As the season starts to draw to its climax, the F4 British Championship heads to Rockingham for their eighth round of the season. It would be Alex Quinn who came away with the quickest time, a 1min 18.711, beating the fastest lap from the race meeting last year.
Practice went smoothly for a number of drivers with the championship leaders once again pushing their way to the front over the two sessions on Friday. The top eight in practice were the same top eight in the standings, though Quinn and Logan Sargeant would prove to be the drivers to watch.
The opening test of the day proved to be another chance for Carlin to stretch their legs. With in-depth knowledge of the track and car, it was unsurprising that championship leader Jamie Caroline quickly made a name for himself.
It wasn’t long though before he was once again matched by Sargeant, ever proving to be his equal in the second half of the season. Sargeant would eventually go fastest ahead of Caroline, Quinn and Linus Lundqvist.
It would be a similar story by the afternoon as Quinn and Lundqvist took the initiative. With the TRS Arden driver looking certain to stay on until the end of the year, he knew a strong finish would be vital for his 2018 plans.
Sargeant had already beat the lap record from 2016 in the morning with Quinn shaving another 0.077 seconds off.
Lundqvist would go second in the session, but his time was not enough to beat Sargeant and Caroline’s benchmark from the morning. Behind him, Oscar Piastri put in another solid performance as he looks to keep up the pressure on Caroline in the standings.
Sixth overall would go Oliver York, with the Fortec Motorsport driver now committed to a full season. Ayrton Simmons, Finnish driver Patrik Pasma and Hampus Ericsson would all set their personal bests in the morning, as Manuel Sulaiman rounded out the top ten.
“It’s been a very positive day,” said Quinn of his Friday running. “The car felt really good, especially on our final run and I’ve improved throughout the day. Nevertheless, I’m sure we can find more time. Today’s performance has left me in a good place mentally for tomorrow.”