Superb double win for Hitech at Oulton Park
Round 5 - Oulton Park - Report
Hitech TGR’s Fionn McLaughlin returned to the top of the British F4 Drivers’ standings after taking victory in the opening race of the weekend. He nearly made it an Oulton Park double, but after sliding off the road while leading due to a sudden downpour, it was his Hitech team-mate Thomas Bearman who secured his first-ever win in F4.
It had been a dramatic start for Thomas, who was involved in a five-car incident at the beginning of Race 1 on Saturday afternoon. When that race was restarted, Fionn made a superb launch from the front row of the grid to beat his championship rival into Old Hall. Thereafter, the Red Bull Junior Team driver withstood the pressure to take his second win of the year – as well as securing a bonus point for fastest lap.
Fionn McLaughlin:
“It’s good to get points in. It was a tough race, but we managed to bring home the 26 points which is the maximum, so I’m happy with that.”
The Irishman continued:
“The best opportunity to get past here is the start, so I just focused on that and knew it would give me the best chance for the race. I was on the limit, full push, under a lot of pressure, but great to get that second win of the season.”
After finishing seventh in the reverse-grid race (from a P11 start), Fionn was on the front row once again for Race 3 on Sunday. And he made a repeat of his brilliant start to once again lead into the first corner.
The Irishman pulled away at the head of the field, but halfway through the race he suddenly went off at Lodge. Rain had begun falling at the final corner and a number of runners skated off the road. Sadly, while trying to rejoin the circuit, another car hit Fionn’s front wing – leaving it stuck under his car and forcing him to pit for a new one.
In the midst of this wet-weather chaos, it was Thomas who suddenly found himself in the lead after the top three drivers had all slid off. But with conditions worsening, the organisers decided to red-flag the event. Despite an aborted attempt to restart proceedings with everyone on wet tyres, it was ultimately decided to bring the race to a premature end and award half points. The 15-year-old from Chelmsford was delighted to secure his first win in British F4.
Thomas Bearman:
“It was pretty exciting, with the rain just changing every lap the conditions were really difficult. On one lap it was really bad - the leaders just got caught up in it. Unfortunately for them, they went off, which gave me an opportunity to come through. It was really slippery after that, which I just had to manage and make sure I stayed on track. I’m thrilled to get that first win!”
In the final classification, Fionn was P6 – enough to reclaim his position at the top of the Drivers’ standings by just 5.5 points. Leo Robinson was 12th, to go with his sixth and 11th in the weekend’s two other races. Australian Xavier Avramides took a Rookie Class podium in Race 2 and maintains his third place overall in the class. We also retain the lead in the Teams’ title, with a 69.5-point gap over the opposition.
As the series reaches the halfway stage of the championship, we head back to our home at Silverstone for a non-championship support double-header at the British Grand Prix in a fortnight.
