Hitech score a 1-2 in the Thruxton rain
Round 4 - Thruxton - Report
Hitech TGR achieved their strongest performance of the British F4 season with a spectacular 1-2 finish in Race 2 at Thruxton, as Leo Robinson and Thomas Bearman mastered the rain to take the top two positions on the podium. The result helped strengthen Hitech’s lead at the top of the British F4 Teams’ Championship.
The weekend began on a promising note for Leo as he surged from sixth on the grid to finish second, despite the chaos caused by heavy rain. The opening race at Thruxton was red-flagged due to worsening conditions and, following a restart, eventually finished behind the Safety Car.
Leo Robinson:
“Wow. What a race! Starting sixth I thought a podium was possible. I got four places off the line, but by the third lap, I was lacking some pace - then the Safety Car came out and it started raining heavily. I’m happy with P2.”
Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin also produced a strong drive, rising from eighth to third at the flag in Race 1. However, a post-race penalty for gaining an unfair advantage dropped him one position to fourth.
Fionn McLaughlin:
“It was a bit chaotic, but I had a good start, and came back strong to finish P4 after a poor qualifying. You never really know what’s going to happen and there were a few crashes in front of me. ”
Fionn continued: “I’m from Ireland, so I’m used to the rain, I love racing in those conditions – we tried to adapt as well as we can. The key is to focus on your own job and nothing else.”
Saturday’s second race produced the highlight of the weekend – and the season so far – as Leo and Thomas scored a commanding 1-2 for Hitech. The race had been delayed due to stormy weather, but once underway, the pair executed an excellent performance in the treacherous conditions. Leo, starting third, worked his way forward with smart, aggressive moves – including a race-winning overtake on Thomas a few laps from the end.
Leo Robinson:
“What a day! I knew I could get a run into Turn 3 and make a move into Turn 4 - I used it twice, including to pass Thomas for the lead.”
Leo continued: “The track was really greasy, so you had to be on the limit from the word go. I’m so proud of this result – thanks to the whole Hitech team – it’s great to get a 1-2.”
Starting on the front row for Race 2, Thomas was delighted with his best result of the season – just two seconds behind Leo – along with another class win in the Rookie Cup.
Thomas Bearman:
“It was a good race, started P2 and finished P2. I led for most of it, so it was a bit unfortunate to lose out in the end to Leo. He was a little bit quicker at the end, maybe he saved the tyres a little bit more.”
Thomas added: “I’ve never driven here in the wet, so it was tough and it requires a lot of commitment. There is a lot of spray, and when I was running behind Leo I couldn’t see a thing – which makes things a little harder. I tried to defend, but it didn’t go my way in the end.”
Unfortunately, a multi-car incident ended Thomas’ Race 3 early – his second retirement of the weekend. Fionn was set to challenge for a podium in the final race on Sunday but ran wide while pushing hard and slipped down the order to finish eighth. Leo didn’t take up his starting place on the grid and, from last, recovered to finish 13th. He was two places ahead of team-mate Xavier Avramides, who continues to hold third place in the Rookie Cup, with a fourth place in class in Race 1 (and a top-10 finish overall) which helped Hitech extend their lead in the Teams’ Standings.