GT3: Collard Holds Off Petrobelli in Nail-Biter Before Götz Seals It in Style
Saturday kicked off with a bang as the first of four GT3 qualifying sessions delivered a heart-pounding duel between James Collard and Valentino Petrobelli — a battle that swung back and forth right to the wire.
Petrobelli threw down the gauntlet early, but Barwell’s Lamborghini responded swiftly to snatch the top spot. Not to be outdone, the Italian hit back on his next lap, leading by just 0.03s. But it was Collard, muscling through a wild moment at Druids, who ultimately grabbed pole – his second at Oulton in as many years – by a razor-thin 0.014s.
Behind the front-row showdown, Kevin Tse delivered a last-minute stunner in his 2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG to clinch third, pushing teammate and championship leader Charles Dawson down to fourth. With just 0.063s covering the top four, Monday’s opener promises fireworks.
Mid-pack was equally fierce. A mere half-second blanketed fifth to 11th, with Simon Orange (Orange JMH) leading the McLaren charge in fifth. He edged Alex Martin by just 0.007s, while Mark Smith (Paddock) and Duncan Cameron (Spirit of Race Ferrari) rounded out the top eight.
Q2 may not have matched the AM session’s adrenaline, but it still delivered top-tier action courtesy of Maximilian Götz and Sandy Mitchell.
Sven Müller looked poised to capitalize on his earlier pace, but Götz soon pushed 2 Seas’ Mercedes-AMG to the front. Mitchell nearly nipped ahead, trimming the gap to a mere 0.007s, but Götz dug deep and sealed the deal with a 1m31.881s flyer — enough to edge Barwell’s Lamborghini by 0.062s.
Optimum’s McLaren also showed early promise, but Marvin Kirchhöfer was ultimately denied a top-three spot by Müller, who pitted late for fresh rubber and snatched third. That shuffled Optimum to row three alongside Jonny Adam’s Blackthorn Aston Martin, making it five different manufacturers in the top five — a tantalizing setup for race day.
Marcus Clutton (Orange JMH), Hugo Cook (Barwell), and Sam Neary (Team Abba) followed, while championship leader Kiern Jewiss settled for ninth, carrying an extra 25kg ballast into the weekend.
GT4: Sunshine, Rain, and Split Pole Glory for Miller and Robertson
GT4 qualifying brought a little bit of everything — sun, rain, and edge-of-your-seat drama — as Josh Miller and Jack Robertson split the pole positions in wildly contrasting conditions.
In the dry opening session, Miller wasted no time. The Mahiki Lotus driver scorched to his and the team’s second straight pole with a blistering first flyer — a lap seven tenths clear of the field. No one came close after that, and Miller didn’t need a second effort.
Optimum’s Luca Hopkinson trimmed the gap to 0.515s for second, with Ravi Ramyead impressing in Century’s BMW to win the Pro-Am battle and secure third overall. Marc Warren (Optimum) and Chris Salkeld (Century) completed the top five.
But then came the rain.
Q2 started under threat of drizzle, and conditions rapidly deteriorated. That made the first flying lap the only real shot at pole. Jack Brown looked to have it in the bag — until Robertson, just a few seconds behind, crossed the line 0.001s quicker to steal top spot.
The drama wasn’t over. Robertson’s next lap nearly ended in disaster as he slid off at Island Bend, skated across soaked grass, and spun perilously close to the tyre barriers. Miraculously, the car emerged unscathed.
Optimum’s session unravelled less dramatically but no less decisively. Both cars pitted after their initial laps and didn’t rejoin — a breach of Regulation 41.4 that relegates them to the back of Race 2’s grid.
That promoted Mahiki’s Jack Mitchell and Aiden Neate to second and third, with Joe Wheeler’s Emira and Brandon Templeton’s Century BMW rounding out the top five.
British GT roars back into action at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday with two 60-minute sprints. Catch every second live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel and Sky Sports F1 — you won’t want to miss it.
The RacerViews info
By Matt Hancock
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