It’s a cold spring day in Norfolk, and the peace has been disturbed by the sound of the Tatuus-Cosworth engine firing down the Bentley Straight. With only a few weeks until the season gets underway, many BRDC Formula 4 teams have made the trip to Snetterton in order to get some experience before the season opener.
Of the already announced drivers this season, one more joined the frame with Thomas Maxwell becoming Sean Walkinshaw Racing‘s third and final driver. The Australian spent 2015 competing in the Australian Formula Ford series, in which he achieved fourth overall.
“I’m super excited to be signing with SWR in such a fantastic championship.” said Maxwell “It’s a credit to everyone back in Australia who’s shown support and helped me get to this level. Everyone at the team is incredibly professional; I’m looking forward to a strong year!”
Sean Walkinshaw, owner of SWR, added: “Tom has gone very well in testing over the last few weeks and we are absolutely delighted he has signed with SWR for the 2016 season. Obviously a lot is going to be new for him, the circuits and the car, but he has shown a lot of ability and commitment so far and I’m sure he’s going to be a fantastic competitor during his first season of racing outside Australia.”
Only eight cars made it out of the garage for the morning session, as Ricky Collard topped the timeseheets, with a 1:41.616, a time over a second quicker than his nearest competition. With the success he’d achieved in MSA Formula, the Carlin driver will be hotly tipped as one of the favourites for the title.
Also present at the test is the Chris Dittmann Racing crew, with Quinlan Lall and Indian driver, Krishnaraaj Mahadik heading out for some sighter laps early on. Mahadak will be relishing his time on track in preparation for the second round of the season.
Thanks to school commitments, he’ll miss the opening round of the year, with his spot being taken by the experienced Dutch driver Paul Sieljes. The 22 year old has had experience with F4 before having competed in the 2014 winter series and an odd round in 2015, where he competed for the CDR crew at Rockingham.
As for Lanan Racing, only two drivers made an appearance, with Toby Sowery going second quickest, 1.008 seconds behind his MADA nominee. While team mate, Akhil Ranbindra was fourth behind Lall.
Snetterton Test Day: Session 1
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