TRS Arden’s Oscar Piastri recorded a fantastic maiden victory in round 11 of the F4 British Championship. Starting from pole position, the Aussie emerged victorious in the reverse grid race after a thrilling battle with Logan Sargeant (Carlin) who started alongside him on the front row.
The duel was the latest chapter in a rivalry that has spanned throughout their motor racing careers, in the karting ranks and the sister F4 series in the UAE. Both drivers were on the hunt for their first win in the UK’s most competitive junior single-seater championship having already starred on the podium this season.
The leaders were nose to tail as the race progressed, Sargeant trying to fashion a overtake around the 2.2 mile Cheshire circuit. Piastri had to use all his guile to defend his lead, positioning his car perfectly to fend off Sargeant. The two drivers separated by a mere 0.308s when the race was brought to a premature end following a spectacular off for championship leader Jamie Caroline.
Caroline was on maximum attack having dropped down the field following an off on lap one and then going too deep at Druids. However, his progress was halted after making contact with team-mate Pasma in the braking zone of Old Hall Corner which catapulted Caroline into the tyre barrier in spectacular fashion. The Pirtek Racing backed star walked away from the incident unscathed. Testament to the safety of his Ford EcoBoost-powered racer.
With damage to the tyre barrier the race was halted and declared with seven laps completed; the top 10 drivers receiving half points due to the race not reaching 75 per cent distance.
Despite the contact with Caroline, Pasma recorded his third podium of the season by clinging onto third to bring home valuable points for his championship bid and leave Oulton Park fourth in the standings.
Richardson Racing’s Harry Webb just missed out on a top three finish and a maiden podium in fourth, equalling his best result of the campaign having expertly picked his way through the field from seventh.
Lundqvist did well to salvage a strong points score, losing momentum following contact with Caroline as the latter dived down the inside of the Double R driver.
The Swede finished ahead of TRS Arden’s Ayrton Simmons who gained the most positions in the race, climbing his way from 13th to sixth thanks to an inspired comeback drive.
Alex Quinn (TRS Arden) had to settle for eighth behind Oliver York (Fortec Motorsports), his race largely thwarted following contact with Caroline. Fastest lap acting as some consolation for the Cornish racer and coming as no surprise given the pace he showed throughout the weekend, having topped Friday testing and finishing second in yesterday’s race.
Daniel Cao (Double R Racing) and Jamie Sharp (Sharp Motorsport) completed the top 10. Both were involved in an entertaining four-way scrap for the final points paying positions which included Quinn and Jacky Liu. Despite just missing out on a point, Liu put in one of his best performances of the season. A sign of the positive steps forward the Chinese racer has taken under the guidance of GW Motorsport team boss Gary Ward.
Following the race the clerk of the course awarded Caroline a ten place grid penalty for driving in a manner not compatible with general safety.
With round 11 having taken place today following its postponement yesterday due to delays in the schedule, round 12 did not take place at Oulton Park. It has been provisionally rescheduled for the Knockhill meeting on Saturday 12 August.
Prior to that there is plenty more Ford EcoBoost-powered action in store as the British F4 title battle heads to Croft in North Yorkshire on 10/11 June.
F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost
Provisional results Round 11 Oulton Park 21 May 2017
7 laps / 15.58 miles
1 Oscar PIASTRI / AUS / Arden 9m 55.750s / 94.15mph
2 Logan SARGEANT / USA / Carlin +0.308s
3 Patrik PASMA / FIN / Carlin +3.675s
4 Harry WEBB / GBR / Richardson +6.632s
5 Linus LUNDQVIST / SWE / Double R +7.120s
6 Ayrton SIMMONS / GBR / Arden +8.998s
7 Oliver YORK / GBR / Fortec +9.717s
8 Alex QUINN / GBR / Arden +15.992s
9 Daniel CAO / CHN / Double R +19.661s
10 Jamie SHARP / GBR / Sharp +22.407s etc.
Fastest lap: Quinn 1m 23.329s / 96.16mph
Ford F4 Challenge Cup: 1 Webb; 2 York
Provisional championship standings
1 Caroline 210 points; 2 Piastri 119.5; 3 Sargeant 96; 4 Pasma 94.5; 5 Lundqvist 90.5; 6 Quinn 86; 7 York 82.5; 8 Simmons 67.5; 9 Monger 44; 10 Webb 41 etc.
Provisional Ford F4 Challenge Cup standings
1 York 211.5 points; 2 Webb 178.5; 3 Monger 100; 4 Ericsson 34.5