Dries van Langendonck made the perfect start to the 2026 Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA at Donington Park today (18 April), as the Rodin Motorsport driver charged to a commanding win ahead of Jarrett Clark and Theo Palmer in the series curtain-raiser.
Kicking-off what promises to be a blockbuster campaign for the UK’s premier single-seater series, a record 31-car grid took centre stage to deliver a spectacular opening contest – with van Langendonck ultimately claiming the early bragging rights in the season opener.
Having honed their set-ups during practice on Thursday, drivers and teams headed into a frenetic qualifying session around the 1.979-mile National circuit on Saturday morning – and it was a session that culminated in the top 23 cars being covered by less than a second.
The battle for top spot saw several drivers hold provisional pole until van Langendonck, who is part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, eventually laid down a marker for the rest of the field, setting a new lap record on his way to clinching the CADOLA Pole Position Award.
Palmer (Hitech) emerged as the Belgian’s closest challenger in second place, whilst Clark (Virtuosi Racing), Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport) and Joseph Smith (Virtuosi Racing) completed the top five.
Second fastest lap times dictated the starting order for the opening round of the season and van Langendonck wasted no time in stamping his authority on proceedings as he claimed a commanding lights-to-flag triumph.
Blasting away from pole position, the talented teenager quickly broke free of the chasing pack and once clear he didn’t look back. Clinching Rookie Cup honours in the process, his winning margin was an impressive four seconds.
Behind, Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Jeff-Hall kept a race-long watching brief of van Langendonck however he was unable to ever get close enough to make a serious move, especially as Palmer and Smith filled his mirrors throughout the duration.
Unfortunately, Jeff-Hall would be forced to serve a ten-second time penalty for exceeding track limits which ultimately dropped him to eighth. His demise promoted Clark and Palmer – another to fall foul of track limits – onto the podium for the first time in their British F4 careers.
Smith enjoyed a relatively trouble-free race to finish fourth, while American Cash Felber (Fortec Motorsports) showcased his overtaking prowess to move up a couple of positions and compete the top five.
George Proudford-Nalder (Virtuosi Racing) enjoyed a strong debut drive to finish sixth ahead of Ethan Carney (Fortec Motorsports) and the aforementioned Jeff-Hall, who was able to snare the Lotus Fastest Lap as a consolation.
Completing the top-ten was multiple race winners Adam Al Azhari (Hitech) and Tommy Harfield (Chris Dittmann Racing).
Further down the order a number of drivers found themselves in strife, including Vegard Klemetson (Argenti Motorsport) and Haarni Sadiq (JHR Developments) who clashed early-on at the final corner; Ethan Lennon (Rodin Motorsport) meanwhile suffered a rear left puncture after contact.
Races two and three of the Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA at Donington Park are scheduled to take place at 10:40 and 15:55 respectively on Sunday, with both races forming part of ITV4’s free to air coverage that commences at 10:45 BST.
For those wishing to watch outside of the UK, live stream coverage will be available via the official British F4 YouTube channel.