The final round of the 2024 British F4 Esports Championship gets underway tonight, with Graham Carroll and Henry Moore in a close battle for top honours.

The 2024 British F4 Esports Championship title fight has been an absolute cracker so far, with Guild Academy’s Henry Moore and Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team’s Graham Carroll engaged in a season-long fight for top honours in the Motorsport UK-sanctioned series.

2024 British F4 Esports Championship contenders Henry Moore and Graham Carroll had an event to forget at Silverstone, as the pair clashed in the reversed grid second race.

In what was quickly becoming a common theme in the 2024 British F4 Esports Championship, Guild Academy’s Henry Moore and Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team’s Graham Carroll racked up a glut of points during Round 4’s double-header at Oulton Park, with the title increasingly looking like it was headed in their direction.

Despite Matt Caruana’s absence from the Cheshire-based event, the Mensah Racing Driven By Us driver remained in third position in the title race, some 98 points adrift of Moore in first, and seemingly out of the reckoning.

Despite the respectful battling of Moore and Carroll thus far, Round 5 at Silverstone’s Grand Prix layout would prove to be a rambunctious affair, with the title protagonists finding themselves embroiled in a chaotic Race 2 incident that may well have big championship repercussions.

Race 1

Moore bossed qualifying for the third round on the trot, with Carroll once again sharing the front row, just over a tenth of a second behind. Joseph Loake, driving for the Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team, was a fine third, in what was something of a departure from his usual FIA Formula 3 machinery.

Moore got off the line quickly, with Carroll slotting in behind through the first sequence of turns. A huge incident further back saw Caruana rear-ended by William Chadwick after the former spun on the Woodcote kerbs.

For the latter, it was the third major incident in as many rounds, likely putting an end to both drivers’ championship challenge.

Heading towards Stowe on lap three, Carroll drafted past Moore for the lead, with Moore returning the favour on lap five. Loake was in close attendance but subsequently dropped two positions at The Loop after Pablo Espes of Willaims Esports Academy forced an opening, also allowing his Williams Esports stablemate Moreno Sirica through.

The leading pack of six were now locked in a slipstreaming battle for the lead, with Espes maneuvering his way into second as Carroll attempted to hold off the advances of Loake.

Heading onto the final lap, Espes was right on Moore’s gearbox, with the battle for the final podium slot far from finished. In fact, Sirica, Loake and Carroll began the final tour side-by-side, with Loake holding on for third. Carroll overtook Sirica for fourth, but lost ground to Moore in the championship as the young Englishman held off Espes to claim victory.

Race 2

The reversed grid draw saw 11th place Elias Raikaa claim pole position for Race 2, with few predicting the kind of chaos we were about to witness.

Raikaa cleared off out front as the pack behind engaged in some hairy two and three-wide battling. Carroll and Moore failed to make significant progress in the early reckoning, but worse was to follow at the start of lap two.

Carroll’s Ferrari team-mate Gergo Baldi found himself sandwiched into the high-speed Abbey curve, which bunched the pack up behind – including Moore and Carroll. Baldi sustained race-ending damage by clashing with Guild Esports’ Leo Brown, eventually retiring at Luffield.

The action continued through the rest of the lap, with Carroll desperately trying to keep Moore at bay with a visibly hobbled car. Chadwick pulled an outside move on the Scot heading into Club, but the pair tangled.

Guild’s Leo Brown tried to go around the outside of stablemate Moore in the aftermath but effectively pinned him against the recovering Carroll, causing the two main championship protagonists to collide, with Carroll’s car heading skyward.

It was a clumsy sequence of corners from the British F4 Esports field, and it would sadly set the tone for the incident-packed race.

Out front, Raikaa had been caught by Williams Esports Academy’s Matthijs van Erven, with the pair enjoying a two-second gap to the podium fight behind; including Loake, Williams Esports’ Alexander Spetz and Sirica, Aston Martin’s Conor Muir and Guild Esports’ Remy Gilbert.

More incidents in the midfield led to just 17 cars running at mid-distance, as van Erven encountered tyre issues and fell into the clutches of Loake, losing second place in the process. On the final lap, van Erven would clash with his WIlliams Esports stablemate Sirica, gifting Sptez the podium at the line. No doubt the team debrief was a frosty affair.

BS+ Compeition’s Raikaa would take an assured victory, with Joseph Loake claiming a double podium from Round 5.

The chaos of Silverstone sees Henry Moore extend his lead to Graham Carroll at the top of the championship, with Carroll’s Ferrari Esports team heading the Teams’ points.

Tune in to the next round from Knockhill on the 13th of November, broadcast live on iRacing’s YouTube channel.

Images courtesy of RC Sim Photography (Rhys Caryl)

Article written by Ross McGregor for Traxion.gg

Guild Academy’s Henry Moore once again impressed in the third round of the 2024 British F4 Esports Championship from Snetterton, extending his championship lead over Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team’s Graham Carroll, taking his first win in the process.

Carroll and Moore were in a three-way fight at the top of the table with Mensah Racing Driven By Us’ Matt Caruana, who would unfortunately be absent from Round 4 at Oulton Park, despite showing impressive early-season form.

While Oulton’s International layout would prove to be a stern challenge for Moore and Carroll, thanks to inclement weather and an unfavourable reverse grid draw for Race 2, but it showcased their talents perfectly, with the pair emerging from the chaos as the championship’s two main protagonists.

Race 1

Moore navigated the foggy qualifying session for Round 4 best of all, taking his second consecutive pole position. Championship nemesis Carroll would line up alongside the rookie for Race 1, just over a tenth-of-a-second behind.

G2 Esports’ Isaac Price was an impressive third, while 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship driver Joseph Loake was a surprise fourth, driving for the Formula 1-affiliated Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team.

The race got underway with Moore heading Carroll, while further back an incident at the Shell Oils hairpin eliminated the unfortunate Giuseppe Lo Faro of AZZ Tech Racing by Grid Finder.

With neither Carroll nor Moore willing to risk their heavy points-scoring positions, the battle for first was a cagey affair, with Carroll’s attempts at overtaking tempered by his reluctance to lose track position to the chasing pack.

With Price falling back, Loake took up the mantle as Carroll’s foremost threat, eventually slotting into second position after Carroll lost momentum after a failed pass on Moore.

Although Loake reeled in the leader, he couldn’t find a way through the assured youngster’s defences and had to settle for second. Carroll consolidated in third, losing more ground to Moore in the championship as a result.

Race 2

The reversed grid draw saw Moore starting from 14th on the grid, which, around the tight confines of the Cheshire circuit, would give Race 2 an element of randomness notwithstanding the heavy rainfall now moving over Little Budworth. Composure would be key here and Moore had already shown plenty of it.

G2 Esports’ Joni Katlia started cleanly from pole position, with Remy Gilbert almost immediately coming to strife on the exit of Turn 1, running wide onto the grass. The Guild driver completed an awful opening lap by spinning at Hislop’s after a clumsy-looking move. Carroll made the most progress of the frontrunners on the first tour, climbing from 12th to eighth.

Further back in 13th, Moore was making tentative progress, which was more than could be said of Loake. The Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver had jumped up to 11th place on the opening lap but undid all his hard work with a high-speed spin at Island Bend, rejoining in 20th.

Up front, Katila was making the most of his unobscured vision to hold the lead, with Guild’s Leo Brown acting as lead chaser, eager to regain his early season form.

Williams Esports’ Beckham Jacir had just made a bold outside overtaking move on Mensah Racing Driven By Us’ Ronnie Smith for third position with five minutes gone, before mysteriously heading for pitlane.

Turning Point

This allowed Carroll’s Ferrari team-mate Gergo Baldi into fourth – but not for long. The Hungarian was tapped into a high-speed spin at Old Hall by a combination of Will Murdoch and Will Chadwick, the pair not helped by the treacherously wet surface.

Chadwick later accepted blame for the incident, having locked up under braking after being squeezed to the outside of the track by Murdoch. The ensuing damage eliminated Baldi and Murdoch from points-scoring contention, with Chadwick able to continue behind Smith.

However, Carroll was now hot on his heels, eager to capitalise on Moore’s midfield placing. It would be Chadwick making moves, though, as he slotted past Smith at the Shell Oils hairpin before pouncing on Brown’s mistake at Old Hall to go second.

Chadwick’s progression continued, as with around five minutes to go he slotted through into first position after Katila made a mistake at Lodge. In his eagerness to make a move on Katila, Brown looped it at Druids, promoting both Smith and Carroll up one position.

Brown spun again, allowing Moore to climb just behind Carroll in the standings, albeit with a five-second deficit. Sensing a chance to eat into Moore’s championship lead, Carroll launched a superb move around the outside of Katila at Cascades, with both cars squirming across the soaking wet asphalt.

The Scotsman emerged ahead on the run to Island Bend, but with only one lap left, there wasn’t enough time to reel in the front two.

Chadwick took the win on the road, with Smith coming home a fine second in his first-ever British F4 Esports event. Carroll was third, with Kitala and Moore finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

However, a post-race penalty for Chadwick elevated Smith to the top step of the podium, with Carroll also benefiting with some extra points. Chadwick still kept his podium finish, albeit after a 5s penalty.

Even though we’re only at the halfway point in the championship, the British Championship laurels appear to be heading in the direction of Henry Moore or Graham Carroll. And with both drivers showing unflappable consistency thus far, the fight is too close to call.

Tune in to the next round from Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit on the 30th of October

Photos courtesy of – RS Sim Photography

Written by Ross McGregor for Traxion.gg

The first round of the 2024 British F4 Esports Championship saw Ferrari Esports’ Graham Carroll claim the championship lead after victory in Race 2.

The British F4 Esports Championship grid has a new look for 2024, with several Formula 1-affiliated teams set to battle it out for top honours across eight double-headers. Although the competition will be fierce, one thing is guaranteed: there will be a new champion.

Luke McKeown of Stormforce Racing ART claimed back-to-back drivers’ titles but has not returned to claim a hat-trick, opening up the championship fight for the likes of Graham Carroll, Gergo Baldi, Remy Gilbert and Matt Caruana.

F1 Esports teams from Ferrari, Williams, Alpine and Aston Martin add an extra touch of intrigue for 2024, but as Round 1 from Brands Hatch Indy proved, they wouldn’t have it all their own way.

Race 1

The first qualifying session of the season saw Guild Racing’s Remy Gilbert snatch pole position, with the top six separated by just one-tenth of a second.

Gilbert, who won the second race at Brands last season, was joined on the front row by Mensah Racing Driven By Us’ Matt  Caruana, who was looking for a redemption arc after controversially exiting last year’s series after Round 4.

Gilbert and Caruana made equally good starts and were line astern on the first lap, with Guild’s Leo Brown following in third and a gaggle of FIA F4 cars directly behind.

The top six broke away from the main pack as Caruana and Brown passed Gilbert and into first and second place respectively, with UK FF1600 Esports Cup graduate Henry Moore making it three Guild drivers in the top four with five minutes to go.

Ferrari’s Carroll crashed the Guild party, however, by launching a robust overtake on Moore for fourth, just as Brown made his move on Caruana for the lead. Gilbert swiftly followed his team-mate through into second position, with Carroll pressuring for third. The positions remained status quo until the chequered flag.

AzzTech Racing by Grid Finder’s Ryan Micallef would gain the reversed grid pole position for Race 2, as race winner Brown lined up ninth.

Race 2

Micallef held off the advances of William Chadwick on the first lap but would be tapped off at Clearways on lap 3 after slight contact, effectively ending his points-scoring chances.

At the following corner, Ferrari’s Gergo Baldi drifted into Loake’s Aston Martin-backed car, sending the 2023 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year across the gravel and down into seventh position.

The stramash elevated Chadwick into first with Moore and Carroll just behind, while Gilbert had worked his way up to fourth. As Moore failed in a move for the lead, Carroll pounced for second, followed by a quickfire move on Chadwick for first at Paddock Hill Bend.

The top four eased away from the pack and were nose-to-tail heading into the final laps, with the Guild pair of Gilbert and Moore battling hard. This gave Chadwick a pressure-free final lap but he couldn’t do enough to usurp Carroll, with the Scotsman holding on for victory.

Gilbert would claim the final podium slot and, as a result, claim joint second place in the championship alongside team-mate Brown. Both trail Ferrari’s Carrol by two points heading into Round 2 at Zandvoort on the 2nd of October.

Original article written by Ross McGregor for Traxion.gg
Photos courtesy of Rhys Caryl