The Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA signed off its 2026 season in spectacular fashion at Brands Hatch today (October 11) as Joseph Smith and Theo Palmer charged to victory in front of a packed house.
Concluding a campaign to remember, the UK’s premier single-seater series starred around the legendary Grand Prix circuit, with Virtuosi Racing’s Smith winning the reverse grid race before Hitech’s Palmer triumphed in a frantic finale.
Encompassing ten events and 30 races, this year’s British F4 season saw no less than 13 different drivers claim victories, while a further 19 also stood on the podium. When all was said and done however, it was Rodin Motorsport’s Dries Van Langendonck that was crowned 2026 champion.
Starting the year as one of the title favourites, the Belgian teenager lived up to all expectations as he swept aside the opposition to clinch both the Drivers’ and Rookie Cup titles. In the process, he also secured an invaluable 12 FIA Super Licence Points and ten sets of Pirelli P-Zero tyres for testing.
The final day of the season began with Smith producing a sublime performance to clinch his third win of the year. The Virtuosi Racing driver made a flying start in the reverse grid contest as he got the jump on pole-sitter Jaber Alsabah (Xcel Motorsport) heading into Paddock Hill Bend.
Despite having to contend with an appearance by the Lotus Safety Car, the British racer ran untroubled at the head of the record 32-car field, with the cherry on top being the fact that he led home team-mate Jarrett Clark; securing the first one-two finish of the season for any team. Smith’s faultless drive and clean air enabled him to bank an additional bonus point and the Lotus Fastest Lap Award.
Like Smith, Clark benefitted from Alsabah’s sluggish start to jump into second before then covering off the constant challenge from the Kuwaiti racer for the remainder of the bout. Alsabah ultimately settled for the third step on the overall podium and Rookie Cup honours.
Behind the top-three, Lewis Wherrell (JHR Developments) banked a strong haul of points in fourth ahead of Adam Al Azhari (Hitech) and George Proudford-Nalder (Virtuosi Racing) who completed the top-six.
Finishing hot on their heels to round out the top-ten was Alfie Slater (Rodin Motorsport) – who bagged a career-best finish of seventh – Chiara Bättig (Hitech), Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) and Palmer.
Having helped Hitech clinch the Team’s Cup on Saturday, Palmer ensured that the Silverstone-based squad had extra reason to celebrate in the final race of the season as he claimed a dominant lights-to-flag victory – his second of the weekend.
Starting from pole position, Palmer produced a clinical display to win by more than four seconds. In the process, he also scooped the Lotus Fastest Lap to ensure that he ended the year as Vice-Champion in his second campaign. As well as second in the series, Palmer won a prize from Atlassian Williams F1 Team – with a day of coaching from the Williams F1 Team Academy and sessions in the simulator – usually reserved for Williams Academy drivers to hone their craft.
Proudford-Nalder was best of the rest behind the Emirati-based driver after he went initially went wheel-to-wheel with Van Langendonck on the opening tour. Coming out on top of what was a feisty tussle, the Australian native cruised to his seventh podium of the term.
Ethan Lennon (Rodin Motorsport) competed the rostrum in third after coming out on top of a captivating battle that included Wherrell, Scott Kin Linblom (Hitech) and his Red Bull Junior stablemate Bättig.
Van Langendonck bounced back from his earlier duel with Proudford-Nalder to sign off his title-winning year with a seventh place finish; narrowly ahead of Al Azhari, Clark and Hewetson who capped the top-ten.
Now, the countdown to the 2027 Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA begins with the full calendar set to be announced in the coming weeks.