Eighth for Quinn at damp Brands GP
Alex Quinn scored a 24th Rookie class podium of the season as he finished in eighth place in the opening F4 British Championship race of the final round of the season at the Brands Hatch GP circuit.
The Racing Steps Foundation-backed driver started from seventh position on the grid, being promoted a single place after his Fortec Motorsports team-mate Jamie Caroline was excluded from provisional pole position following post-qualifying scrutineering checks.
With blustery showers on a damp surface, the field struggled to get going from the lights, with JHR’s Billy Monger colliding with the pit wall at the end of the opening lap, forcing a prolonged safety car while the car was cleared away.
Carlin’s Devlin DeFrancesco was also a separate opening lap casualty. Quinn lost two places on the opening tour but made one back on the restart on lap five, when Arden’s Luis Leeds suffered with engine issues, his Ford powerplant unwilling to provide sufficient grunt and the Australian fell to the back of the field.
Quinn was soon suffering once again, losing out to Carlin’s Petru Florescu who made his way past and then quickly dived down the inside of Quinn’s team-mate Nicolai Kjaergaard at turn one, Paddock Hill Bend, shortly after to move into seventh.
Quinn continued to be in the wars, struggling with the balance of his machine as he drove wide at Graham Hill Bend a lap later, with Caroline making his way past having started from the back of the grid.
From there, Quinn was unable to put up any form of counter attack, his defecit to Caroline growing to over eight seconds with JHR’s Jack Butel closing in on his own gearbox.
But with Kjaergaard falling off and losing two places in the final couple of tours, Quinn took the chequered flag in eighth place, second on the Rookie podium, but a single spot behind that needed to score pole position for Sunday’s reversed grid second race. He will therefore start from eighth place on the grid.
Carlin’s James Pull took race victory but with new championship leader Sennan Fielding achieving second place, it eliminated Pull from the title equation heading into the final day showdown in Kent.
BRANDS HATCH GP: (3.908km / 2.433 miles): RACE ONE results (top 10)
Position
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Driver (Nat)
James Pull (GBR)
Sennan Fielding (GBR)
Max Fewtrell (GBR)
Rafael Martins (BRA)
Ayrton Simmons (GBR) / R
Petru Florescu (ROM)
Jamie Caroline (GBR)
Alex Quinn (GBR) / R
Jack Butel (GBR)
Luis Leeds (AUS)
Team / Car
Carlin
JHR
Carlin
TRS Arden
TRS Arden
Carlin
Fortec
Fortec
JHR
TRS Arden
Time / Gap
21m 24.773s
+1.488s
+2.822s
+2.930s
+5.669s
+6.396s
+6.592s
+17.955s
+19.319s
+21.849s
Fastest lap: Jamie Caroline- 1m 37.902s
Weather: Damp / Showers
R = Rookie
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Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography.
Copyright-free Racing Steps Foundation images are available for editorial use from the RSF Image Bank at http://www.jakobebrey.com/rsf
Report: Racing Steps Foundation - Russell Hayes, Racing Steps Foundation PR & Communications Manager