The countdown is on for until the first race of the 2024 GB4 Championship season, and official pre-season testing has given us an early indication of who could be on top. Feeder Series analyses who’s on the front foot with the thoughts of Alisha Palmowski, Harry Burgoyne, Dan Hickey and Jack Taylor.

By George Brabner

GB4 is embarking on its third season in operation after two years of steady growth. With an adjusted seven-round calendar, it has garnered interest from 16 teams, although the confirmed grid currently sits at only 12 drivers.

The series’ past two champions have not progressed up the single-seater ladder after their title victory, but a field with impressive depth considering its small size is looking to change that in 2024, attracting two female drivers, a trio of familiar faces from 2023 and a set of talented rookies.

Palmowski makes an impact

One of GB4’s most impressive new recruits over the winter has been Elite Motorsport’s Palmowski. She graduates from the Ginetta Junior Championship – where she finished fifth last year with ten podiums to her name – and is already carrying that strong momentum forward into single-seaters.

Of March’s six official test days spread across Oulton Park, Donington Park and Silverstone, Palmowski has finished in the top three on every occasion, even topping one day at Oulton Park and Donington Park each. She told Feeder Series at Donington Park that the results have been “a great confidence booster” and “exactly what we needed” before round one.

Importantly, she already has a season under Elite’s wing after leaving Preptech – who will be entering GB4 for the first time this year – for a second year in Ginetta Juniors in 2023, giving her some useful internal consistency as she makes the “huge” step to GB4.

“I was like a different driver when I ended the year compared to where I started the year, so it was a no-brainer for us to continue our motorsport career with Elite and progress on the motorsport ladder with them,” Palmowski explained.

With a race-winning team on her side and an impressive winter testing programme under her belt, Palmowski’s confidence is high, although she already has an eye on the competition.

“I think in terms of expectations, I am able to be at the front of the grid and be a championship contender, fighting for wins and podiums. But then again, it is my first year. There are a few second-year drivers such as Harry Burgoyne, who we know is very, very quick. So it won’t be easy, it’s going to be a big challenge.”

Second-year Burgoyne starts strong

Scotsman Burgoyne traded first places with Palmowski throughout official testing at Oulton Park and Donington Park, similarly not finishing below third in any of the combined classifications.

He makes the jump to reigning teams’ champions KMR Sport, after what he labelled a “good learning year” in 2023 with Graham Brunton Racing. It is a move that gives him high hopes for his sophomore campaign.

“Coming into this year, you need to think these guys were winning a lot. So you have to think, surely we can do the same this year,” Burgoyne told Feeder Series.

“This year is my year to see if I can win it,” he said, setting out a clear statement of intention for where he sees himself at round one.

With KMR Sport’s domination still fresh, Burgoyne can feed off of 2023 champion Tom Mills’ success, not only having the Briton’s data at his disposal but also his expertise, as he has been coaching him over the off-season.

Mills interjects with a laugh, “His driver coach is the best!” as he passes by into the KMR Sport truck.

“Tom’s data is very good because obviously, he was very fast on track, so it’s very helpful when you go to the same tracks. Obviously, you’ve got a head start because he was winning it quite a lot. It shows where you can improve, where you are the same as him, where you think you can be better. But it’s really helpful, so I can’t really complain at all!”

Two ‘almost rookies’ on the up

Palmowski’s teammate at Elite Motorsport, Finn Harrison, has only participated in two days of official testing at Silverstone but he was quickly on the pace. He finished fourth on day one and topped day two, ahead of Burgoyone by a tenth of a second, showing that the pace proven by Palmowski is team-wide.

Harrison will contest the full season after making a one-off appearance at the 2023 season finale where he took a best finish of fourth despite his minimal single-seater experience, positioning him as a potential title challenger.

Also debuting in GB4 at Donington Park last year was Dan Hickey, who will continue with Fortec Motorsport into 2024 with a long winter testing programme under his belt. 

The 21-year-old comes from a background in business rather than racing, which has made his transition into GB4 evermore difficult. But his progression has been noticeable, now consistently around the 1.5-second mark from the pace-setters in official testing.

“It’s been a challenge,” he said. “Obviously, it’s very different compared to anything I’ve done before. I’d done a tiny, tiny bit of karting and a few track days here and there, but nothing like this. 

“To start with, it’s all about getting used to the car and then we’ve been to different tracks, learning the tracks. The testing’s obviously helped quite a lot. I’m getting used to the tyres, first time on slicks as well, last year.”

Having never left the side of Fortec Motorsport since his very first day in single-seaters, Hickey has benefitted over the off-season from the Daventry-based team’s expertise.

“They’ve been a massive help. I’ve obviously stuck with them since the first time I stepped in the car and all of the guys have been really helpful. And all of the engineers, Andy, who I’m working with now, have been really helpful. They’ve all been great with me. They’ve kind of shown me how to drive the car to start off with and then sort of building up the pace. They’ve just improved me a lot as a driver.”

Contrasting rookie drivers

Whilst Palmowski, Burgoyne and Harrison have been sharing the fastest times for the majority of testing, the first day of running at Silverstone saw a surprise at the front of the pack.

Unnamed on the circuit’s live timing page, Linus Granfors, the younger brother of 2022 GB3 runner-up Joel Granfors, leapedt straight to the sharp end on his first and only official testing appearance by a significant margin of seven-tenths, beating the 2023 pole time in the process. Having won Formula Nordic with 13 wins from 15 races last year, the Swede is certainly one to watch in single-seaters. However, whether he will race the GB4 season at all is unclear.

Though Granfors was quick to excel at Silverstone, GB4’s rookies will not be stepping into the series with too much on-track experience in 2024. Australian Jack Taylor, for example, has ventured to the UK for the first time to compete with Fortec.

He made his maiden competitive F4 appearance in Indian F4 last year, so he is still extremely fresh to single-seaters. But he has shown promise at times over the winter, only just over three-tenths away from the gauntlet thrown down by Palmowski on day one at Donington Park, for example.

“I always kind of start off slow in the first session, but I feel like now I’m getting quicker each session, learning more, getting the most out of the car,” he told Feeder Series. “I feel like I’m getting there.”

The gravity of the complete lifestyle change that he has undertaken to compete in GB4 cannot be understated, but Taylor saw the lighter side in moving halfway across the world.

A new motivation for female talent

The UK’s F4 scene, which is still small compared to Europe’s, has strong female representation in 2024. 

Nina Gademan, Chloe Chong, Ella Lloyd and Abbi Pulling have all secured competitive British F4 seats and two female drivers are currently confirmed for the GB4 field – Elite’s Palmowski and Fox Motorsport’s Megan Bruce. 

Flame Airikkala, who has been testing with Preptech, is expected to compete too, whilst Lilo Fyrileiv is aiming to continue with Idola Motorsport from Praga sportscars into single-seaters, although the Norwegian is still looking to secure the sponsorship to race.

As a result of this interest – and much more from a plethora of female drivers over the winter – GB4 has launched a new prize fund for 2024: the highest-placed female driver in the championship will earn a €30,000 contribution towards a 2025 F1 Academy seat. 

The path from GB4 to F1 Academy is one that’s already been trodden by Chloe Grant, who joined ART Grand Prix in the series for a full-time campaign last year, and it’s a path that series organisers MSV are keen to promote. 

Palmowski shared her views on the announcement with Feeder Series.

“That’s an absolutely amazing opportunity from GB4 and [MSV Chief Executive] Johnathan Palmer. F1 Academy is the aim for me next year, that is what we’re looking at, as I know a lot of females will be. But obviously, it’s not easy at all to get there because of the female talent and also because of the funding, the budget. Obviously, that is a challenge. So to have that motivation of that prize money, that just gives me more determination to do well and succeed really. 

“So really, really excited and a big thank you to Johnathan Palmer and MSV, BRDC, GB4 and everybody that’s involved.”

Editor’s note, 25 March 2024, 12:35 a.m. CET: This article was updated to clarify Alisha Palmowski’s past participation in the Ginetta Junior Championship.

Header photo credit: Jakob Ebrey Photography