Round 8 – Donington Park – Preview
The British Formula 4 Championship makes its second visit to Donington Park this weekend (August 24-25) as the 2024 campaign nears its climax. The Midlands venue was the setting for the season opener and Deagen Fairclough will be aiming to repeat his victorious drive from April as he returns to Donington Park as the British F4 championship leader.
Following on from his two wins at Knockhill a fortnight ago, the British driver now holds a commanding 101-point lead at the top of the drivers’ standings. The 18-year-old has enjoyed a stellar campaign so far, having amassed nine wins in total at the wheel of his Hitech-run machine.
“It’s been an unbelievable season and while there are only three rounds remaining this year, it’s important that we take one race at a time,” said Deagen. “Our year started on a high note, when we triumphed on the first visit to Donington Park. And since April we’ve been quick and consistent across various different tracks, but it’s important we maintain that pace in these final rounds — starting with this weekend.”
The series’ second visit to the Leicestershire venue sees the competitors take to the longer Grand Prix layout, featuring the Melbourne loop hairpin before the final corner. This extends the course by half a mile to 2.4 miles in length. Donington Park is considered to be one of the finest tracks in the UK, with its sweeping Craner Curves and challenging corners that always encourage close-knit, wheel-to-wheel racing.
“I can’t wait to return to Donington Park this weekend,” says Reza Seewooruthun, third in the British F4 standings. “It’s a brilliant circuit to race on with lots of opportunities for overtaking. I’m looking forward to building on the fifth place finish I scored in the season opener and thanks to the hard work I’ve put in with Hitech, I’m feeling really confident on my return to this circuit.”
Aside from their personal goals in the drivers’ standings, both Reza and Deagen will be aiming to extend Hitech’s overall points lead in the Teams’ Championship, which is currently 51.5 points.
Back in April, the opening British F4 meeting was struck by heavy rain, which led to the cancellation of one of the three races. That has been rescheduled for this weekend. After qualifying on Saturday morning, there will be two races — at 1.50pm and 5.30pm — followed by the usual two races on Sunday. The green light is scheduled for 10.40am and 3.50pm.
