Fionn McLaughlin kept his cool to claim a pivotal victory in the opening Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA race of the weekend at Silverstone, extending his advantage at the top of the standings in the process.
Rising from third on the grid to first by the end of the opening lap, the Hitech TGR ace was wheel-perfect as he withstood a torrent of pressure from Chris Dittmann Racing’s Tommy Harfield to secure his fifth win of the campaign.
McLaughlin’s triumph now means that the Red Bull Junior driver heads into Sunday’s two races at the Home of British Motor Racing with a 56.5-point lead over his nearest rival, Virtuosi Racing’s Martin Molnár.
As always, Saturday’s track action commenced with a remarkable qualifying session that culminated in Molnár claiming his second C1RCUIT Watches Pole Position Award of the season.
In what proved to be a frenetic battle for bragging rights around the National configuration – where claiming a slip stream is hugely beneficial – a total of 25 cars were covered by just half a second, with Molnár ultimately reigning supreme.
One of several drivers to rocket to the top of the timesheets over the course of the session, the Hungarian eventually punched in a best time of 54.318s to guarantee his place at the front of the field – albeit by just 0.040s ahead of championship leader McLaughlin.
Challenge Cup contender Ary Bansal (Fortec Motorsport) was another late improver as he snared the third fastest time, whilst Donington Park race winners Harfield and Dries van Langendonck (Rodin Motorsport) completed the top five.
Second-fastest lap times decided the starting order for race one, and that placed Harfield and Bansal on the front row, although looming in their mirrors were the distinct colours of McLaughlin from row two.
As the lights went out, McLaughlin wasted no time in dispatching both Harfield and Bansal to move into the lead. Meanwhile, further down the order, a clash between Henry Joslyn (Fortec Motorsport) and Thomas Bearman (Hitech TGR) saw their races come to an early end at Becketts.
Out front, McLaughlin opened up a slender advantage but couldn’t rest on his laurels as Harfield kept a watching brief throughout the 20-minute contest. Despite his best efforts though, the Chris Dittmann Racing driver was unable to get close enough to make a move for the lead.
McLaughlin – who secured an unassailable lead in the Rookie Cup at Donington Park – remained resolute all the way to the chequered flag, snatching the Lotus Fastest Lap on his way to the top step of the podium for good measure.
Harfield would ultimately settle for second place ahead of Bansal, who produced a charging performance to clinch third overall and bolster his aspirations of securing the Challenge Cup at the end of the season.
Behind the top three, Jimmy Piszcyk (Rodin Motorsport) bagged fourth ahead of the tussling pair of Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport) and van Langendonck. The Belgian, however, was disqualified following post-race scrutineering.
Adam Al Azhari (Rodin Motorsport) and Rowan Campbell-Pilling (JHR Developments) therefore finished sixth and seventh, ahead of Molnár, August Raber (Argenti Motorsport) and Chase Fernandez (Xcel Motorsport).
Elsewhere, Alba Larsen (Chris Dittmann Racing) picked up her first Rookie Cup podium of the season with an 11th-placed overall finish.
Races two and three of the Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA at Silverstone are scheduled to take place at 09:55 and 15:25 respectively on Sunday.
UK viewers can tune into ITV4 and ITVX’s free-to-air coverage that commences at 10:45 BST, while both contests will also be streamed live on the championship’s YouTube channel for those watching outside the UK.
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