With a sizable championship lead heading into the weekend, Jamie Caroline will feel relaxed going into the Croft round, despite his grid penalty that will hamper his running in the F4 British Championship. The Carlin driver has currently won eight of the eleven races this year.
Caroline crashed in the second (and final) race of the last Oulton Park weekend, clipping the back of team-mate Patrik Pasma‘s car during his recovery through the field. The contact saw him flip, landing upside-down on the barriers.
“Although Oulton Park didn’t end the way I wanted it to, I’m ready and raring to go this weekend at Croft and can’t wait to get back behind the wheel,” he said. “The boys at Carlin have worked hard to get the Pirtek Racing car back to its best, and the aim now is to reward them with some strong results on track.”
The incident led to him being given a ten-place-grid penalty, ensuring he will start no higher than eleventh for the opening race. Caroline though has previously found success at the circuit, collecting a double win at the venue during his Ginetta Junior days.
“Because I’m carrying the grid penalty into the weekend, the opening race will be tough but I’m someone who likes a challenge! We’ve done a lot of the hard work already this season to build the advantage we have in the points, but I can’t afford to be complacent as the final race at Oulton Park showed how quickly things can change.
“With that in mind, my aim this weekend is to stay out of trouble, bring home three good finishes and consolidate my lead going into the summer break.”
Caroline currently has 210 points, with nearest rival and newest race winner Oscar Piastri on 119.5. With 75 points available during the weekend, he is guaranteed to be the championship leader during the summer break.