Starting from pole position, the Aussie emerged victorious in the reverse grid race after a thrilling battle with Logan Sargeant who started alongside him on the front row.
It was the latest chapter in a rivalry that has spanned throughout their motor racing careers; in the karting ranks and the sister F4 series in the UAE. Oscar was on the hunt for his first win in the UK’s most
competitive junior single-seater championship having already starred on the podium four times this season.
Oscar made a perfect getaway off the line to lead into the first corner and immediately set about building a gap to Sargeant. However the American closed in, responding to the Aussie’s strong pace. The leaders soon found themselves nose to tail and engaged in a frenetic duel around the 2.2-mile Cheshire circuit. Oscar used all his guile to defend his lead, expertly positioning his car lap after lap to fend off Sargeant.
The two drivers were separated by a mere 0.308s when the race was brought to a premature end following a spectacular off for championship leader Jamie Caroline. With the tyre barrier at Old Hall Corner in need of repair following the incident, the race was halted and declared with seven laps completed; the top 10 drivers receiving half points due to the race not reaching 75 per cent distance.
Oscar’s team-mates Ayrton Simmons and Alex Quinn also put in excellent performances. Ayrton gained the most positions in the race, climbing his way up from 13th to sixth thanks to an inspired comeback drive. A lightning start and a daring move on cold tyres around the outside of several cars at turn three thrilled spectators. The Epping racer scything past five drivers in the space of just one lap.
Alex’s race was thwarted following contact on the opening lap with Caroline which saw him fall down the order having started fifth on the grid. Alex persevered and was involved in a thrilling four-way scrap for the final points paying positions; ultimately coming out on top to finish eighth.
Fastest lap acted as further consolation for the Cornish racer and came as no surprise given the pace he showed throughout the weekend, having topped Friday testing and finishing second in Saturday’s race.
Oscar’s win means he has put further distance between himself and those behind in the championship standings. He lies second on 119.5 points and will seek to make further inroads to the top of the table at the next meeting of the season at Croft (10/11 June). Alex sits sixth on 86 points, with Ayrton just two spots further back in eighth on 67.5. TRS Arden’s talented trio will become a quartet at Croft as Olli Caldwell will make his competitive debut in British F4, becoming the youngest driver to ever compete in the FIA certified series.
Oscar Piastri: “To get this first British F4 win feels really good. It would have been nice if it had been full distance and therefore full points, but it still means a lot.
I think we knew that the pace was definitely there. There were just a couple of things we needed to fall into place. We’ve been up there throughout the season and I was just waiting for my chance to make it onto the top step. My initial start was really good and I built up a nice little gap. I pushed a little bit over the limit and made a couple of mistakes which allowed Logan to catch up
though. Once he had caught up I just focused on consistently putting my car in the right place to keep him behind. The TRS Arden-prepared cars have been really fast this weekend, especially Alex and I. It’s great to get this win for the team. It’s their second of the season and hopefully there are many more to come.”
Ayrton Simmons: “The first lap was pretty amazing. I got the jump on some drivers off the line and then overtook four cars around the outside of turn three which was pretty epic. I overtook a few more drivers who were battling with each other and just
managed to get the best from the situation. Every time I saw even half a chance I converted it into an overtake. I’m really pleased I got some more points in this race because it’s not been an ideal weekend for me. I’m already really looking forward to the next races at Croft. I’ll arrive there on the back of plenty of hard work with the team so I can come back even stronger.”
Alex Quinn: “I got a really good start which put me alongside Lundqvist. I was on the inside and he was on the outside and he just managed to keep the momentum to stay in front. I wasn’t taking too many risks at that stage in the race and chose to slot in behind him with a view to overtaking when things had settled down after the opening laps. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be following the contact with Caroline who was trying to overtake me which didn’t end too well. That effectively ended my chances of a good result, but I came back through the field. I got past three cars. It wasn’t a boring race at all, but it certainly didn’t go the way wanted it to. I’m happy with the pace. Oscar got a brilliant result so a huge well done to him. It’s great for the team.”