With 20 of 30 races completed in the ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA, it’s tight at the top of the championship standings with the run-in comprising just three more championship weekends.
Eight drivers have amassed over 100 points however just two have topped the 200 mark; Will Macintyre (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Louis Sharp (Rodin Carlin) have been trading places at the top for the seven events so far.
Just six points separate them as they arrive in Scotland with Norfolk’s Macintyre holding the advantage, but it’s been nip and tuck since early in the season when New Zealand’s Sharp led by only two points from Macintyre. Sharp extended that at Oulton Park to five points, then at Silverstone Macintyre turned the tables and amassed a 28-point lead. Two wins for Sharp at Croft Circuit two weekends ago saw that advantage drastically cut, so Knockhill’s results could very well make a big difference.
While Sharp and Macintyre have pulled away from the pack, there’s a clutch of drivers ready and capable of snapping at their heels should they have a poor weekend. Dion Gowda and Noah Lisle (Rodin Carlin), Deagen Fairclough (JHR), Jimmy Piszcyk and Kanato Le (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and James Higgins (Fortec Motorsport) are all the likely contenders for top-three places in the championship.
Sharp, at the previous round, became the first driver to claim four wins this season, it is Macintyre’s greater tally of podium finishes that has him edging ahead at the top of the rankings, however Macintyre will be hungry to add to his single top-step appearance. So far in 2023, ten drivers have shared the 20 race wins and the 20 of the 23 drivers, who have competed so far this year, have claimed a podium finish – racing doesn’t get much more competitive than British F4!
Only Fortec’s James Higgins has so far claimed more than one Omologato Pole Position, but with Knockhill’s reputation for limited overtaking opportunities, there will be many drivers eager to ensure that they start from the front of the grid!
The 2023 rookies have shown that they mean business, ably mixing it with their more experienced competitors. At Croft Circuit, Isaac Barashi became the fifth rookie to lift a main-championship trophy. In the Rookie Cup, CDR’s Gustav Jonsson continues to lead ahead of Gabriel Stilp (Hitech Pulse-Eight) and Josh Irfan (Rodin Carlin). The Team’s Cup is worth watching for too. Rodin Carlin leads with 461 points to Hitech Pulse-Eight’s 436.
Back in 2015, the first year of the current F4 era, F1’s Lando Norris was among the Knockhill race winners with Norris’ McLaren team-mate Piastri claiming two race wins in 2017. If you’d like to come and meet the budding Formula 1 stars at the beginning of their single-seater careers, head over to the autograph signing session outside the ROKiT British F4 Race Centre on Sunday at 1330 hours. It is likely that there a number of drivers of the highly talented British F4 class of 2023 who could very well be emulating and following in Lando’s footsteps!
Qualifying starts at 10:25 on Saturday with race one taking place at 16:15.
On Sunday, race two takes place at 10:20 with race three at 15:20.
Live timing and commentary from Saturday and Sunday will be available here