The early battle for supremacy in the Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA is set to ramp up this weekend (9-10 May) as the UK’s premier single-seater series heads to Brands Hatch for the second meeting of the 2026 season.
Lifting the curtain on the new campaign at Donington Park last month, a record 31-car grid served up a trio of blockbuster races and three different winners in the shape of Dries Van Langendonck (Rodin Motorsport), Ethan Lennon (Rodin Motorsport) and Joseph Smith (Virtuosi Racing).
Now with momentum beginning to build, Britain’s Formula 4 category is primed to take centre stage in Kent for the first of two visits to Brands Hatch this year; with this weekend’s triple-header playing out around the short-sharp 1.207-mile Indy layout.
McLaren Driver Development Programme member, Van Langendonck arrives as the series’ early pace-setter, with the Belgian having added a pair of top ten finishes to the commanding victory that he claimed in round one a couple of weeks ago.
Looking to extend his early advantage in both the Drivers’ and Rookie Cup standings, Van Langendonck will be one to watch, however don’t expect him to have things all his own way as the chasing pack are hot on his heels.
Smith’s race three success last time out sees him occupy second, although there is little to choose between him and fellow podium finishers Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport), Scott Kin Lindblom (Hitech) and Theo Palmer (Hitech) at this early stage.
Elsewhere, Lennon will be buoyed by clinching reverse grid honours during his debut weekend whilst Jarrett Clark (Virtuosi Racing), Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) and Lewis Wherrell (JHR Developments) will all have an eye on silverware.
Leon Hedfors (Argenti Motorsport) marked his championship debut with a Rookie Cup podium and will be on the hunt for more. Also chasing success will be second-year racer Tommy Harfield, who endured a somewhat difficult start to his season.
The multiple race winner knows what it takes to run at the front of the field and he – along with his Chris Dittmann Racing team-mates Henry Mercier, Daniella Sutton and debutant Autumn Fisher – will all be eager to make their mark.
Another squad that will be hoping for better fortunes is Fortec Motorsports and their driver quartet of Kit Belofsky, Cash Felber, Roman Felber and Ethan Carney. They, along with Rodin Motorsport’s Alfie Slater, are more than capable of challenging for front-running honours in the next set of races.
Further down the grid, the aforementioned Hewetson will once again be joined by Jackson Wolny, Jaber Alsabah and Mate Kobakhidze at Xcel Motorsport. Meanwhile over at Hitech, race winner Adam Al Azhari and Red Bull Junior Chiara Bättig will have their sights set on a stronger showing.
JHR Developments’ Cameron Nelson will be looking to break into the top ten after a solid debut. while his team-mates Timo Jüngling and Haarni Sadiq will be looking to put points on the board for the first time this year.
Completing the grid for this weekend’s second event of the season is Australian George Proudford-Nalder (Virtuosi Racing) and the remaining two drivers from Argenti Motorsport; Chinese native Sun Anzhe and Norwegian ace Vegard Klemetson who aim to draw a line under a frustrating opening weekend at Donington.
Qualifying for the CADOLA Watches Pole Position Award takes place on Saturday morning at 10:00 with a split Qualifying format with two groups, before Race 1 gets underway later that afternoon at 16:10. Two more races – at 12:10 and 16:35 respectively – will then play out on Sunday.
Fans around the world will be able to watch every racing lap LIVE on the British F4 YouTube channel on Saturday, while Sunday’s two contests will also form part of ITV4’s free-to-air coverage in the UK.