Chase Fernandez and James Piszcyk made it three different winners from the opening three races of the 2025 Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA season as they shared spoils on what was a super Sunday at Donington Park.
In front of a capacity crowd at the Leicestershire venue, Fernandez (Xcel Motorsport) opened his win account for the year with a measured drive in the reverse grid contest, before Piszcyk (Rodin Motorsport) came to the fore in a frenetic feature race finale.
Basked in bright sunshine, the day’s opening encounter around the National circuit saw Fernandez withstand late pressure from Martin Molnár (Virtuosi Racing) to claim a maiden single-seater victory.
Starting from second on the grid, the Ginetta Junior graduate got the jump on pole-sitter Joel Bergström (JHR Developments) to take the lead on the run down to Redgate, while those behind jostled for position.
Towards the end of the first lap, the quartet of Henry Joslyn (Fortec Motorsport), Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport), Yuhao Fu (Xcel Motorsport) and Ella Lloyd (Rodin Motorsport) all clashed at Coppice – resulting in a safety car to allow for Fu’s car to be recovered.
On the restart, Fernandez controlled proceedings out front, however last year’s Rookie Cup champion Molnár soon became the driver to watch as he found a way past Rowan Campbell-Pilling (JHR Developments) and Bergström on consecutive laps.
Posting successive fastest laps, it wasn’t long until the Hungarian was on the rear wing of Fernandez before drawing alongside him on the run down the start straight. Fernandez would hold firm and with Lloyd coming to a stop on the track after Coppice, the red flag was waved.
With two minutes remaining, Fernandez was declared the winner, while Molnár and Bergström completed the top-three; Piszcyk (Rodin Motorsport), Leo Robinson (Hitech TGR) and Harri Reynolds (JHR Developments) – the Challenge Cup victor – rounded out the top-six.
Hitech TGR’s Fionn McLaughlin bounced back from an early trip through the Old Hairpin gravel trap to finish seventh ahead of Campbell-Pilling, who had been given a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.
Completing the top ten was Adam Al Azhari (Rodin Motorsport) and Xavier Avramides (Hitech TGR).
The weekend’s third and final contest saw Piszcyk become the latest driver to stand on the top step of the podium after both August Raber and McLaughlin – who were running first and second respectively – were hit with time penalties for exceeding track limits.
Jumping pole sitter Joslyn as the lights went out, round one winner Raber wasted no time in establishing a lead at the front of the field, although the duo of McLaughlin and Piszcyk – who also dispatched Joslyn at the start – were within striking distance.
With very little separating the top three as the laps ticked by, McLaughlin became the first of several drivers to be deemed to have exceeded track limits, copping a five-second time penalty in the process.
Despite seemingly being in control of proceedings, Raber would soon become the next driver to be penalised for the same offence. Frustratingly, he would be unable to pull clear of the chasing pack too, as the red flag was thrown soon after following an incident between Lloyd and Bergström at Redgate.
Piszcyk was therefore declared as the winner, and he was joined on the podium by Challenge Cup winner Tommy Harfield (Chris Dittmann Racing) and Molnár.
Campbell-Pilling, Fernandez and Robinson filled the remaining top six positions, with Raber ending up seventh. Completing the top-ten was Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport) and pole sitter Joslyn.
Leaving Donington Park, Piszcyk holds a two-point lead over Molnár in the Drivers’ Championship, while McLaughlin and Harfield lead the Rookie Cup and Challenge Cup standings respectively.
Molnár secured the Pirelli Hardest Charger Award on behalf of Virtuosi, having secured the lowest cumulative finishing positions from all three races.
The Wera Tools F4 British Championship, certified by FIA doesn’t have to wait long until it is next in action, as the series heads to the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, this coming week (May 2-3) for Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the 2025 campaign. Saturday’s two races will be live streamed on the championship’s YouTube channel.
Deagen Fairclough has already been reaping the benefits of his ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA title triumph, having completed his prize simulator experience with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.
Closing out what has been a year to remember for the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, where he clinched the 2024 crown in record-breaking fashion, Fairclough has wasted no time in capitalising on one of the many rewards that come with winning the UK’s premier single-seater series.
Spending a half-day at the home of the eight-time Formula 1 World Constructors’ Champions at their headquarters in Brackley, the 18-year-old was granted the opportunity to undertake a full session in the Mercedes-AMG F1 simulator.
After being given a pre-session briefing, Fairclough embarked on a similar simulator programme to that of seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, his team-mate George Russell and the inbound Andrea Kimi Antonelli – working closely with the team’s engineers throughout.
Once the session was complete, Fairclough concluded his day with a post-session debrief where he was provided with feedback and additional coaching insights from the session.
Deagen commented, “I spend a lot of time in esports and training in race simulators, it’s how I won my drive in British F4, through the ROKiT Racing Stars programme. However, the F1 simulator was just incredible! The level of preparation with the Mercedes engineers in advance and during the session, was fascinating and helped enormously in making the most of the day and improve my lap times! I’d like to thank Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and ROKiT British F4 for a day I’ll remember for a long time. I’m determined in the future to be back in a F1 simulator doing race preparation!”
In addition to his simulator experience with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Fairclough also has a year-long coaching programme with the BWT Alpine Formula 1 ® Team and a Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine post-season test provided by Pirelli still to come.
As part of ROKiT British F4’s 2024 end of season awards, there was the inaugural presentation of a new and very special award, the Jake Cook Memorial Award.
Jake was a familiar face in the British F4 paddock, having previously raced Ginetta Juniors, Formula Ford and Formula Renault. In 2010 Jake became the first driver to be awarded the MSA’s Young Driver of the Year Award, before generously sharing the skills he had accumulated, from a sport he had loved, as an Academy coach, supporting, amongst others, many drivers on the British F4 grid.
Sadly, Jake passed away in November 2023, having encountered mental health struggles, however his family, led by his wife and British F4 championship manager, Eve Lake-Grange, created this award in order that Jake’s memory lives on and keeps his name alive in motorsport.
The award is unique in British F4, as it is voted on by the Team Managers of the F4 paddock and awarded to a current season British F4 driver who has shown great improvement over the championship season; a driver with determination in adversity and who has demonstrated respect for their closest rivals both on and off track.
The inaugural Jake Cook Memorial Award was presented by Eve Lake-Grange to Martin Molnar, Virtuosi Racing.
Eve said, “I am delighted to present this award, created in Jake’s name and memory, to Martin. He is a very worthy winner, and I am so grateful that their traits have been recognised by the experienced eyes of our British F4 Team Managers.
“I also wanted to use the award creation to shine a light on mental health; my family have been impacted by mental health this past year, not just through Jake, however as a consequence I also had to take some time away earlier in the year to be treated. I am not ashamed of these struggles, and I encourage everyone to keep talking, and remember it is OK to not be OK.
“Jake’s Award is not just a trophy, however with the winner awarded a cheque for £500 that our family will be matching with a £500 donation to the Mind Charity; it’s a charity very close to my heart, who work hard to ensure that everyone experiencing a mental health problem, gets the support and respect that they deserve.
“Jake was many things to us, a husband, father, son, however he was also a racing driver. I am delighted that Martin is recognised today by some of the most experienced personnel in the paddock and really highlighted as a driver to watch for the future”
Leo Robinson (JHR Developments) and Deagen Fairclough (Hitech Pulse-Eight) scored a win apiece on what proved to be a scintillating Sunday at Knockhill as the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA concluded its weekend in Scotland.
Basking in bright sunshine and taking centre stage in front of a bumper trackside crowd, Robinson emerged as the driver to beat in the reverse grid contest as he overhauled Ella Lloyd (JHR Developments) to claim a second win of the season.
With the top 12 being reversed, Lloyd lined up on pole position and after a solid start, she provided a resolute defence out front as the likes of Kai Daryanani (Fortec Motorsport) and Robinson attempted to find a way past.
Daryanani would make a number of lunges on Lloyd however it was Robinson that was the one to watch as he first dispatched Daryanani and then closed in on Lloyd. The decisive move came on lap nine as, after drawing alongside at Taylor’s Hairpin, he swept past his team-mate at turn one.
Robinson was wheel-perfect for the remainder of the contest to pull clear and win by more than five seconds while Lloyd, Yuanpu Cui (Phinsys by Argenti) – the Rookie Cup winner – Reza Seewooruthun (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Deagen Fairclough completed the top five covered by a little over a second.
Championship leader Fairclough was one of the big movers of the race as he tallied valuable overtaking points as he charged from 12th on the grid up to sixth place; with a number of his moves proving successful at the final corner.
Rounding out the top ten was Bart Harrison (Chris Dittmann Racing), Abbi Pulling (Rodin Motorsport), the demoted Kai Daryanani, Jack Sherwood (Rodin Motorsport) and Martin Molnar (Virtuosi Racing).
Fairclough would make more headlines in the weekend’s final race as he produced a superlative display to clinch a ninth win of the year and with it, further extended his advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
Starting from pole position, the series leader made a perfect start as the lights went out and immediately pulled clear of the chasing pack. Building up a substantial lead, Fairclough also picked up the Motul Fastest Lap Award of an additional championship point on his way to the top step of the podium.
Behind, Molnar managed to jump Rowan Campbell-Pilling (Phinsys by Argenti) off the line however Campbell-Pilling immediately retook the position on the run down to Taylor’s Hairpin.
From that point on, Campbell-Pilling and Molnar ran nose-to-tail to the finish until misfortune struck the Phinsys by Argenti driver as he was hit with a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to fourth.
That penalty would elevate Molnar to second for his third podium of the year and second Rookie Cup win of the weekend while Alex Ninovic (Rodin Motorsport) – who failed to finish the day’s earlier race – made a welcome return to the rostrum in third.
Sherwood underlined his overtaking prowess by charging to fifth with Harrison, Pulling, Seewooruthun, Cui and Robinson completing the top ten.
Rodin Motorsport’s James Higgins was awarded this weekend’s Pirelli Hardest Charger Award for the most overtakes across Races 1 and 3, earning himself a set of Pirelli P-Zero tyres for testing.
Next on the calendar for the 2024 ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA is a return to Donington Park – albeit this time on the Grand Prix circuit – for the eighth event of the season on August 24-25.
Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Deagen Fairclough extended his advantage at the summit of the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA standings in race one at Knockhill, as he claimed a commanding lights-to-flag victory ahead of Alex Ninovic (Rodin Motorsport) and Martin Molnar (Virtuosi Racing).
On what proved to be a wheel-perfect day around the Scottish circuit, Fairclough kicked off proceedings by clinching his third C1RCUIT Watches Pole Position Award of the season, before going on to convert it into an eighth win of the year.
In addition to his charge onto the top step of the podium, Fairclough also picked up the Motul Fastest Lap Award to secure a clean sweep of the day’s accolades.
Drama ensued shortly after the lights went out as, on the way to Duffus Dip, contact between Fortec’s Kai Daryanani and Ella Lloyd (JHR Developments) resulted in Lloyd rolling into the gravel, which in-turn brought out the red flag. Thankfully Lloyd was able to walk unhurt from the incident.
On the restart, front row starter Rowan Campbell-Pilling (Phinsys by Argenti) powered his way into the lead, however his joy was to be short-lived as officials quickly deemed that he had in fact jumped the start and subsequently handed him a ten-second time penalty.
Despite not needing to overtake Campbell-Pilling to claim victory, Fairclough remained a permanent fixture in the mirrors of the rookie driver and on lap seven he made a decisive move to wrestle the lead from him at Taylor’s Hairpin.
Once out front, Fairclough didn’t look back and he pulled clear to triumph, while Campbell-Pilling produced a superlative display to hold onto second on the road; however he would ultimately be relegated to eighth once his time penalty was applied.
Ninovic – who sits second in the points – inherited runner-up plaudits after making a fast start to jump Molnar off the line. Despite both of their best efforts, neither driver could ultimately overhaul Campbell-Pilling on the road over the course of the contest.
After scoring a breakthrough podium last time out at Zandvoort, Molnar’s second successive British F4 rostrum finish also meant that he secured top honours in the Rookie Cup.
Despite incurring damage in the initial start, impressive teamwork by Hitech Pulse-Eight to repair Seewooruthun’s car allowed him to make the restart and he repaid their efforts with a charging drive to fourth, finishing narrowly ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s duo of Jack Sherwood and Abbi Pulling.
Sherwood and Pulling had provided plenty of entertainment for those in attendance as they diced for fifth and sixth respectively, while Leo Robinson (JHR Developments) shadowed them to the chequered flag in seventh.
With Campbell-Pilling now in eighth, Bart Harrison (Chris Dittmann Racing) and Yuanpu Cui (Phinsys by Argenti) completed the top ten.
Races two and three of the ROKiT British F4 Championship certified by FIA at Knockhill are scheduled to take place at 10:55 and 15:55 on Sunday, with both races forming part of ITV4’s free-to-air coverage.
Rodin Motorsport is thrilled to confirm that James Higgins will join the team for the ROKiT British F4 Championship for the upcoming 2024 season. The 17-year-old looks to build on his last season of British F4 where he finished sixth in the overall standings, just a handful of points off the top four.
Higgins made his racing debut in the ultra-competitive Ginetta Junior Championship at the end of the 2020 campaign, where he remained for the full season in 2021 as he established himself on the TOCA support package.
Higgins said of joining the team for the upcoming season, “I’m hugely excited to join Rodin Motorsport for the 2024 season. It goes without saying that Rodin Motorsport are one of the most successful racing teams in the world, so I’m absolutely over the moon to be now driving for them.
“Last year I think we showed glimpses of what we can do with a few wins, podiums and pole positions however for one reason or another things just didn’t fall our way when it came to mounting a proper championship challenge.
“I certainly learnt a lot however and it’s that experience that I’ll be drawing on this year. To join one of the best teams on the grid means there are no excuses and we’re leaving no stone unturned; the goal is clear and that’s to win the championship.”
Gary Bonnor, Team Manager said, “I’m pleased James will be joining the team for British F4. The team was impressed with him last season, and I am sure he will work well with the team and hit the ground running this coming season. I can’t wait to start working together.”
Higgins joins Australian driver Alex Ninovic and Alpine Academy driver Abbi Pulling for the championship which consists of ten rounds and will, for the first time, travel to Zandvoort in August providing a new challenge for all drivers involved.
JHR Developments is delighted to announce that karting ace Joel Bergström will join the team this season, racing in the ROKiT British F4 Championship.
The 16-year-old from Piteå, in northern Sweden, is one of his countries most talented young karting stars and has competed across Europe for the past six years, with success in the OK class in the WSK.
In 2021 Joel became the Swedish OKJ champion and was victorious in the Junior class in the debut of the electric-powered Rotax E20. That success earned him a place in the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, where he became the Rotax Project E20 Junior Champion, and he also represented Sweden in the FIA Motorsport Games.
Getting up to speed with single seater machinery, the youngster has taken part in winter tests with JHR Developments – the 2021 British F4 Drivers’, Rookie, and Teams’ Champion – finishing one of the sessions in Valencia fastest on track.
Joel will continue to undertake pre-season tests with JHR, ahead of the opening weekend of the F4 British Championship, which will take place at Donington Park over the weekend of April 27/28.
Joel Bergström
“I’m delighted to be joining JHR Developments for the 2024 season in British F4. JHR have had a lot of achievements in the past with very experienced people and I really enjoyed our test days together.
“Taking the step up from Karting to F4 will be a challenge but I’m confident we can do well, and my goal is to fight for both the Rookie and Drivers’ Championships this year. I’d like to thank Steven from JHR, my family, and my partners for giving me this opportunity.”
Our 2023 champion, Louis Sharp has been on an amazing journey since clinching last year’s ROKiT British Formula 4 British Championship certified by FIA after taking the title in a thrilling season finale at Brands Hatch in early October.
The young New Zealander has since attended numerous award ceremonies and picked up armfuls of silverware. Less than four weeks after the season finale, Louis attended the TOCA Night of Champions where he was awarded his championship trophy, then at the start of December at the BRDC awards he was presented the coveted Henry Surtees Trophy, for the most outstanding performance by a BRDC Rising Star. Just days later on the way home for Christmas, he stopped off in Baku to collect his FIA Formula 4 trophy at the star-studded FIA Prize Giving.
Louis returned to London at the end of January in good time for Motorsport UK’s illustrious Night of Champions at Pall Mall’s Royal Automobile Club, where he was reunited with his hard-earned F4 trophy and honoured alongside each and every other British champions across a myriad of motorsport disciplines. From there, it was onto the BARC Awards Night where in addition to his British F4 championship win being celebrated, he was awarded the Peter Collins trophy, in recognition as the British Automobile Racing Club’s most promising junior driver competing in a BARC championship.
“It has been an amazing experience. It was so cool to be in Baku to see Max Verstappen crowned as F1 champion and it’s been an honour to meet so many really special people like Christian Horner [in Baku] and Ross Brawn [at Night of Champions] – they have all been super supportive. That has given me extra inspiration and even more determination to keep this success going.”
At the end of November British F4 Champion Louis was delighted to be voted National Racing Driver of the Year by the readers of Motorsport News, outscoring all the established BTCC top guns in the process.
Sharp believes the UK’s premier entry-level single-seater series has been the perfect proving ground for the next generation of F1 hopefuls.
“There are lots of really great reasons why we decided to compete in British F4,” he explained when attending the Motorsport UK Night of Champions. “The main reason is just how competitive the championship is, as we saw last year when the title race went right down to the wire. Heading into the final weekend there was just a single point between two of us… and then only a handful of points between us entering the last race. So it could have gone either way. That’s what made it so tough.
But that’s also what made it such a such a good year. I’d much rather have won the title in those circumstances than to have ran away with it. I really had to dig deep and fight. Coming out on top in the end, made the victory even sweeter.”
Louis, who also helped his Rodin Carlin team secure back-to-back F4 team titles, believes both the high quality of the teams and the challenging nature of the British circuits are two major benefits to any young gun with F1 aspirations.
Sharp also has some very special dates inked into his 2024 diary. As the reigning ROKiT British F4 champion, he will be spending a Grand Prix weekend embedded with McLaren Racing and will also profit from a year-long coaching programme and expert guidance from BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team at the Alpine Racing Human Performance Centre. That’s in addition to the day he has already spent on the Formula One simulator at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s state-of-the-art campus in Brackley!
It seems that it’s been a busy few months for our 2023 ROKiT British F4 champion since the season concluded!
Fortec Motorsports is pleased to announce that Kai Daryanani is joining the team for his second season in the F4 British Championship.
The Hong Kong-based Indian teenager made his debut in the series last season, being given the Pirelli Hardest Charger Award after some excellent battling drives at Oulton Park.
Kai also took part in the F4 UAE, Euro 4, and F4 Spanish Championships, as he maximised his time behind the wheel. He then took his maiden motorsport victory at Brands Hatch in the GB4 Championship, having taken part in three rounds of the series.
Keeping busy on track, he didn’t stop there, as he scored a top ten finish on the streets of Macau in the South-East Asia F4 Championship support race and took a second-place finish at Sepang in the final round of the series.
Ahead of the opening rounds of the F4 British Championship, Kai has returned to F4 UAE, getting plenty of racing laps at Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome, ready to hit the ground running with Fortec Motorsports.
The British F4 season begins at Donington Park on the National circuit configuration over the weekend of April 27-28 and will take in its first overseas round with a visit to Circuit Zandvoort in July.
Kai Daryanani
“I am delighted to be joining Fortec Motorsports and I hugely appreciate the trust and belief the team has placed in me going into my second year of British F4, so I can’t wait to get the year under way. I will be working as hard as I can to make the necessary steps to improve my driving and bring home some good results.”
Oliver Dutton
“We are pleased to announce Kai will be joining the team ahead of the 2024 F4 British Championship. We believe he has the ambition and motivation to develop as a young driver, and we are excited to work with him and watch his progression throughout the year.”
After two successful seasons as headline sponsor, ROKiT will continue its title partnership with the F4 British Championship certified by FIA into the 2024 season.
Supported by ROKiT, the 2023 British F4 Championship was one of the most competitive seasons to date with 12 different race winners, 21 drivers on the podium and a record British F4 grid of 23 cars at the Thruxton round, while 27 cars across eight teams were entered across different championship rounds.
2024 is already proving to be another exciting year for the championship which will do battle across 10 championship weekends including two current Formula 1™ tracks and two former F1 tracks in support of BTCC, as part of the TOCA package that enjoys free to air television coverage on ITV4 and capacity crowds savouring race-day entertainment and wheel to wheel racing action.
The 2024 championship will also embark on its maiden overseas track visit with its July trip to Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands, which will offer a fabulous addition to the typically tight and technical tracks of the UK where F1 drivers have historically nurtured their talent.
Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and co-Founder of the ROKiT Group of Companies “Supporting the ROKiT British F4 Championship is not only a great pleasure for us, but it’s also a privilege to help develop and nurture the racing talent of tomorrow. We are delighted to continue our partnership again, not only with British F4 but also with our very own driver, Deagen Fairclough, who will continue racing in the championship having finished in a brilliant 3rd place in his debut year last season. This season will be bigger than ever and we’re already looking forward to the first race weekend at Donington Park on the 27th and 28th April.”
Eve Lake-Grange, ROKiT F4 Championship Manager
“ROKiT have been a fabulous and supportive championship title partner these past two years and we are delighted they are continuing into the 2024 season. From the start of our partnership, ROKiT explained that the equality and diversity that British F4 offers has always been part of the attraction of the series and we are delighted that as our championship grid develops for the season, we already have seven nationalities and three female drivers represented. We look forward to further elevating the profile of ROKiT British F4 in the year ahead with their support.”
ROKiT, an amalgam of companies that deliver a wide range of affordable, innovative and world leading premium products and pioneering services across a number business sectors, has a long history of motorsport sponsorships around the world. For more information, please visit www.rokit.com
