British GT Donington: Data Analysis and Post Race Debrief

The 2025 British GT Championship roared into life at Donington Park, and what an opener it was. A  grid of GT3 and GT4 machinery took to the track in a race that showcased fierce battles, smart strategy, and stunning individual performances. At the heart of it all was a dominant display by 2 Seas Motorsport, but the story of the weekend runs much deeper than the final standings suggest.

BRITISH GT DONINGTON PARK: ENTRY LIST | PREVIEW | MEDIA DAY GALLERY | PRACTICE REPORT | QUALIFYING REPORT | CHARLES DAWSON INTERVIEW | LIVESTREAM | RACE REPORT

GT3: 2 Seas Surge Ahead, But It Was No Walkover

2 Seas Motorsport made their intentions clear for the season ahead, claiming both first and third positions. Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss took the win in the #42 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, completing 76 laps in 2:01:23.752 at an average speed of 104.700 mph. Their consistency and outright pace were impressive—especially Jewiss, who posted one of the fastest average lap performances of the entire field, with a low-1:26 average across his best stint and a fastest lap of 1:25.517.

However, it was Barwell Motorsport’s Sandy Mitchell who arguably stole the show on raw pace. Paired with Alex Martin in the #78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2, Mitchell laid down the fastest average stint of the race, with laps routinely dipping into the mid-1:25s and a stunning best of 1:25.256. Their second-place finish, just 1.106 seconds adrift of the leaders, speaks volumes about how close this contest truly was.

Behind them, the sister 2 Seas entry (#18) of Kevin Tse and Mercedes ace Maximilian Götz completed the podium. Götz’s pace was also electric, setting a fastest lap of 1:25.743 and averaging in the high 1:26s. The team’s double-podium debut is a powerful statement in the GT3 title hunt.

Further down the top five, Team Abba Racing’s Sam Neary impressed with some of the most consistent lapping in the field (fastest lap: 1:25.981, average: 1:26.249), showing that the Neary father-son duo remains a competitive force.

GT4: McLaren Edges BMW and Mercedes in Multi-Marque Scrap

In GT4, Optimum Motorsport claimed class honours with Marc Warren and Jack Brown at the wheel of the McLaren Artura GT4 (#90). They completed 71 laps with a comfortable lead over the #71 Century Motorsport BMW and #12 Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Team Parker Racing. Brown’s average lap times were among the best in class, with a fastest of 1:33.670 and consistent pace averaging 1:34.222.

While it was a tough weekend for the Lotus Emira GT4s from Mahiki Racing, Josh Miller’s race stint caught the eye—his fastest lap of 1:34.282 was one of the quickest in GT4, indicating promise for future rounds.

Performance Trends: Who to Watch

• GT3 Top Guns: Sandy Mitchell and Kiern Jewiss both delivered eye-opening stints. Jewiss in particular showed metronomic consistency with low variation across his best laps.

• GT4 Stars: Phil Keen (Team Parker #30) was another standout in GT4, combining speed and control in his stint, with an average lap under 1:34.150.

• Wildcards: The #67 McLaren (Simon Orange and Marcus Clutton) showed top-tier pace, Clutton’s lap times were near the best, making them a team to watch when they’re back in the mix.

GT3: Lap Time Consistency vs. Peak Pace

#42 2 Seas Motorsport – Charles Dawson / Kiern Jewiss (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo)

• Race Result: 1st Overall
• Key Strength: Jewiss’s stint consistency
• Best Lap (Jewiss): 1:25.517 (one of the fastest in the field)
• Average of Best 50% Laps: ~1:26.030
• Standard Deviation: 0.160s – extremely consistent
• Analysis: Jewiss may not have had the single fastest stint, but his lap-to-lap consistency kept pressure off, minimized errors, and ensured track position was maintained. Dawson’s laps were slightly slower (~1:29 average), but the team’s clean execution and strong stint timing paid off.

 #78 Barwell Motorsport – Alex Martin / Sandy Mitchell (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2)

• Race Result: 2nd Overall
• Key Strength: Sandy Mitchell’s outright speed
• Best Lap: 1:25.256
• Average of Best 50% Laps: ~1:25.9 – fastest in field
• Standard Deviation: 0.210s – tight spread
• Analysis: Mitchell was, by numbers, the fastest driver on track. His stint was a masterclass in pace, but Barwell just fell short due to slightly slower laps from Alex Martin (averaging around 1:28.4) and losing a touch of time in traffic and pit cycle.

 #18 2 Seas Motorsport – Kevin Tse / Maximilian Götz (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo)

• Race Result: 3rd Overall
• Key Strength: Götz’s recovery stint
• Best Lap: 1:25.743
• Average Lap (Götz): ~1:26.179
• Analysis: Götz showed pace just a tick behind Mitchell and Jewiss. Tse’s first stint (~1:27.357 average) put them slightly on the back foot, but Götz clawed back time in the second half. With a slightly cleaner opening stint, this car had podium pace—and maybe more.

GT3 Strategy Watch: Who Managed Tyres & Traffic Best?

• #77 Optimum (Tillbrook / Kirchhöfer): Kirchhöfer was solid (~1:26.263 average), but Tillbrook’s laps in the 1:28–1:29 range cost them podium contention.
• #8 Abba (Neary / Neary): Sam Neary was lightning quick and highly consistent (1:26.249 average, 0.164s std dev), but Richard Neary lost more than 10s over the stint on average pace.
• #3 Optimum (Price / Macleod): Callum Macleod showed solid pace (1:26.402 average) but teammate Mike Price ran around 1:27.6–1:28 range, which hurt their combined effort.

GT4: Fastest in Class

 #90 Optimum Motorsport – Marc Warren / Jack Brown (McLaren Artura GT4)

• Race Result: 1st in GT4
• Best Lap (Brown): 1:33.670
• Avg (Brown): ~1:34.222 | Stable, smooth, mistake-free
• Analysis: A benchmark example of smart strategy and steady hands. Brown didn’t top the GT4 pace charts, but his consistent 1:35s kept the car in position while Warren avoided errors and kept things clean.

 GT4 Stars of the Stopwatch

• Phil Keen (#30): Fastest average of the GT4 field – 1:34.150 average, fastest lap 1:33.779. Had they not started further back and lost time early, this could’ve been a win.
• Josh Miller (#84 Mahiki / Lotus): 1:34,282 best lap and 1:34.577 average. Super strong performance.
• Will Burns (#41 Porsche): Very efficient stint with a 1:35.359 average and minimal lap time spread (~0.276s std dev). The car lost laps due to earlier incident.

Technical Observations & Trends

• Lap Time Delta Between Stints: GT3 teams with pro-am pairings showed an average 1.5–2.5 second gap between amateur and pro stints.
• Standard Deviation Tells All: Hugo Cook (0:00.141) and Tom Wood (0.129s) showed race-winning consistency, rarely deviating from their average pace—critical at a flowing circuit like Donington where rhythm is everything.
• Traffic Navigation: Fastest laps don’t tell the whole story. Drivers like Mitchell and Götz found pace in clear air, but those with better traffic management (Jewiss) made more consistent progress overall.

Failed to Finish but Dangerous: #67 Orange Racing

• Though the #67 McLaren (Simon Orange / Marcus Clutton) was disqualified (pending appeal), Clutton’s stint was worthy of note—his best laps were among the fastest in GT3 (down to 1:25.9) and average around 1:26.4. If reinstated or returned in Round 2, they could shake up the front runners.

GT3 Class: ​