George Proudford-Nalder and Dries Van Langendonck scored a win apiece on what was a milestone day for the Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA at Croft.
Taking centre stage in front of a capacity crowd, Virtuosi Racing’s Proudford-Nalder mastered the rain to win a thrilling reverse-grid contest before Rodin Motorsport’s Van Langendonck then triumphed in the 350th championship race for the UK’s premier single-seater series.
Drivers and teams were greeted by damp conditions at the start of the day at the North Yorkshire venue, and that only added further intrigue and excitement to what was a captivating second encounter.
Xcel Motorsport’s Jaber Alsabah started the race from pole position however the Kuwaiti’s time at the front was short-lived as both Proudford-Nalder and Scott Kin Lindblom (Hitech) made superior launches as the red lights went out.
Leap-frogging Alsabah on the run down to Clervaux, Proudford-Nalder and Kin Lindblom quickly established an advantage over the chasing pack before becoming embroiled in a thrilling back-and-forth battle for overall honours.
Showing immense skill and precision in what were challenging wet conditions, the top two had those lining the banks on the edge of their seats; with Australian Proudford-Malder placing his car in all the right places and Red Bull Junior Kin Lindblom time and again tried to find a way past.
In the end it was Proudford-Nalder that held firm out front to take his third win of the season. Along with his deserved second-place finish, Kin Lindblom underlined his wet-weather speed to claim the Lotus Fastest Lap.
Further back, Alsabah bounced back from his disappointing start to complete the podium in third and secure Rookie Cup spoils, although he was pushed all the way by Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport) who seemed to revel in the spray.
Theo Palmer (Hitech) enjoyed a relatively trouble-free drive to finish fifth ahead of Van Langndonck, who was another driver that demonstrated his overtaking prowess in the difficult conditions to claim sixth.
Completing the top ten was Tommy Harfield (Chris Dittmann Racing), Ethan Lennon (Rodin Motorsport), Lewis Wherrell (JHR Developments) and Joseph Smith (Virtuosi Racing).
The weekend then concluded with McLaren Development Driver Van Langendonck reigning supreme ahead of Wherrell in what was a landmark 350th race for Britain’s Formula 4 category.
Starting from pole position, the Belgian driver made a flawless start to hold the lead as the red lights went out, while both Wherrell and Lennon were able to get the better of front-row starter Chiara Bättig (Hitech) as they charged down to turn one.
Quickly latching onto the rear wing of Van Langendonck on the opening lap, Wherrell would shadow the championship leader throughout the entirety of the feature race however, try as he might, he was unable to get close enough to mount a proper challenge.
Van Langendonck’s wheel-perfect performance resulted in him not only taking a sixth win of the season, but he also clinched yet another Rookie Cup win and the Lotus Fastest Lap for good measure.
Runner-up laurels for Wherrell ensured that he remains firmly in the hunt for one of the biggest prizes on the FIA single-seater ladder, while Lennon capped off a fine weekend by securing the final step on the podium.
After losing two places at the start, Bättig went on to push Lennon all the way to the chequered flag to finish fourth, narrowly ahead of her team-mate Palmer. Further back, Jeff-Hall added to his points tally with a fine drive to fifth.
The final points-paying positions saw an almighty battle play out that included Harfield, Alsabah, Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) and Cash Felber (Fortec Motorsports).
Leaving Croft, Van Langendonck now sits 33 points ahead of Wherrell in the Drivers’ Championship with two events still to run. As they did prior to the weekend, Wherrell and Hitech lead the Rookie Cup and Teams’ standings respectively.
The penultimate event of the 2026 Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA will take place at the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, on 26-27 September.