2014 BRDC Formula 4 Championship

The 2014 BRDC Formula 4 Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across England. The championship featured a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded drivers competing in 2 litre Duratec single seat race cars that conformed to the technical regulations for the championship. The 2014 season was the second BRDC Formula 4 Championship organized by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision company, with support from the British Racing Drivers' Club in the United Kingdom, and dedicated championship highlights shown on ITV4 the weekend after each round, in a prime time slot. The season began at Silverstone on 26 April and ended on 26 October at Snetterton, after 8 triple header events amassing to 24 races.

Heading into the final round of the championship, six drivers were in mathematical contention to win the championship. Lanan Racing team-mates Arjun Maini and George Russell led the standings, with Maini 21 points clear of Russell. HHC Motorsport duo Sennan Fielding and Raoul Hyman were split by five points for third and fourth places, with Struan Moore (Lanan Racing) and Will Palmer (HHC Motorsport) requiring results to go in their favour, despite being in the running.[1] Russell took pole position for the opening race,[2] but Fielding was the highest placed at the end, in third place; Russell cut Maini's lead slightly with a seventh, while Palmer and Moore could no longer win the title due to their results.[3] Maini took pole for the second race, due to his eighth place and the regulations for the partially reversed grid order stipulating such. Maini led from the start, before Hyman and Russell passed him early in the race. Maini fell to fifth as he made an error later in the race, dropping him behind Fielding and Moore. Hyman held the lead until the end which meant that four drivers could still win the title in the final race.[4]

Maini held a 13-point lead over Russell, with Fielding 5 points further adrift, and Hyman the outsider, 25 points adrift of Maini. Russell started from pole position, with Hyman, Fielding and Maini behind.[5] Hyman made the best start to take the lead from Russell at the start, but Russell regained the lead the following lap, and ultimately went on to win the race; a season-high fifth victory. With Maini down in fifth place, it enabled Russell to clinch the title by just three points.[6] With the championship, he received a prize test with the Arden Motorsport GP3 team at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi at the end of the season, as well as a £25,000 cash prize.[7] Behind Maini, Hyman's second place finish allowed him to jump Fielding for third place in the championship, by a single point. All three drivers won four races over the course of the season, including a hat-trick for Fielding at Silverstone, a first for the series. Other drivers to win races were Moore at Oulton Park, Palmer won twice at the first Snetterton meeting, as well as single victories for Diego Menchaca (Snetterton), and Brands Hatch victories for Gustavo Lima, Gaetano di Mauro and Chris Middlehurst.

Teams and drivers

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2014 Entry List[8]
Team No. Driver Rounds
  Douglas Motorsport 2   Charlie Eastwood[9] All
26   Rodrigo Fonseca[10] All
68   Diego Menchaca[11] All
  HHC Motorsport 3   Will Palmer[12] All
4   Sennan Fielding[13] All
7   Raoul Hyman[14] All
  Hillspeed 5   Gustavo Lima[15] 1–6
12   Alfredo Zabalza[16] 1–2, 4–8
72   Rahul Raj Mayer[8] All
  Lanan Racing 8   George Russell[17] All
9   Struan Moore[18] All
36   Arjun Maini[19] All
  Chris Dittmann Racing 10   Tom Jackson[20] 1–6
11   Tom Bale[21] 4–8
17   Piers Hickin[22] 8
  Mark Godwin Racing 13   Michael Claessens[23] All
16   Chris Middlehurst[24] 1–6
43   David Wagner[25] 1–3
  Petroball Racing 21   Gaetano di Mauro[26] All
61   Dan Roeper[27] 1–3
  Sean Walkinshaw Racing
SWR – Caterham F1[28]
22   Álex Palou[29] 5
23   Jordan Albert[30] All
27   Nicolas Beer[31] 1–4
41   Diego Borrelli[32] All
  Meridian Racing[33] 35   Connor Jupp[33] 5–8
42   Jai Nijjar[33] 5–7
  Enigma Motorsport 51   Falco Wauer[34] 1–2

Race calendar and results

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The first Brands Hatch race weekend was held in support of the Blancpain Sprint Series. Later in the season, at the first Snetterton meeting and the second Brands Hatch meeting, the series formed part of the support package to British GT Championship rounds.

Round Circuit Date Pole Position Fastest Lap Winning Driver Winning Team
1 R1 Silverstone Circuit
(Grand Prix, Northamptonshire)
26 April   Raoul Hyman   Sennan Fielding   Raoul Hyman   HHC Motorsport
R2 27 April   Will Palmer   George Russell   Lanan Racing
R3   George Russell   George Russell   Lanan Racing
2 R4 Brands Hatch
(Grand Prix Circuit, Kent)
17 May   Raoul Hyman   Arjun Maini   Raoul Hyman   HHC Motorsport
R5 18 May   Sennan Fielding   Gustavo Lima   Hillspeed
R6   Sennan Fielding   George Russell   Lanan Racing
3 R7 Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
(300 Circuit, Norfolk)
21 June   George Russell   Will Palmer   Will Palmer   HHC Motorsport
R8 22 June   Arjun Maini   Arjun Maini   Lanan Racing
R9   Arjun Maini   Will Palmer   HHC Motorsport
4 R10 Oulton Park
(International Circuit, Cheshire)
18 July   George Russell   Struan Moore   George Russell   Lanan Racing
R11 19 July   Arjun Maini   Arjun Maini   Lanan Racing
R12   Chris Middlehurst   Struan Moore   Lanan Racing
5 R13 Silverstone Circuit
(Grand Prix, Northamptonshire)
16 August   Sennan Fielding   Sennan Fielding   Sennan Fielding   HHC Motorsport
R14 17 August   Will Palmer   Sennan Fielding   HHC Motorsport
R15   Raoul Hyman   Sennan Fielding   HHC Motorsport
6 R16 Brands Hatch
(Grand Prix Circuit, Kent)
30 August   Gaetano di Mauro   Arjun Maini   Gaetano di Mauro   Petroball Racing
R17 31 August   Arjun Maini   Chris Middlehurst   Mark Godwin Racing
R18   George Russell   Arjun Maini   Lanan Racing
7 R19 Donington Park
(Grand Prix Circuit, Leicestershire)
20 September   Sennan Fielding   George Russell   Sennan Fielding   HHC Motorsport
R20 21 September   Raoul Hyman   Raoul Hyman   HHC Motorsport
R21   Sennan Fielding   Arjun Maini   Lanan Racing
8 R22 Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
(300 Circuit, Norfolk)
25 October   George Russell   George Russell   Diego Menchaca   Douglas Motorsport
R23 26 October   George Russell   Raoul Hyman   HHC Motorsport
R24   Raoul Hyman   George Russell   Lanan Racing

Championship standings

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Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top 20 classified finishers in all races.

Races Position, points per race
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
Races 1 & 3 35 29 24 21 19 17 15 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Race 2 25 22 20 18 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Drivers' championship

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Pos. Driver SIL BRH SNE OUL SIL BRH DON SNE Points
1   George Russell 5 1 1 4 3 1 3 3 6 1 6 Ret 5 6 6 10 3 5 2 6 Ret 7 2 1 483
2   Arjun Maini 8 11 2 2 4 4 8 1 4 7 1 Ret 3 8 4 3 2 1 4 4 1 8 5 5 480
3   Raoul Hyman 1 4 10 1 10 3 2 13 3 2 2 Ret 6 7 2 4 4 12 7 1 Ret 6 1 2 465
4   Sennan Fielding 3 10 DSQ 5 5 2 4 NC 2 5 17 4 1 1 1 6 9 4 1 7 9 3 3 4 464
5   Struan Moore Ret 3 5 6 7 Ret 9 6 7 4 4 1 2 Ret 3 2 6 3 3 5 10 5 4 6 412
6   Will Palmer 7 6 6 3 6 8 1 5 1 6 3 3 Ret 3 7 8 7 Ret 5 2 Ret Ret 17 18 356
7   Diego Menchaca 2 8 3 Ret 8 11 7 2 8 10 9 Ret 7 DSQ 10 16 11 13 6 3 2 1 18 9 327
8   Gaetano di Mauro 12 Ret 12 11 16 9 14 9 5 12 11 6 11 2 9 1 Ret 2 10 9 DNS 4 6 7 301
9   Chris Middlehurst Ret 7 4 7 2 5 10 Ret 15 3 5 2 10 DSQ 8 7 1 9 253
10   Charlie Eastwood 18 Ret 7 14 13 10 15 14 9 18 12 Ret 12 11 Ret 12 Ret 8 8 10 4 2 8 3 233
11   Jordan Albert 13 13 13 DNS 18 6 18 8 16 15 13 7 14 14 13 5 5 7 9 11 3 Ret 15 13 226
12   Rahul Raj Mayer 9 14 11 10 11 14 11 7 12 16 10 Ret 8 9 11 11 Ret 11 Ret 12 6 10 7 10 223
13   Rodrigo Fonseca 11 16 8 9 9 12 13 DSQ 14 20 14 Ret 15 4 12 Ret 16 6 11 8 5 Ret 11 12 200
14   Gustavo Lima 6 5 9 8 1 18 6 4 10 9 7 Ret 13 Ret 14 9 12 Ret 194
15   Tom Jackson Ret 12 19 12 19 16 16 11 13 8 Ret 5 Ret 5 15 13 8 10 136
16   Diego Borrelli 14 Ret 17 16 12 7 17 15 Ret 19 Ret 8 16 10 21 14 Ret 14 13 18 13 Ret 14 14 128
17   Alfredo Zabalza Ret Ret 16 15 15 DNS 13 Ret Ret 9 15 18 15 10 16 12 14 8 11 10 15 124
18   Michael Claessens 17 17 18 Ret 20 DNS Ret 12 18 14 15 9 18 16 19 19 Ret 19 16 15 14 12 16 16 100
19   Connor Jupp Ret 12 17 17 13 17 14 13 7 9 9 11 93
20   Nicolas Beer 4 2 Ret Ret 21 DNS 5 Ret 19 11 8 Ret 87
21   Tom Bale 17 16 Ret 17 18 16 18 14 15 15 17 11 Ret 13 17 69
22   David Wagner 10 9 15 13 Ret 13 12 Ret 11 64
23   Álex Palou 4 13 5 48
24   Dan Roeper 16 15 14 DNS 17 17 Ret 10 17 41
25   Jai Nijjar 19 17 20 20 15 18 17 16 12 35
26   Piers Hickin Ret 12 8 22
27   Falco Wauer 15 Ret 20 Ret 14 15 20
Pos. Driver SIL BRH SNE OUL SIL BRH DON SNE Points
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Points finish
Blue Non-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple Retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole
Italics – Fastest Lap

Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup

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The Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup was awarded to the driver who started from pole position most often throughout the season. Champion George Russell won the trophy, on a tie-break with Arjun Maini, as Russell took more pole positions from qualifying sessions.[35]

Pos. Driver Poles
1   George Russell 5
2   Arjun Maini 5
3   Sennan Fielding 4
4   Raoul Hyman 2
  Will Palmer 2
6   Gaetano di Mauro 1
  Charlie Eastwood 1
  Tom Jackson 1
  Gustavo Lima 1
  Rahul Raj Mayer 1
  Struan Moore 1

References

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  1. ^ "BRDC F4 super-six set for Snetterton shootout". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Russell secures pole in frantic Snetterton qualifying". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Menchaca holds off Eastwood to take dramatic maiden win". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 25 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Hyman takes win to ensure four way title showdown at Snetterton". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Race three starts at 14.10 – Russell on pole". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Champion! Russell marches to Snetterton victory to secure crown". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Abu Dhabi GP3 test with Arden for BRDC F4 champion". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  8. ^ a b "2014 Championship entries". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  9. ^ "World Karting Champion Charlie Eastwood joins F4 with Douglas". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Mexican Rodrigo Fonseca completes three car Douglas F4 line up". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 5 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Diego Menchaca returns to F4 with Douglas Motorsport". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  12. ^ "Will Palmer confirms F4 participation with HHC Motorsport in 2014". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Sennan Fielding targets F4 title glory with HHC Motorsport in 2014". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Raoul Hyman confirms F4 return with HHC Motorsport in 2014". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 16 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Lima heads to Hillspeed for 2014 F4 challenge". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Hillspeed finalise international line-up with Mexican rookie Zabalza". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  17. ^ "Multiple Karting champion George Russell joins F4 with Lanan". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Struan Moore switches to Lanan Racing for F4 return". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Arjun Maini completes Lanan F4 driver line up". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Tom Jackson graduates to F4 with Chris Dittmann Racing". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 31 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  21. ^ "Formula Gulf Champion Bale joins F4 with Chris Dittmann Racing". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Hyman: "I believe I can still win it"". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Mark Godwin Racing confirm F4 line-up with Dutchman Claessens". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 17 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  24. ^ "Formula Renault BARC champion Chris Middlehurst joins F4". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  25. ^ "David Wagner returns to Mark Godwin Racing for F4 debut". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  26. ^ "Petroball confirm Barrichello protégé Gaetano di Mauro". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  27. ^ "Petroball complete driver line-up with USA karter Dan Roeper". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  28. ^ "Sean Walkinshaw Racing announces Caterham F1 link-up". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  29. ^ "Alex Palou to make F4 debut at Silverstone with SWR". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  30. ^ "Jordan Albert confirms SWR move". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  31. ^ "Danish star Nicolas Beer joins F4 with Sean Walkinshaw Racing". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  32. ^ "Venezuelan karting ace Diego Borrelli graduates to F4 with SWR". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 27 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  33. ^ a b c "Meridian Racing switches to BRDC F4 Championship". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  34. ^ "Falco Wauer returns to Enigma Motorsport for F4 title assault". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  35. ^ "Russell clinches Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup honours". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. MotorSport Vision. 27 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
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