The 2025 EuroCup-3 season got underway this weekend at the Red Bull Ring. GRS showed strong pace throughout the event, scoring points in both races and leaving room for improvement as the year progresses.
The first round of EuroCup-3 took place on May 17 and 18. Now in its third season and continuing to grow steadily, the championship has established itself as the ideal stepping stone for drivers progressing from Formula 4 to FIA Formula 3.
The Red Bull Ring, located in the town of Spielberg in the Styrian mountains, hosted this season opener. A well-known venue across many international racing calendars, the track is famed for its elevation changes, high-speed sections, and multiple overtaking opportunities. It’s also a circuit where track limits often have a significant impact on race results.
GRS, a regular participant in EuroCup-3 since its inception, returned to the grid once again this year. The team contested the opening round with Yani Stevenheydens. The Belgian driver, runner-up in the French F4 Championship, made his debut in the category at the end of March, competing in the final round of the Spanish Winter Championship with GRS. Stevenheydens showed impressive adaptability to the new car, raising expectations for a strong performance.
The Belgian driver aimed to carry that momentum into qualifying—and he did just that, improving further to secure an excellent third place on the grid. He finished less than a tenth of a second off pole position in what was a standout performance.
Starting from P3, a podium finish was a realistic goal for GRS in Race 1. Unfortunately, things didn’t unfold ideally for the team. Stevenheydens lost a position in the early stages of the race. Car #74 held fourth place for the entire race, keeping a consistent gap to the car ahead without quite getting close enough to attack, while also successfully defending from behind. Unfortunately, a track limits penalty dropped him from P4 to P7 after the checkered flag.
Sunday began with the second qualifying session. Although the team couldn’t quite replicate Saturday’s pace, another solid effort saw Stevenheydens qualify eighth for Race 2.
In Race 2, Stevenheydens got off to a good start and briefly moved up to sixth place. However, his pace wasn’t as strong as on Saturday, and he lost positions as the race progressed. He eventually crossed the line in 9th, adding two more points to his tally.
GRS wraps up the opening round with a total of 8 points. The outlook for the season is highly encouraging. Together with Stevenheydens, the team has proven capable of consistently running in the Top 10 of this competitive EuroCup-3 field. Work will continue to score more points and improve performance with each race. The second round of the championship will take place on June 7–8 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão.
