Conducted and written by Ellie Nicholls, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
Currently competing in the GB3 championship with JHR Developments, 18-year-old Australian driver Patrick Heuzenroeder grew up in a household where some form of racing was always on television.
From a young age, he idolised drivers in the likes of Sebastian Vettel for their driving skills and championship-winning attitudes - but never considered pursuing motorsport himself until a chance visit to a go-kart track near his home in Sydney, which sparked a love for racing.
Speaking to DIVEBOMB, Heuzenroeder explained that, even after he started go-karting, progression to single-seaters wasn’t something he initially thought about:
“[I didn’t immediately consider it], because I was 13, so I was quite late. In 2022 I was doing karting, Formula Ford, and then I did this Ferrari Driver Academy selection camp in Malaysia that went really well.”
“[After that] it was like, alright, I really want to go overseas - and then go for Formula One.”
Run by Motorsport Australia, the Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection camp aimed to identify talented young drivers from the region by giving them the opportunity to drive a Formula Four car around the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
As well as providing young talents with the opportunity to learn more about motorsports and springboard their careers, one driver would progress to the FDA Scouting World Finals with a chance to become a Ferrari Junior driver.
Probably the least experienced of the 23 drivers chosen for the selection camp in 2022, Heuzenroeder managed to progress to the final six despite having never raced an F4 car previously - and he told DIVEBOMB that the experience was the most important milestone of his career so far.
“It was an unexpected opportunity. I registered for it, and made it in. When I went over there, it was like - I’m just going to learn from this experience, get to drive a Formula 4 car, get to see what motorsport is like.
“But then I made the top six, and all of a sudden it became very serious because I wanted to make the top two to get to Maranello - which didn’t happen, unfortunately, but nonetheless I learned so much.
“[This experience] is what sort of springboarded me over to the UK. Motorsport Australia - we had a meeting afterwards, and they were like ‘You’ve got to get out of Australia and go overseas.’ That’s where the overseas side of things came from.”
Making the 10,000-mile move from Australia to the UK at the age of just 16 was not only going to be beneficial for Heuzenroeder - it was a necessary step in pursuing his dream of becoming a Formula One driver.
“It’s tough moving from the other side of the world.” admitted Heuzenroeder. “I don’t think anyone really knows what it’s like unless you’re Australian.
“But I had my parents, and with technology now, you can just chat to anyone at any time, which definitely made it easier. [And] I was over here doing what I love - so I guess there’s worse things to do, right?”
This year, Heuzenroeder has also been backed by fellow Australian David Brabham as he continues to make progress throughout his career.
With plenty of experience in motorsport as an ex-F1 driver and a multiple Le Mans winner, Brabham said that he will be working with Heuzenroeder from 2024 onwards, citing the young driver’s talent and ambition as motivation for supporting him on the journey to the pinnacle of motorsports.
“It’s been hugely important [having the backing of David Brabham],” said Heuzenroeder. “We started working together back in February, and the amount of advice and tips he’s given me, just from all of his experience, has been invaluable.
“He’s come to test days, he showed up to three or four races - all while racing himself. He’s been a great help. We catch up after every race weekend, before every race weekend and just discuss what’s going on.”
Brabham’s support and experience has been crucial to Heuzenroeder’s success and progress throughout his first year of GB3 - but the young Australian shared with DIVEBOMB that his experienced teammate John Bennett has also helped in the process of adapting to the series.
“Just learning [about] the car has been a big thing for me. But John [Bennett], he’s been a great help because he’s in his third year [of GB3]. His experience has been valuable because he knows the car so well.”
“[GB3 is] a big, big step up from F4, but once you do some winter testing, you sort of get your head around it.”
Following his 2023 British Formula 4 campaign, Heuzenroeder was promoted mid-season to GB3, completing the final two rounds of the season with Elite Motorsport. The Australian driver proved himself to be competitive from the outset, achieving two points finishes and a podium in just his second race weekend in the series.
In 2024, he stepped up to GB3 full-time with last year’s championship-winning team JHR Developments, taking part in winter testing and assessment for the team in 2023 ahead of joining them for his maiden campaign this year.
In an extremely competitive field, Heuzenroeder has managed to adapt well to the series across the year, displaying strong pace and achieving solid results throughout - particularly during the European leg of the season.
Hungary was arguably Heuzenroeder’s best weekend so far in GB3: qualified seventh, narrowly missing out on a podium in race two and finishing strongly across all three races.
Heuzenroeder told DIVEBOMB the key to his success that weekend:
“[The Hungaroring] is a really nice track to drive around. I like the car fairly pointy on the front end, so with the high-speed corners it suited how I like the car.
“I felt like we (JHR Developments) arrived at the track with a really strong car, so there wasn’t much tweaking to be done. We could just crack on with driving and learning the track.”
The GB3 rookie also shared that the fact that the series hadn’t raced at the circuit before evened the playing field for him in terms of experience, meaning the results were based purely on his ability as a driver.
“Everyone had to learn the track at the same rate, and I felt like I was quite strong at doing that. It set me up for a strong weekend, and then I raced and qualified really well from then on in.”
Zandvoort was another strong weekend overall for the Australian driver. Despite a difficult DNF during the first race and the adverse weather conditions across the weekend, he expressed that he felt happy knowing he qualified and raced strongly - even earning a podium in race three.
“The pace was there on Thursday and Friday. Qualifying was nice and strong,” he said, “then another top-five result [in Race Two]. And then to get on the podium after that was really good.
“I would have liked to win, because I led into turn one. But you know - I can’t complain about the trophy.”
Reflecting on his maiden GB3 season as a whole, Heuzenroeder expressed:
“I’d say it’s been alright. I was in the top ten of the championship until [Donington Park], so the progression has been there, and I’ve been really happy about that. It’s what this year has been about: learning.
“My pace is strong now, and I’ve worked my way from being happy if I was just inside the top 12, to now being well within the top ten on most days.”
It was a disappointing weekend last time out at Donington Park for Heuzenroeder, as an interrupted qualifying session meant he was unable to convert his good pace in testing and practice to a strong points haul - earning just nine points across the three races.
However, despite the disappointment, he maintains a positive mindset - choosing to focus on the fact that he had the pace around the circuit in testing, and still managed to achieve two points finishes after an unlucky qualifying session.
“I think the important thing is that people have recognised that [the performance is there]. And the only thing you miss out on is some points. I know the pace is there, and that’s what is important, because I’m the one turning the steering wheel.”
Going into the final race of the season at Brands Hatch, Heuzenroeder currently sits 12th in the standings with 165 points.
However, with a maximum of 105 points on offer at the 2024 season finale, nothing is settled yet, and there are still plenty of opportunities for him to rise a number of places in the standings.
When asked if his mind is focused on the championship, or simply ending his maiden season on a high, Heuzenroeder explained: “I think they come hand in hand to be honest. You go into the weekend trying to perform at your best, and when you perform at your best, you score the most points.
“I’d like to get back into that top ten in the championship. I’ve proven that I can be there the whole season. It’s a pretty tight little bunch there, so it’ll be interesting, but I’ve got confidence heading into the weekend. Let’s see what I can do.”
GB3 heads to Brands Hatch on the 28th of September for the final race weekend of the 2024 season, with Heuzenroeder currently just 20 points short of the top ten.
No matter where the Australian driver ultimately finishes in the championship, it is certain that he has a bright future ahead of him as he progresses towards his ultimate goal: Entering Formula One.
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