Jarrett Clark and Dries Van Langendonck took a win apiece at a frenetic day’s racing in changeable weather at Brands Hatch today (10 May) in the Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA.
Race two – the weekend’s partially reversed grid contest – saw Clark become the latest driver to make his mark in the UK’s premier single-seater series as he became the fifth different winner in five races of the campaign.
Starting from pole position, the talented teenager made an immaculate launch as the lights went out and from that point forward he didn’t put a wheel wrong. His dominance was underlined by the fact that he also clinched the Lotus Fastest Lap Award.
Before Clark could begin to stretch his legs out front however, the safety car made an early appearance following an incident that took place between Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) and Roman Felber (Fortec Motorsports) through Surtees and McLaren.
On the restart, Clark wasted no time in breaking clear of the pack and quickly established a one second margin to Cash Felber (Fortec Motorsports) and leading rookie Jaber Alsabah (Xcel Motorsport) in second and third.
Despite remaining within touching distance of Clark throughout the encounter, neither Felber nor Alsabah could get close enough to the British racer, with the pair ultimately settling for their first-ever podium finishes in Britain’s Formula 4 category.
Behind the top three, Joseph Smith (Virtuosi Racing) bounced back from a non-finish yesterday to claim fourth, while Timo Jüngling (JHR Developments) recorded his best finish of the year by completing the top five and second on the rookie rostrum.
Jüngling’s JHR Developments team-mate Lewis Wherrell who rounded out the rookie podium, was next up, narrowly ahead of Dries Van Langendonck (Rodin Motorsport), who enjoyed a number of wheel-to-wheel battles with fellow title protagonists Theo Palmer (Hitech) and Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport).
Later in the day, McLaren F1 Development Driver Van Langendonck became the first repeat winner of the season in race three as he returned to the summit of the Drivers’ Championship following a remarkable finale that saw the grid split on tyre strategy.
Persistent rain prior to race three had left the 30 drivers arriving to the grid on wet tyres however with a drying track developing, almost half the field dived for the pit lane, with one being Belgian ace Van Langendonck.
As the lights went out, pole sitter Adam Al-Azhari (Hitech) led a depleted field off the line fending off the attentions of Ethan Lennon (Rodin Motorsport) and race one winner Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport), while in the pit lane, slick-shod cars were released onto the track.
With two races playing out at different sections of the circuit, all eyes were on the skies to see if those that gambled on slicks could catch the wet runners. They were soon given a helping hand however when the safety car came out following a spin for Lewis Wherrell (JHR Developments).
On the restart, Al Azhari remained resolute out front despite a drying track teasing greater performance from those on slicks. Buried in the pack as he crossed the line, Van Langendonck wasted no time on marching towards the front of the field as he began to thread his way up the order.
Switching up his lines at every overtaking spot, the Rodin Motorsport driver soon had the top five in his sights and, utilising his superior grip, he surged past Jeff-Hall and Al-Azhari to claim what would be his second win of the season.
He wasn’t the only driver to reap the benefits of switching tyre compounds either, as both Kit Belofsky (Fortec Motorsports) and Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) surged onto the podium, finishing second and third respectively.
Ethan Carney (Fortec Motorsports) was next with a season-best of fourth while Tommy Harfield (Chris Dittmann Racing) bounced back from a visit to the pit lane to secure fifth place.
Completing the top ten was fellow slick finishers Vegard Klemetsen (Argenti Motorsport) who came home second rookie and Chiara Battig (Hitech). Al Azhari held on to seventh with Mate Kobakhidze (Xcel Motorsport) third of the rookies and Joseph Smith (Virtuosi Racing) in hot pursuit in tenth.
Leaving Brands Hatch, Van Langendonck heads both the Drivers’ and Rookie Cup standings, whilst Rodin Motorsport have earned the early bragging rights in the Teams’ Cup.
The Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA continues its 2026 campaign in less than a fortnight, with Snetterton in Norfolk providing the setting for Rounds 7, 8 & 9 on the 23-24 May.