Highly decorated karting champion Lewis Gilbert will make the leap to the GB3 Championship with Arden Motorsport in 2026. The British driver from North Ayrshire is the first to step up directly into GB3 from karting for several years, and does so after being spotted by the new Arden Academy.
The 21-year-old was invited for a simulator session along with 11 other emerging talents, and was then selected by the squad to test GB4 and Formula Regional machinery. After impressing in both cars, he was offered an immediate GB3 seat and is now gearing up for his first car races in one of Europe’s most demanding categories.
Lewis was crowned European champion in 2018 and won the Rotax GP in the same year. Another title followed in 2021 with the British Open Championship honour, and was a two-time Vice World Champion the following year, as well as finishing third in the European Championship. He has also secured the Rotax British Open title.
While he’s yet to race cars, he has competed in a handful of rallies and was a front-runner in a recent contest at Knockhill, driving a Ford Fiesta Evo Proto.
Gilbert partners GB4 graduate Leon Wilson at the Banbury-based team, which makes its series return this year. The team's new Academy was launched earlier this month, and will hold two tests per year, selecting only the best in class to take a seat with the prestigious team, which is famed for race and championship-winning stints in F3000, Formula 2, GP2 and GP3.
Lewis Gilbert: “I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen to represent Arden Motorsport and am really excited for what’s ahead. There's a big learning curve ahead of me, but I'm ready for the challenge as always. A massive thank you to everyone involved in making this happen and to Arden Motorsport for putting their faith in me. I can’t wait for the first race now.”
Arden Motorsport Team Principal Garry Horner: “It’s not very often that we’d consider taking a driver straight out of karting into GB3, especially with the way the series has grown in the past couple of years, but we’ve seen a lot of potential in Lewis already and are confident he’ll show well with us this year.
“He’s already demonstrated his ability during official testing at Snetterton and Donington Park in recent weeks, stepping into a single-seater for the first time just this month, displaying constant improvements and mixing it with drivers boasting considerably greater experience. There’s no pressure on him, there’s a lot to learn this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he develops over the next few months.”
For more championship information, visit www.gb-3.net