Chris Dittmann Racing headed to Thruxton at the weekend (June 2-4), to contest rounds ten, 11, and 12 of the F4 British Championship, where despite some bad luck, the team brought home its highest finish of the 2023 season so far, as Gustav Jonsson graced the second step of the podium.

The sun beat down on the Hampshire venue on Saturday morning as the cars headed out for qualifying. After being off the usual pace in Friday’s free practice sessions, it was a challenge for Jack Sherwood who classified 22nd, and Gustav Jonsson in 17th. Daniel Guinchard’s quickest lap was enough to place him in the top seven, where he would line up for race three which would be broadcast live on ITV4.

After a tricker qualifying session, all three drivers would line up in the back half of the grid for race one, leaving plenty of opportunity for forward progress. Jack managed to steer clear of drama on the start, gaining one position by the end of the opening lap. Unfortunately for Daniel, contact meant he had to pit for a replacement front wing, leaving him a lap down after rejoining the race.

Gustav and Jack were picking off cars ahead, both having made up positions into 16th and 17th respectively before a Safety Car was deployed. With the clock continuing to tick down as work was being done to recover two cars involved in the earlier incident, there was not enough time to restart the race, with Gustav crossing the line 16th, Jack 17th, and Daniel 21st.

For the reverse grid race two, Jack was on the front row, but a tricky start meant he fell back four places into sixth, with teammate Gustav passing into fifth. The two teenage racers began to pick off the cars ahead as they made their way into third and second before a Safety Car was deployed.

After racing resumed Jack was hot on Gustav’s tail and was one lap away from his second podium appearance in the 2023 season, until a late lunge down the inside from Dion Gowda pushed Jack off the track, dropping him back down into sixth where he crossed the line. Gustav took the flag first of the rookies and second overall, marking his maiden overall championship podium of the season. Further down the order, Daniel had a clean race, managing to gain three positions to cross the line in 14th.

Fastest qualifying times set the grid for race three, meaning Daniel would line up seventh, Gustav 17th and Jack 22nd. It was a solid start for both Jack and Gustav who gained places on the opening lap before drama up ahead had two cars fall down the order, allowing both to sail past into 15th and 13th. Daniel was working hard to keep Deagan Fairclough at bay, defending as best he could, but cleanly as he stayed ahead for four laps before the rival eventually found his way past.

Gustav continued to make his way through the pack and after a wheel to wheel battle with Sonny Smith, soon approached Daniel on the road. The pair were set to cross the line together until Mika Abrahams split them up on the final lap, Daniel finishing eighth and Gustav tenth. Despite starting from the back of the grid, Jack gained an impressive eight places across the race, crossing the line 14th.

The British F4 side of the team now have just under two weeks to prepare for the next three rounds of the championship, set to take place at Oulton Park over the weekend of June 16-18.

Daniel Guinchard #49

G1 – 14, R1 – 21
G2 – 17, R2 – 14
G3 – 7, R3 – 8

Championship: 11 (59 points)

“We weren’t sure how qualifying would go as practice didn’t go so well for the team, but we managed to put one lap in to get into the top seven which I was pleased with. It was another really close session, and we were within a tenth of pole so it’s nice to know we have the pace to mix in near the top. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do it twice, so for race one we had to start quite far down the order. That meant we were caught in the middle of some drama and had a bit of contact. I had to pit for a new front wing and then couldn’t really capitalise on the Safety Cars before the race finished. Despite the result, the car felt great which is a big positive.

“It was always going to be a bit tougher starting near the back in 17th for race two. Our pace was okay and we managed to make up a few positions to finish 14th. It could have been better but it’s not the end of the world. We had a good start to race three. We maintained seventh for a while but unfortunately started to drop back a little and were struggling with the car. I had to do a lot of defending and work quite hard to get points, but we managed to salvage some, so it wasn’t a bad end to a tougher weekend. We’ll take it on the chin and hope for some better luck at Oulton Park next time out.”

Jack Sherwood #78 

G1 – 21, R1 – 17
G2 – 2 , R2 – 6
G3 – 22, R3 – 14

Championship: 16 (21 points)

“It was a tricky qualifying. I think we struggled mostly with a lack of tow. It’s such a big track, so it’s quite tricky to be competitive. We didn’t really have the pace to mix at the front, which set up a bit of a challenge for the weekend. I didn’t have the best start to race one. There were quite a few shunts ahead of me, so I just focused on trying to avoid them and pick off cars one at a time, and we managed to make up a few positions. It was always going to be hard after qualifying, especially in this series where everything is so close. You’re not going to get any free positions given to you, so we did the best we could.

“I didn’t have the best start to race two so we dropped back to sixth from second. I managed to fight my way back up to third and probably had the pace to win as we were one of the faster cars on track, but unfortunately, I was hit on the last lap. That was a tough one to take as it would have been a highlight on a tricky weekend but that’s racing sometimes. Race three was the same as race one in a sense that it would be a challenge to come through from the back of the grid, but we managed to get up to 14th from 22nd so it wasn’t too bad.

“All in all it’s been a tougher weekend. We’ve shown glimpses of pace but it never quite paid off. Race two proved we have the potential and capability to fight at the front but we just need a bit of luck on our side to unlock it. There’s plenty to work on which is good, and we’ll hopefully come back stronger at Oulton Park.”

Gustav Jonsson #23

G1 – 16, R1 – 16 (Rookie – 4)
G2 – 7, R2 – 2 (R – 1)
G3 – 17, R3 – 10 (R – 2)

Championship: 13 (40 points)
Rookie Cup: 2 (170 points)

“Going into qualifying, it looked like we had the pace to be in the top, but we didn’t really capitalise on the tow, which is really important on this track. It was tough to get a good run on the second stint with new tyres, so we ended up having to start nearer the back in the races. In race one, it was very hard to overtake. We had a good start and made some positions in the first lap or so, but then we were just getting stuck in traffic. I tried some moves into the last chicane, but I couldn’t really make it stick. Unfortunately, we finished the race under the Safety Car. If we could have had another lap or two of racing, I think we might have been able to make up some positions, but there was nothing else we could do.

“Race two was the reverse grid so we started seventh. We had some work to do to end up on the podium, but we knew we had to pace so we just worked our way forward. I was up into second when the Safety Car came out, and I think we might have had it in us to get into the lead if it weren’t for that. Overall, I’m really pleased to have made my first overall podium appearance. We started from the back again in race three, so the goal was to get some points and we did. We made some good overtakes and had some battles as well, so the pace is there. When it’s so warm like it has been all weekend its tough on the body as well as the tyres on the car. Towards the end of race three I could definitely feel them dropping off, but everyone is in the same boat. Every time out we have been getting better and better and this weekend was absolutely a step in the right direction. I’m excited to see what we can do at Oulton Park.”