Round 6 – Preview
History will be made this weekend when the British Formula 4 Championship races for the first time outside the UK. Heading to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Deagen Fairclough will be aiming to increase his 29-point gap at the top of the F4 drivers’ championship, while Hitech are also looking to add to their lead in the teams’ standings. The British driver has enjoyed an excellent start to the season, having scored five victories for Hitech so far, and is looking forward to competing on one of his personal highlights on the schedule.
“We did a test day at Zandvoort and it was unbelievable,” said Deagen. “It’s one of my favourite circuits. It’s fast and very abrasive, so tyre wear will be critical. One of the keys to the track is keeping up momentum – and with the banked turns in particular a higher line is preferable for getting a better run out of the corners and onto the long straights that follow. I’m really looking forward to heading back there to see how well we perform.”
Joining him at the challenging Dutch seaside circuit will be Reza Seewooruthun, who will want to add to his two wins scored so far in 2024, along with two new faces in the Hitech squad for this special overseas encounter. The team will provide 19-year-old Bianca Bustamante with her British F4 debut at Zandvoort, as the McLaren Development Driver seeks to gain track time at the Formula 1 venue.
With prior experience of the Tatuus chassis, Hitech are delighted to welcome Bianca into the team as she continues her journey in F1 Academy – the junior series launched by Formula 1 designed to encourage female participation in top-class motorsport and to find the next female F1 star.
“I’m looking forward to racing in British F4 for the first time, which has some of the best male and female drivers from around the globe,” said Bianca. “I will work hard in the practice sessions to get acquainted with both my team and the car and a big thank you to Hitech for their guidance, as well as to McLaren for their support.”
“We strongly support the purpose and success of F1 Academy in driving change in motorsport and we are delighted that Hitech is making an active contribution in advocating for female participation,” added Oliver Oakes, Director, Hitech Grand Prix.
Finally, the team will also provide a British F4 debut to young Mexican racer Ernesto Rivera, who steps in to replace Mika Abrahams at Zandvoort. The 15-year-old has enjoyed a successful karting career and is currently in his first season racing single-seaters. He sits third in the Spanish F4 Championship with one victory scored in the Algarve last month.
After two 45-minute test sessions on Thursday, the competitive action gets underway with qualifying on Friday lunchtime, followed by race one on Saturday at 9.50am. Race two takes place on the same day at 3.30pm and the final race at 1.45pm on Sunday. All times are local, one hour ahead of BST.
