Ollie Stewart hopes to return stronger in 2024 after GB3 Championship season draws to a close at Donington Park
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Scottish racer Ollie Stewart travelled to Leicestershire last weekend to contest the final round of the GB3 Championship 2023 season, where a top-five finish was the highlight of a hard-fought weekend.
After Friday’s tests were cancelled due to heavy rain, Stewart went straight into qualifying on Saturday morning but was not fazed, quickly up at the sharp end of the grid. When the flag was shown, despite being 0.7s from the fastest time, he finished 14th in a very competitive session.
Unfortunately, he was slow off the line for race one, losing a position before the safety car was called on the first lap. When racing returned, he lined up a move on Noah Ping at the final corner, but the pair made contact, causing his retirement.
Race two was off to another tricky start for the Beauly local, moving slowly due to a mechanical issue on the opening lap. Doing well to get back to the pit, the issue was fixed, and Stewart made it back out on track, albeit two laps down. Despite being quicker than multiple cars ahead, time ran out to make any forward progress, with the 16-year-old crossing the line 21st.
It was a rocket start to race three, with the youngster jumping up four positions in the first two laps of the 25-minute contest. With the safety car called due to a stranded car in the gravel, Stewart was running in fifth as the track went green again. There was one further racing lap, before the yellow flags were waved once again for another incident, with the race finishing under safety car conditions.
Despite dealing with a tumultuous season of mechanical issues and bad luck, the Scottish driver has consistently shown resilience and determination. His pace and talent has shone through to score a win at Spa Francorchamps amongst other top-10 finishes – performances that earned him 150 points in the championship across the year, finishing 16th overall.
Work will now begin over the winter break to make plans for next year, with the teenager hoping to be back on the grid in 2024.
“My fastest lap in qualifying was deleted which was a nightmare because I was up to third fastest at the time of it being set and would have ended up around seventh," Stewart explained.
"It's annoying but it was my own mistake. I ended up 14th but I tried to make the most of it.
“In the first race I went for a really good move but had a little bit of mid-corner understeer and was squeezed by another car, and unfortunately made contact. That ended the race there.
"I had a strong initial launch into race two but then had a mechanical failure and had to pit. I got back out but was too far behind to really do anything. It’s another frustrating end to a race that wasn't my own fault, which has happened a lot this season.
“After that I just wanted to make the most of my final race of the season. I had a great start, probably my best all year, making up a place into the first corner. I avoided some drama in front of me and made a good move to pass more cars before the safety car came out.
"We basically just followed the safety car home; I was quicker than some of the cars in front but obviously couldn't do anything about that. Overall, the pace was good all weekend, it was just plagued by some misfortune.
“As for the season on a whole, there are a lot of strong points. We won at Spa, had multiple fastest laps and some strong top five finishes, so there is a lot to be happy about.
"On the flip side, we also had a lot of breakdowns and mechanical failures which has been very disappointing, but at least we have learned a lot from this season, and I hope to come back even stronger next year.”
