This weekend saw three races and three winners in the Yokohama-shod BRDC Formula 4 race series. Points leader George Russell took his fourth win of the season, with Arjun Miani claiming his second and Straun Moore his first.
This round saw a slight change to the traditional running order, with one race on Friday and two on Saturday at the Cheshire venue.
The first saw Russell start from pole position and put in a dominant performance, leading from the lights to the chequered flag for his fourth win of the year so far.
However, Russell's win didn't represent the frantic nature of the race, with second-placed Raoul Hyman defending his position for the entire duration of the race from initially Chris Middlehurst, after Will Palmer lost a handful of places on the second lap. Straun Moore put in a pair of fastest laps towards the end of the race and was soon on the gearbox of Middlehurst with Hyman, Middlehurst and Moore separated by less than a second as they crossed the finish line, nine seconds adrift of Russell.
The first of Saturday's two races was forced to start behind the circuit pace car, due to heavy rain. Tom Jackson was the pole sitter, thanks to his eighth place finish in the first race but he soon succumbed to Miani on the first lap, who immediately began to edge away on the wet circuit.
Jackson was coming under increasing pressure, with Sennan Fielding, Hyman and Palmer all passing by the race's mid-point. Hyman took second when Fielding pitted with Palmer inheriting third, ahead of Moore, Middlehurst and Russell.
The third and final race of the weekend saw Moore start from pole and lead the field away from the lights before Russell and Hyman came together on the second lap, causing both to retire and Hyman pick up a ten-place grid penalty for the next race, which he has appealed.
With many drivers picking their way round the damp but drying circuit on the Yokohama ADVAN A005 dry slick tyres, fortune favoured the careful and Middlehurst was promoted to second with Palmer up to third. By the end of the eventful race, Fielding was fourth and Jackson took fifth.
The results mean that Russell continues to lead but with his margin over Hyman narrowing by one point and with Palmer climbing up to third, tied with Hyman on points.
Commenting, Head of Motorsport at Yokohama HPT Ltd, Mark Evans, said; "This was a very tricky weekend for the Formula 4 grid. The weather was changeable and while when it was wet or dry, it was a fairly straightforward choice for the tyres, when it was damp and drying, as it was for the last race, then things got very challenging.
"On a circuit like Oulton Park, it can be dry at one end and damp or even wet at the other and many drivers will have had their first experience of driving on slick tyres on damp conditions this weekend. However, that is one of racing's essential skills, to be able to make the most of what you have and once again, it provided exceptional racing with a very evenly-matched field."
The next round takes the teams to Silverstone on the weekend of August 16-17.
