Chris Dittmann Racing rounded out its maiden F4 British Championship campaign at the weekend (October 8/9), enjoying another top ten finish to end the season on a high as the series headed to Brands Hatch.

Fielding two cars with returning drivers Jack Sherwood and Jaden Pariat, the focus remained on continued driver development for the season finale around the challenging Grand Prix layout. An official test day at the Kent venue’s Indy circuit on Wednesday kicked off the action, before two busy free practice sessions on Friday allowed for the young racers to translate what they had learned on the simulator onto the track.

A day later, the teenagers headed out for qualifying where both cars showed significant improvements in pace, with Jack finishing 14th and Jaden just behind in 16th. It wasn’t an ideal start to race one for Jack however, who went wide through Druids on the opening lap but managed to keep it on track and maintained his position. Further back, Jaden attempted a move on Marcos Flack to take 15th but clipped the grass and was sent wide, before being hit by another car and falling down the order. After ten of the planned 20 minutes had elapsed, flames billowed out of the back of Louis Sharp’s car, and the Carlin driver was forced to retire at the side of the track. Jack and Jaden made it through and up one place each, crossing the finish line 13th and 18th respectively.

Race two began in peril as Jaden made contact with Flack and was off into the grass, bringing out the Safety Car. Sustaining damage to his front wing, the young Indian racer made his way into the pits, where speedy work from the team had him back out on track before the end of the Safety Car period, albeit a lap down on his rivals. Engaging in a race long battle with Ollie Stewart, Jack swapped positions back and forth before settling back into 14th where he crossed the line. With an early retirement from Ollie Gray, Jaden finished in 17th, recovering from his lap one incident.

With significant delays to the running order due to incidents in earlier races, the final race of the season got underway later than planned. It was a promising start for Jack as he jumped two positions on the opening lap, before moving into 11th after a well-executed pass on Georgi Dimitrov. Jaden was maintaining position in 16th and defending well from Isaac Barashi who continued to pile on the pressure, before passing Flack to take 15th where he took the flag. A time penalty was given to a driver up ahead, meaning Jack was classified tenth, marking the team’s highest finish of the weekend.

Overall, it was a positive weekend and a strong end to the team’s maiden F4 British Championship campaign, exemplifying again its ongoing dedication to driver growth and development. Hard work will now begin over winter as the team prepares for next season, starting with an official series young driver test at Snetterton on October 27/28.

Jack Sherwood, #78

G1 – 14, R1 – 13
G2 – 14, R2 – 14
G3 – 14, R3 – 10

Championship: 18 (14 Points)

“Qualifying wasn’t bad, it was a big improvement from Friday, so I’m happy about that. I think if we had managed to put all our sectors together, we would have been up in sixth or seventh, which is really promising. Overall, it was a really encouraging session. We got an average start to race one, and for the majority of the race I was just following and trying to stay out of trouble. The dirty air is quite prominent around here, so it’s very hard to get close. Everyone struggled with overtaking which made for quite a boring race for everyone.

“Race two was a bit tricky. We had a few problems at the start and couldn’t really progress from there. Everyone around us were on new tyres and the field is so close in pace that the fresher tyres really gave them the edge. There were some quite good battles, but it felt like we were just hanging on. In race three, we got a good start initially and made up a few positions. We settled into a rhythm, the car felt really good, and the pace showed that throughout the race. We weren’t quite there on the first few laps pace wise, but then as the race continued we really picked it up and I think we were one of the fastest cars out there.

“All in all, it’s been a very positive weekend for us as a team. We progressed a lot from Friday practice to qualifying. Getting another top ten finish has been a good way to round out the year, and a lot of confidence can be taken from this round into next year. I’ve loved doing the last four rounds of the championship with the team. It’s been mega, the car has been strong, and there’s been some really good, professional racing. I’m really glad I took the drive and it will be interesting to see what happens for next year.”

Jaden Pariat, #8

G1 – 16, R1 – 18
G2 – 16, R2 – 17
G3 – 17, R3 – 15

Championship: 19 (13 Points)
Rookie Cup:  7 (47 Points)

“Qualifying felt good and we had a lot of improvement from free practice. We were running in the top 13 for quite a while, but we gambled and made the choice of not coming in to get the new set of tyres on, which meant we couldn’t really progress as other drivers around me improved.

“I had a decent start in race one. Where I was at the start, it was quite aggressive as there was a lot of action happening around me, but uckily, I was able to keep out any of the drama. On the second lap, Marcos Flack had gone off and joined back on track. I tried to make the move on him on the first corner, but I backed off as I wasn’t in the correct position. I had a good run up on him for the next corner, but I clipped the grass and we both went wide, and I was hit by another car. It was unfortunate, but we pushed on. There are always positives to take from races like this. When incidents happen you have to look at it like a learning experience, which is why I’m here.

“Race two didn’t get off to a good start. I got tapped on the inside and sustained a little bit of damage. I came back into the pits and really quickly got a new front wing and nose fitted and got back out on track. I was a lap down, so I really struggled to catch up. Other than that, we put our laps in, kept it consistent and we had decent pace. For race three, we finally finished without any contact or near misses. I felt comfortable in the car, and it was a lot easier to follow behind. I put in some good times, and I was able to make a really nice move that I was proud of into this first corner to make up a position. It was a good race, and I’m glad that for the last one it was clean, and we made a little bit of progress.

“I’ve really enjoyed doing the last two rounds of the championship with Chris Dittmann Racing. There was no pressure put on me, and the focus was very much on developing as a driver, and I’ve learnt a lot more than I thought I would. I now know where some of the top performing guys are quicker, which has given me a lot to work on and improve upon going forward.”

Chris Dittmann, Team Owner

“We’ve had good pace from both drivers at different times throughout the weekend. There were a few ups and downs with Jaden, with some unlucky contact with other drivers, but that’s part of racing. For Jack, it was a really strong result for the last race to finish inside the top ten and by the end he was matching the race leader’s pace. It shows that we’ve really come a long way, and both Jaden and Jack have strong potential.

“Our maiden season in the F4 British Championship has been a big learning curve for the drivers and for the team as well. Generally, we’re pretty pleased and from mid-season onwards we’ve had strong pace in the car. This year it has been a case of driver development which is what we do very well. Most of the drivers we’ve had haven’t a lot of experience and have had to learn very quickly in an extremely close championship. I think we can be proud of what we’ve achieved, and we’re looking forward to next year. We’ve got testing lined up over the next few weeks with a lot of drivers. It’s going to be a busy winter so we can come back even stronger next season.”