Lindblom secures Croft podium as Bättig stars
Round 8 – Croft – Report
Hitech continued its strong run of form in the F4 British Championship at Croft, with Scott Kin Lindblom securing a second-place finish in Race 2 while Chiara Bättig delivered two fourth-place finishes.
Chiara produced a standout qualifying performance, securing P2 overall and becoming the highest-qualifying female driver in British F4. Theo Palmer also enjoyed a strong weekend with two top-five finishes, while Adam Al Azhari showed strong pace before a difficult final race.
Race 1
Chiara started fourth, with Theo fifth, Adam sixth and Scott ninth.
All four Hitech cars held their positions through the opening stages, although Scott ran over the gravel shortly after the start. He recovered well, while Chiara did a great job of keeping the cars behind at bay throughout the race to secure P4.
Theo followed her home in fifth, with Adam sixth and Scott eighth, giving Hitech four cars inside the top eight.
Race 2
Changing weather made Race 2 particularly challenging, with light drizzle leaving the track wet while some sections began to dry. All four Hitech drivers started on wet tyres.
Scott lined up third, with Theo seventh, Adam ninth and Chiara 11th. Lindblom made a strong start and settled into the leading group, while Theo gained one place and Adam moved forward two.
Chiara slipped four places in the difficult conditions, while Adam spun midway through the race but recovered to finish 21st.
Scott produced an attacking drive to secure second and another podium for Hitech. Theo finished seventh, with Chiara 18th.
Race 3
Chiara started from the front row, with Adam fourth, Theo sixth and Scott 10th. The track was dry for the 25-minute race.
Chiara dropped to fifth through the opening corners, with Adam moving past to take fourth. Theo initially slipped to seventh before recovering to sixth and then making a strong move down the inside of Ethan Jeff Hall to take fifth.
Scott’s race was compromised when he outbraked himself at Turn 2 and ran into the back of another car. He continued, but Adam’s race ended a short time later.
Chiara recovered to fourth and Theo held fifth to the finish, while Scott was classified 22nd.
Hitech leaves Croft with another podium for Lindblom, two fourth-place finishes for Bättig and two top-five results for Palmer as the championship heads towards its final rounds.
Dominic Stott, Hitech British F4 Team Manager:
“It was a challenging weekend at Croft, particularly with the changing conditions in Race 2, but Scott did a fantastic job to come away with another podium. Chiara had a very strong weekend too, qualifying on the front row and producing two excellent fourth-place finishes.”
“Theo showed good pace and drove well to recover to fifth in the final race, while Adam was unfortunate with the spin in Race 2 and then the incident that ended his final race. Overall, there are plenty of positives to take from the weekend as we head into the final rounds.”
