Rodin Motorsport were the team to beat in the Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA on Sunday at Donington Park as Jimmy Piszcyk claimed a commanding fourth win of the year, before Dries van Langendonck capped off a dream debut weekend with victory.
Bringing the curtain down on what was an action-packed outing at the East Midlands circuit, the UK’s premier single-seater series had the capacity trackside crowd on the edge of their seats – with Piszcyk and van Langendonckemerging as the stars of the show.
Championship leader Fionn McLaughlin (Hitech TGR) also wrapped up the Rookie Cup title with two race weekends to spare, an incredibly impressive feat which demonstrates just why the Red Bull Junior is so highly regarded.
The day began with Piszcyk giving his championship aspirations a much-needed boost, as he secured a clinical win ahead of team-mate Adam Al Azhari and Mercedes F1 Junior Ethan Jeff-Hall (Argenti Motorsport).
Starting from third on the grid, the Australian made a lightning getaway to split the Argenti Motorsport duo of Arjen Kräling and Jeff-Hall, who occupied the front row, and he was into the lead before the 25-car field had even reached Redgate for the first time.
From that point on, Piszcyk was peerless out front, and after Al Azhari dispatched Kräling to take second place at the end of the opening lap, the Rodin Motorsport duo ran line astern all the way to the chequered flag. Along the way, Al Azhari also bagged the Lotus Fastest Lap.
Whilst the top two positions were cemented in the early exchanges, the battle behind Piszcyk and Al Azhari had everyone on the edge of their seats, as Kräling valiantly battled with team-mates Jeff-Hall and August Raber.
The trio went wheel-to-wheel over several laps, but it was Jeff-Hall that ultimately came out on top as he got the better of both drivers to snare his third podium finish of the campaign.
After overcoming Kräling, Raber would cruise to the finish in fourth place, but the former found himself embroiled in a further battle with leading Rookies Thomas Bearman (Hitech TGR) and van Langendonck. The German ultimately finished sixth, behind Bearman and ahead of Ary Bansal (Fortec Motorsport) who received a post-race penalty – as did the Belgian debutant, which dropped him to ninth.
Championship protagonists McLaughlin and Martin Molnár (Virtuosi Racing) had been running inside the top ten, but both drivers encountered their own issues that resulted in neither of them scoring points.
While jostling for position, McLaughlin made contact with Henry Joslyn (Fortec Motorsport) at the Melbourne Hairpin, which in turn sent Joslyn spinning and McLaughlin into the pit lane with a broken front wing.
That incident opened the door for Molnár to take advantage, but he too encountered problems which dropped him down the order. Oleksandr Savinkov (Virtuosi Racing) and Henry Mercier (Argenti Motorsport) completed the top ten.
The weekend’s third bout – the 25-minute feature finale broadcast live on ITV4 and ITVX – saw history made, with van Langendonck becoming the youngest-ever British F4 race winner as he closed out his maiden weekend in the series on the top step of the podium
Starting from pole position, the McLaren Development Driver made a sluggish start, allowing race one winner Tommy Harfield (Chris Dittmann Racing) and Molnár to move into first and second respectively, although the Belgian racer kept both drivers within striking distance.
Further down the order, Al Azhari saw his race come to a premature end, as contact with Joslyn at Coppice saw him skate across the gravel and into the tyre barrier. Joslyn would continue but his race too would be affected as he finished at the back of the pack.
At the front, there was nothing to separate Harfield and Molnár for much of the contest – but with the race reaching its crescendo, Molnár made a late dive down the inside at the Melbourne Hairpin, locking up and spinning Harfield.
That moment allowed van Langendonck to get the jump on both drivers to snatch the lead and from there he never looked back. Punching in a string of superlative laps late on, the talented teenager streaked clear to triumph in just his third F4 race.
Molnár and Bansal had been leading the chasing for van Langendonck, but post-race penalties relegated them both down the order; that therefore elevated Raber and Jeff-Hall to complete the top three.
Piszcyk capped off a stellar day to secure fourth and move up to second in the championship, while McLaughlin completed the top five, gaining enough Rookie points on team-mate Bearman to wrap up that particular title and leave the overall championship as his main focus for the remainder of the season.
A season-best finish of sixth for Cole Hewetson (Xcel Motorsport) put him ahead of Rowan Campbell-Pilling (JHR Developments), Harfield, Molnár and Kräling – who secured a second successive Challenge Cup victory – to round out the top ten. Joslyn secured the Lotus Fastest Lap and with it a championship point.
Leaving Donington Park, McLaughlin now leads Piszcyk by 45.5 points in the Drivers’ Championship, with Molnár a further seven in arrears. Hitech TGR top the Teams’ Cup, while Ella Lloyd (Rodin Motorsport) is now leading the Challenge Cup.
Next up for the Wera Tools F4 British Championship certified by FIA is a return to the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, for the penultimate event of the 2025 season on September 20-21 on the National Circuit.
