Lanan Racing won all three BRDC F4 races at Oulton Park this weekend, as Arjun Maini and Struan Moore followed up George Russell’s victory yesterday, with wins in Cheshire today (Saturday).
Maini took his second win of the year in a soaking wet race two this morning, with Raoul Hyman second after fighting his way up from seventh, and team mate Will Palmer third.
The race began behind the safety car, which pulled in after one lap. Tom Jackson started from pole position, but Maini edged into the lead at Hislops on the first racing lap, and then proceeded to stretch out a comfortable margin as Jackson held off attacks from three cars closely following him.
Sennan Fielding found a way past on lap three, as did Hyman, while Palmer followed suit a lap later as Jackson gradually fell back, eventually sliding into retirement at Shell Oils hairpin.
Fielding was forced to pit on lap seven, falling a lap behind as a result and promoting Hyman into second and Palmer onto the podium, with Moore fourth, Chris Middlehurst fifth and race one winner Russell sixth.
Race winner Maini commented: “I really enjoy the wet conditions, and at this track especially. We did some testing here last week and it paid off. It feels great to get my second win of the year.”
Moore triumphed in an eventful race three, which saw title rivals George Russell and Raoul Hyman collide at Cascades.
Moore led off the line from pole position while Russell suffered from wheelspin at the start and was attacked by Hyman. Moore led by over a second at the end of lap one but heading into Cascades on lap two, Hyman collided with Russell eliminating both and earning Hyman a 10-place grid penalty for the next race at Silverstone, a penalty he has appealed to the national court of the MSA.
The incident promoted Middlehurst and Palmer into second and third, with Middlehurst at his local circuit looking to attack. He was able to close to just over a second of Moore at the end, but in tricky conditions, Moore had the race under control to clinch his first win of the season. Middlehurst’s second place was his second podium of the weekend as was Palmer’s, who is now level on points with team mate Hyman, and only 20 points off championship leader Russell.
In a race of attrition, with the majority of the drivers racing on slick tyres in damp but drying conditions, Sennan Fielding claimed fourth for HHC Motorsport, while Chris Dittmann Racing’s Tom Jackson made up for his earlier disappointment by finishing fifth, his best F4 result yet.
Gaetano di Mauro claimed sixth for PetroBall, with Jordan Albert seventh and Diego Borrelli eighth for Sean Walkinshaw Racing. Michael Claessens was the final classified finisher for Mark Godwin Racing in ninth place.
Race winner Moore commented: “It was all kicking off behind me and there were so many yellow flag areas that I had to control. It was just a case of finding the grip because some corners were wetter than others and on the first lap I had to try and find where was dry and where the grip was. Once I was comfortable I was able to pull out a gap, maintain it and get the job done. Hopefully this is the first of many more wins this year!”
Russell and Hyman entered the weekend separated at the top of the standings by 21 points. That margin has been trimmed slightly to 20 points over the course of the weekend with Russell still leading the way with 266 points at the halfway stage in the season. Will Palmer’s double podium ensures he is now level on points with Hyman on 246, with Maini fourth on 219.
BRDC F4 Championship, Oulton Park race two result:
1. Arjun Maini, Lanan Racing, 11 laps2. Raoul Hyman, HHC Motorsport, +4.883s3. Will Palmer, HHC Motorsport, +5.876s4. Struan Moore, Lanan Racing, +6.792s5. Chris Middlehurst, Mark Godwin Racing, +10.875s6. George Russell, Lanan Racing, +11.686s7. Gustavo Lima, Hillspeed, +19.011s8. Nicolas Beer, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +19.840s9. Diego Menchaca, Douglas Motorsport, +22.528s10. Rahul Mayer, Hillspeed, +26.496s
BRDC F4 Championship, Oulton Park, race three result:*
1. Struan Moore, Lanan Racing, 12 laps2. Chris Middlehurst, Mark Godwin Racing, +1.085s3. Will Palmer, HHC Motorsport, +2.727s4. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, +6.589s5. Tom Jackson, Chris Dittmann Racing, +18.301s6. Gaetano di Mauro, PetroBall, +26.327s7. Jordan Albert, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +1m31.061s8. Diego Borrelli, Sean Walkinshaw Racing, +1 lap9. Michael Claessens, Mark Godwin Racing, +1 lap
*Result remains provisional
BRDC F4 Championship standings after race 12 of 24:
1. George Russell, Lanan Racing, 266pts2. Raoul Hyman, HHC Motorsport, 246pts3. Will Palmer, HHC Motorsport, 246pts4. Arjun Maini, Lanan Racing, 219pts5. Sennan Fielding, HHC Motorsport, 193pts6. Struan Moore, Lanan Racing, 186pts7. Chris Middlehurst, Mark Godwin Racing, 177pts8. Diego Menchaca, Douglas Motorsport, 162pts9. Gustavo Lima, Hillspeed, 158pts10. Gaetano di Mauro, PetroBall, 119pts
The next rounds of the BRDC F4 Championship take place on 16-17 August on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. For more information, visit www.formula4.com.
