Hitech confirmed as British F4 Vice-Champions
Round 10 - Brands Hatch - Report
Despite a spirited late charge by newly-crowned Drivers’ Champion Fionn McLaughlin, Hitech TGR were denied the Teams’ title by just 1.5 points after an exciting final round of the Wera Tools F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch.
Having secured back-to-back Drivers’ crowns on Saturday morning, Hitech came into the 30th and final race of the F4 season with a slender points lead. Fionn started fourth on the grid, but as the Grand Prix layout of the Brands Hatch venue is such a difficult place to overtake — despite his best efforts — Fionn crossed the line in fourth, with Thomas Bearman tenth. Although there was disappointment on the final lap of the season, Fionn reflected on his brilliant rookie campaign.
2025 British F4 Drivers' Champion Fionn McLaughlin, speaking after Race 3:
“Winning the championship means a lot. A year ago I was at this track watching the race and I told the Hitech team that I’d become champion. I’ve made a few mistakes and learnt that consistency is key — but thanks to everyone at Hitech for developing such a strong car to race with.”
Reflecting on a fantastic rookie season for the Red Bull Junior Team driver, with his five wins, in addition to a 1-2 for the team in the Rookie Cup (with 17 wins for Fionn), Hitech’s Britsh F4 Team Manager Dominic Stott was proud of the hard work put in by the whole squad in another competitive campaign.
Dominic Stott:
“Although we just missed out on the Teams’ Championship by a tiny margin, we’re proud to have achieved back-to-back Drivers’ titles in British F4. Fionn’s win has been an outstanding highlight - and his performances as a rookie have been excellent. The Teams’ Vice-Championship is about our collective strength and a reward for all our drivers contributing valuable points to make this possible.”
In a busy meeting at Brands Hatch, the weekend started with Fionn’s bid to secure that all-important Drivers’ crown — and he did just that with second place in Race 1 on Saturday morning.
Starting from the front row, Fionn held P2 on the opening lap and kept his championship rival in sight, the pair never more than a second apart over the 14-lap race. He crossed the line just 0.399s behind, enough to clinch the title.
His second place also marked a 16th Rookie Cup victory of the season, with Hitech completing a lockout of the podium. Xavier Avramides took second in class with an impressive eighth overall, while Thomas Bearman claimed third, finishing tenth overall.
It was cool but sunny at Brands Hatch for the Reverse Grid race on Sunday morning, with Bearman starting third and Fionn lining up eighth. The newly-crowned champion made a lightning start, gaining four positions on the opening lap, while Thomas suffered wheelspin off the line and slipped to fourth.
On the run to Hawthorns, Thomas attempted to retake a place but ran wide. Behind him, Fionn dived to the inside at Westfield to move ahead. On the exit, the two Hitech cars made slight contact, but Fionn held position and ran in fourth to the flag.
In an incident-free race, Thomas crossed the line fifth, 5.842s behind the leader and just 3.087s adrift of Fionn. Further back, the other two Hitech drivers also ran close together, with Joseph Smith 14th and Xavier right behind in 15th.
