch the championship lead courtesy of a third-place finish.

The most emphatic drive of all would still lie ahead, though, as Granfors stormed through from 18th in the reversed-grid final race to P3 at the flag, completing a sensational podium clean-sweep.

In making up a massive 15 places, Granfors’ rise through the field is the largest seen in GB3 this season. It also makes him the only driver so far in 2022 to grace the podium in each of the three races that make up a GB3 event.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend,” says Joel Granfors. “Perhaps the best of my career. We really needed to deliver this weekend. Taking a win, a third place and another podium from 18th on the grid in Race 3 is more than we could have asked for. It’s been a big weekend for the entire team, of course, and all the Fortec guys have done a great job.”

Granfors maximised an opportunity handed to him over the weekend when Hitech GP, the team fielding main rival Browning, were disqualified after qualifying for a technical infringement. 

With the Hitech cars relegated to the back of the grid, Granfors made the most of the situation to snatch the championship initiative and establish an 11.5-point lead. 

“This was an extremely important weekend in championship terms,” Joel Granfors concludes. “I knew that I needed to deliver here at Silverstone, where we know we’re strong, and that’s exactly what we did. It’s an incredible feeling to be honest. It’s game on and we’re going for the title, no doubt.”  

The GB3 Championship now enters a six-week summer break, with racing resuming at Brands Hatch for the penultimate round of the season on September 9-11.

RESULTS

GB3 Championship
Rd. 6 | Silverstone

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

GB3 Championship
After 6/8 rounds

1: Joel Granfors (SWE), 369.5 p.
2: Luke Browning (GBR), 358 p.
3: Callum Voisin (GBR), 292 p.
4: Roberto Faria (BRA), 274.5 p.
5: Max Esterson (USA), 255.5 p.

View full standings

• Swede looking for Silverstone victory repeat 
• Important weekend ahead in GB3 title fight

Just a few days after the visit to Spa-Francorchamps, Joel Granfors is back on track this weekend for a new, important battle in the GB3 title race.

The British-based single-seater series returns to home this week after its Belgian excursion, where runaway title contenders Granfors and Luke Browning set the pace once again. 

Granfors currently trails Browning by 30.5 points with three championship rounds and nine races to go – but as for the days immediately ahead, it’s the Swedish Fortec Motorsports man sitting in the prime seat.

Coming up this weekend, namely, is a return to Silverstone – the site of an emphatic showing for Granfors when GB3 last visited back in May. 

TRACK GUIDE: Silverstone

Back then, the GB3 rookie stormed to a dominant pair of pole positions, lapping more than three tenths clear of his fellow rivals, en route to his first win in the championship.

“Silverstone remains my best event so far this season, and I have great memories from our races there earlier in the year,”says Joel Granfors. “I’m excited to be back. I know it’s going to be an important weekend for us, and I have to make the most of it. I’m ready. We have a fantastic package around Silverstone and I see no reason not to aim for victory. We’ll give it our all and I need to make up some ground, so I’ll be flat out!” 

Granfors will join the rest of the field for two days of testing on Thursday and Friday, with stakes then raised on Saturday for qualifying and Race 1 of the triple-header event. Races two and three play out on Sunday. 

GUIDE: GB3 Championship – how it works

Live streaming is available for all races throughout the entire season. Streaming will be accessible through the GB3 website and social platforms, as well as directly from the start page at www.joelgranfors.com. 

• Swedish GB3 rookie finishes runner-up in Belgium
• Action-packed triple-header in the Ardennes

Joel Granfors picked up the seventh podium of his rookie GB3 Championship campaign this weekend as the British-based series made its annual summer trip to Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.

Racing at the famed 7.004 km Formula 1 track for the first time of his career, Granfors wasted no time settling in, topping one of Friday’s practice sessions and qualifying second and third respectively for the opening two races – despite using only one set of tyres.

The first race of the triple-header meeting saw Granfors come home second to main title rival Luke Browning and, with his remaining set of new tyres still available, things were looking more promising still entering Race 2.

Granfors duly grasped the opportunity, coming out on top of a three-wide battle with Browning and Branden Oxley down the long Kemmel straight to snatch the lead on the opening lap.

Oxley tried to hang it out around the outside of Granfors through the following Les Combes section, but ran wide and retired with damaged suspension – tagging Granfors’ Fortec machine as he bounced back across the track.

The race then quickly turned into yet another Granfors/Browning showing, the duo lapping over a second per lap faster than their rivals. Browning managed to re-take the lead and win, 1.5s ahead of Granfors who thus celebrated his second podium in the space of a few hours beneath the striking Belgian sun.

However, a controversial stewards decision – handed out the day after the race – retroactively stripped Granfors of his Race 2 podium. In a surprising development, the Swede was handed a ten-second time penalty for the situation involving Oxley on lap one, demoting him to fourth in the final classification.

”Spa is a fantastic circuit and we’ve had close, tight racing this weekend,” says Joel Granfors. “For me, the situation with Oxley was a clear racing incident and I don’t agree with the penalty, but it is what it is. Anyway, the pace has been strong once again. We were lacking a few tenths to Luke, but we’ve had everyone else pretty much under control, and for my first time here at Spa I’m certainly pleased with my performance.”

In the concluding reverse-grid Race 3 on Sunday, Granfors and Browning lined up at the back of the grid. In an eventful encounter, which featured a red-flag stoppage and two safety car interventions, the final results were eventually counted back to the end of the very first lap, with Granfors classified 16th and Browning 18th. Only half points were awarded.

Following this weekend’s races, Granfors remains in second place in the overall GB3 standings, 30.5 points adrift of Browning.
The GB3 Championship will now return to the UK, where racing resumes in just one week’s time at Silverstone. Joel Granfors scored a lights-to-flag victory at the British GP track in the second round of the season earlier this year.

RESULTS

GB3 Championship
Rd. 5 | Spa-Francorchamps

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

GB3 Championship
After 5/8 rounds

1: Luke Browning (GBR), 311 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 280.5 p.
3: Max Esterson (USA), 232.5 p.
4: Callum Voisin (GBR), 206 p.
5: Roberto Faria (BRA), 203.5 p.

View full standings

• GB3 Championship heads to Belgium for only non-British round of 2022
• Granfors keen for maiden outing at legendary Grand Prix track

The Belgian Grand Prix ranks among motorsport’s absolute classics. This weekend, Joel Granfors will get his first-ever taste of the venue that’s made the challenging Formula 1 race a favourite with fans and drivers alike: the daunting Spa-Francorchamps in the heart of the Ardennes forest. 

The only GB3 round outside of the UK takes the championship to one of racing’s most famous arenas. The challenges posed by the 7.004 km Spa circuit – the longest on the entire calendar – include the high-speed Eau Rouge, Pouhon and Blanchimont sweepers, all taken at roughly 250 km/h in GB3 machinery. 

TRACK GUIDE: Spa-Francorchamps

Add an infamous micro climate, with instant weather changes and sudden downpours, and it’s easy to see how Spa-Francorchamps – with its 100 years of history – has staged some of motorsport’s most iconic races.

“Spa will be something very special, and it’s definitely the one track I’ve been looking forward to the most this year in GB3,” says Joel Granfors. “I’ve driven it a lot on the sim and I really, really like it, but I’ve never been there yet in real life. It has a bit of everything: long straights, fast corners, hairpins… The racing is going to be great with lots of slipstreaming. I can’t wait to hit the track.”

Granfors enters the weekend in Belgium sitting second in the GB3 standings, just behind current leader Luke Browning. Spa marks the beginning of the second half of the season, with four rounds (12 races) remaining in the intensifying title fight.

GUIDE: GB3 Championship – how it works

“Luke and I have opened up a small gap at the top of the standings, but it’s still early days,” Joel Granfors continues. “I know it’s all open at this stage, but of course my plan is to retain the championship lead. Let’s see how we go at Spa, which is a bit of an unknown, but clearly we’ve had good pace all year and I’m aiming to win every weekend.”

Practice at Spa begins on Friday, which also features qualifying. The first two races of the weekend take place on Saturday, with the concluding heat – the reverse-grid Race 3 – due on Sunday. 

Live streaming is available for all races throughout the entire season. Streaming will be accessible through the GB3 website and social platforms, as well as directly from the start page at www.joelgranfors.com. 

• Fortec Swede the blink of an eye from victory at Snetterton 
• Close racing between title rivals as Granfors/Browning battles entertain

Joel Granfors clinched a fresh pair of podiums in this weekend’s mid-season round of the GB3 Championship at Snetterton, the Swede coming within fractions of victory after an entertaining duel with main title rival Luke Browning. 

Granfors was a regular frontrunner throughout the Norfolk meeting, going second fastest across Thursday and Friday testing and then repeating the same performance to take P2 in qualifying.

Lining up on the front row for both of the opening two races of the weekend, Granfors duly converted his grid slots into a brace of rostrum visits, taking his fifth and sixth podium finishes of the year after some serious battling.

A slow getaway cost the Fortec youngster one position at the start of Race 1, with Browning – second behind Granfors in the standings going into the weekend – able to slip ahead.

It set up a fierce tussle not only for second, as Granfors put Browning under immense pressure, but also for the win as both title rivals shadowed eventual winner Callum Voisin throughout the 12-lap encounter.

The Granfors/Browning saga then stepped up another gear in Race 2, with the pair sharing the front row of the grid and Granfors frantically pressurising Browning for victory.

The British Hitech GP driver managed to defend his lead throughout, however, with Granfors eventually crossing the line a mere 0.235s behind; the equivalent of a human blink.

”It’s been a good weekend, with two podiums and strong pace throughout,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s definitely a good result, and it’s been really close between Luke and I all weekend. I did feel quicker than him, but it’s hard to overtake around Snetterton and he did a good job defending. Tight, close racing, and next time hopefully the margins will be on my side instead.”

In the concluding reverse-grid race on Sunday afternoon, Granfors went from 21st to 16th, picking up some further crucial championship points. 

With exactly half the season now completed, Granfors now sits second in the GB3 standings, just 11 points behind new leader Browning. Meanwhile, the top two have opened up a 40-point gap over third-placed Brazilian Roberto Faria.

“It’s obviously a little bit frustrating to drop some points to Luke this weekend, but we’re basically tied heading into the second half of the season,” Joel Granfors concludes. “It’s absolutely all to play for and I feel really confident with the pace we have at the moment. I’m up for the fight!” 

Next up on the GB3 Championship calendar is the only non-British round of the season, with Belgium’s iconic Spa-Francorchamps playing host to the next chapter in the title race on July 23-24.

Joel Granfors will pay a visit to Formula 1 world champions Red Bull Racing’s Milton Keynes premises on Monday, receiving his prize factory tour for leading the GB3 standings following last month’s Donington Park round.

RESULTS

GB3 Championship
Rd. 4 | Snetterton

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

GB3 Championship
After 4/8 rounds

1: Luke Browning (GBR), 239 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 228 p.
3: Roberto Faria (BRA), 187 p.
4: Max Esterson (USA), 181 p.
5: Callum Voisin (GBR), 172 p.

View full standings