Chris Dittmann Racing headed to Kent for rounds four, five, and six of the F4 British Championship at the weekend (May 5-7), on the short but challenging Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

It was a positive weekend for the team, who finished with four podium appearances and a solid haul of points, as well as departing the venue in the lead of the Rookie Cup standings.

After two sessions of free practice on Friday it was straight into qualifying the following morning under tricky damp conditions. A red flag cut the session short, however all three of the team’s drivers qualified within the top ten, with Daniel Guinchard in fourth, rookie Gustav Jonsson in sixth, and Jack Sherwood in eighth. With second quickest times setting the grid for race one, a full grid reversal for race two, and quickest times setting race three, it was a positive start to the weekend for the team.

With no change to the weather, the cars headed onto the grid for race one, with Daniel up front in second, Gustav in fourth and Jack in eighth. Daniel quickly took the lead after a stellar start, before making a small mistake at Surtees and going wide, falling back into sixth, while further down the grid, Jack stalled off the line, dropping to 19th.

With two cars off at Paddock Hill Bend, a red flag halted action. The race restarted with five minutes on the clock and Jack was on the charge, jumping four places into 12th before an untimely last-lap trip through the gravel meant he crossed the line in 16th. Having gained a position on the restart, Daniel took the flag in fifth, with teammate Gustav finishing tenth overall, claiming his first Rookie Cup win of the season.

The track had dried in time for race two on Sunday morning, where misfortune struck for Jack once again, after contact sent him into a spin at the exit of Druids. It was a lightning start for Daniel again as he gained four places on the opening lap, while Gustav maintained 12th before a Safety Car was deployed.

Once the circuit had gone green Daniel made his way up to seventh where he crossed the line, gaining an impressive seven places overall. After earlier strife, Jack began to make some moves, passing three cars to finish the race in 16th. It was an 11th place finish for Gustav before post-race penalties applied to other drivers promoted him to ninth, once again making a Rookie Cup podium appearance.

Bad luck came in threes for Jack, who after a solid start, was taken out of race three on the opening lap, contact sending him into the barrier. After five laps under the Safety Car, racing resumed, where Daniel completed a daring move down the inside of Jaden Pariat to claim third. In an impressive showing of pace, the London-born youngster set the fastest lap and held onto his podium position until the chequered flag. In similarly good fortune, Gustav made it a hat-trick of podiums, crossing the line seventh overall and recording his second Rookie win of the weekend.

It was a positive, point scoring weekend for the team, with Daniel currently in the top five of the championship standings, whilst Gustav leads in the Rookie Cup. It was an unlucky weekend for Jack, who, together with the team, will be working hard to come back stronger at Snetterton next time out (May 20/21).

Daniel Guinchard #49

G1 –2, R1 – 5
G2 –14, R2 – 7
G3 – 4, R3 – 3

Championship: 5 (52 points)

“Qualifying went pretty well, and I managed to put some fast laps in to go fourth for race three and second for race one, so we were showing some really strong pace which is promising. The track was wet but drying, so we made the most of those conditions.

“For race one I got a good start and went straight into the lead from second, but I made a small mistake which cost me a few positions. Then there was a red flag and a Safety Car, so I struggled to make any further progress and finished fifth. It was good points, but not where I wanted to be. We’re usually very strong in the wet, but I just didn’t get it quite right.

“Race two was great as we started 14th and finished seventh, and it’s so hard to overtake here so it was great to be able to make the moves. There was the added bonus of getting some points for overtaking due to the reverse grid, so I’m really happy with the result. I got a good start in race three, but others around me had an even better one, so I stayed in fourth. I pounced on the car in front of me after the Safety Car, I was really attacking, and I got the move into third done into turn one. We got the fastest lap as well, which just further shows the pace we’re capable of. It was a really solid day overall.

“I’m looking forward to Snetterton as it’s a nice long track – the complete opposite to Brands Hatch Indy. I picked up some rookie wins last season so I know I drive well there. Hopefully there’ll be more silverware to come.”

Jack Sherwood #78

G1 – 8, R1 – 16
G2 –14, R2 – 16
G3 – 8, R3 – DNF

Championship: 12 (17 points)

“Qualifying was okay. I made a mistake on my push lap which dropped us a couple of tenths, and it’s so close around Brands Hatch Indy that those tenths really matter. In race one I had a stall off the line but managed to make it back up into 12th. Unfortunately, on the last lap of the race I was battling and ended up going through the gravel at Clearways, which dropped us back again. It was a tough day overall, but it’s good to know we have the pace in the car.

“In race two we got taken out on the first lap through no fault of our own, so that was a tough pill to swallow. After that we just struggled to make up the lost ground due to the dirty air, so we finished a lot further down the order than we should have.

“For race three we had a decent start and got into some close battles before we were caught up in an incident which put us in the wall and unfortunately ended our race. After qualifying where we did, we were always going to be in a bit of trouble in the races, but that’s motorsport and there’s always going to be ups and downs. We’ll come back stronger at Snetterton next time out.”

Gustav Jonsson #23

G1 – 4, R1 – 10 (Rookie – 1)
G2 –12, R2 – 9 (R – 2)
G3 – 6, R3 – 7 (R – 1)

Championship: 16 (11 points)
Rookie Cup: 1 (92 points)

“Qualifying went really well. We managed to put together a good lap, so I’m really pleased with our performance. When we were looking through data, we saw that I could have probably been on pole, but the field is so close, so I’m still happy with sixth and fourth.

“Race one was very wet, so it was hard to get a rhythm going. There were a lot of very fast drivers behind me, so it was a case of keeping my head down and staying on the track. We know we had the pace, so I was working more on keeping it within the lines and racing clean, which is what we did, all the way to the rookie podium. It feels very good to get the win as I was a bit disappointed at Donington Park when I wasn’t on the top, so this feels like redemption.

“We started in 12th for race two because of the reversed grid. We made some good overtakes at the start but got caught out in an incident with another driver that put me down again. After some penalties given to other drivers, we were classified ninth overall and second of the rookies, so I can be happy with that. It was a very good result from race three, and I got my second rookie win of the weekend, which was very nice. I made a good start and then we settled into a bit of a rhythm until the Safety Car came out, and we had to do it all over again.

“It was a positive weekend overall. It’s only my second weekend in the F4 car, with just six days of testing beforehand, so to come to Brands Hatch and have a solid qualifying, three rookie podiums, and two rookie wins is incredible. The car felt great, and the team have been amazing to work with, so I’m really happy with the progress we have been making together.”

Chris Dittmann Racing

Teams’ Cup: 4 (68 points)