Chris Dittmann Racing left Snetterton last weekend empty-handed despite demonstrating race-winning pace during the third event of the Wera Tools British F4 Championship season.
Following a successful trip to Brands Hatch last time out, where the team secured three top-five finishes and firmly moved into title contention with leading driver Tommy Harfield, hopes were high that the momentum would continue as the series headed to Norfolk for rounds seven, eight and nine.
The event got off to a positive start with an official test day on Wednesday, giving the drivers plenty of track time and an opportunity to adapt to the hot conditions that would greet them throughout the weekend. Tommy ended both sessions second fastest, finishing just 0.022s shy of top spot in the afternoon session, while Henry Mercier also featured inside the top ten.
Qualifying, however, proved much more difficult, with the drivers unable to set truly representative lap times, leaving them mired in the midfield for all three races. Unfortunately, that increased the likelihood of becoming involved in incidents — something that quickly proved to be the case in race one.
Tommy qualified 14th and made a clean start with the intention of quickly moving forward through the field. However, he became the victim of an overly ambitious move up the inside into turn one by Timo Jüngling. Contact sent Tommy into the tyre wall and out of the race.
The bad luck did not end there. Henry Mercier was also forced to retire at the end of lap one after suffering a broken rear wing. A rival ran wide at the final corner, bounced across the grass and speared between the cars entering the main straight. The slightest contact was enough to damage Henry’s rear wing beyond repair.
The Safety Car was deployed to allow the recovery of the stranded cars, with racing resuming on lap seven. With only three laps remaining, there was little opportunity for Daniella Sutton and returning driver Piotr Orzechowski to make significant progress. Nevertheless, both showed encouraging pace, with Daniella finishing just half a second behind her nearest rival, while Piotr gained six positions to finish 22nd.
All four drivers made clean starts in race two, with Tommy climbing five places by the end of lap two before the Safety Car was deployed once again. Piotr had been tagged into turn two, launching his car momentarily airborne before it came to rest in the grass. Unfortunately, the damage proved too severe for him to continue.
The race resumed on lap four, but Tommy was soon forced to pit. The team reacted quickly and returned him to the track in short order, although by then he had dropped to the back of the field. Undeterred, Tommy fought his way back through the pack, gaining three places before the chequered flag while also setting the fastest lap of the race — a clear demonstration of the pace in the Chris Dittmann Racing-prepared car.
Race three was only 200 metres old before another turn one collision required Safety Car intervention, and with a second stranded car further around the circuit, the race was subsequently red flagged. Following the recovery operation, the restarted contest was reduced to a 12-minute sprint.
All four drivers dug deep to maximise the final six-lap sprint, each making up positions as the team brought a frustrating weekend to a close.
It will now be a quick turnaround before the team heads to Silverstone — the home of British motorsport — for rounds 10, 11 and 12 this coming weekend (29 – 31 May). The races will take place on the full Grand Prix circuit, giving the drivers valuable experience around one of the country’s most iconic venues.
Chris Dittmann, Team Principal
“On the whole, the weekend hasn’t delivered what we knew it could, but there are still plenty of positives to take from it. Daniella has once again shown good progression this weekend, and Henry has also performed well. He was in the top ten during testing and has been competitive in the midfield all weekend, showing strong pace.
“Piotr had some bad luck and was caught up in someone else’s accident in race two, but he continues to make strong progress. It’s a similar story for Tommy. He’s performed well, but the results don’t reflect that. The incident in race one really hampered his weekend, but the fastest lap in race two showed exactly what both he and the car are capable of. We just need to maximise qualifying, and if we can do that, we should be looking really strong for Silverstone next time out.”
