Following a 2025 title fight that ran to the final round, British Formula 4 returns for its 12th season in 2026, with several of the most exciting names in F4 taking to the grid at Donington Park. Feeder Series tells you all you need to know for the season ahead.
By Gavin Guthrie
The 2025 season featured a title fight between Red Bull junior Fionn McLaughlin, Jimmy Piszcyk and Martin Molnár that ran to the final round of the season, with McLaughlin clinching the championship in race one at Brands Hatch. With the top three departing the series – McLaughlin joining F3, Molnár moving to GB3, and Piszcyk still yet to announce his 2026 programme – a new crop of promising talents has taken their places. Thirty-one drivers representing 15 different countries are set to compete in the series in 2026, nearly twice as many drivers and nations as there were five years ago.
The calendar
This year brings the return of the Croft and Brands Hatch Indy rounds – which last featured in 2023 and 2024 respectively – in lieu of Knockhill and Oulton Park. As such, the series will once again appear on the TOCA support bill for eight of its 10 rounds. Outside of those, British F4 will headline the Silverstone International Trophy weekend at the end of May and will feature as one of six series at the Zandvoort Summer Trophy in July.
- Round 1: Donington Park Circuit, National layout (18–19 April)
- Round 2: Brands Hatch Circuit, Indy layout (9–10 May)
- Round 3: Snetterton Circuit (23–24 May)
- Round 4: Silverstone Circuit, Grand Prix layout (30–31 May)
- Round 5: Circuit Zandvoort (11–12 July)
- Round 6: Thruxton Circuit (25–26 July)
- Round 7: Donington Park Circuit, Grand Prix layout (22–23 August)
- Round 8: Croft Circuit (5–6 September)
- Round 9: Silverstone Circuit, National layout (26–27 September)
- Round 10: Brands Hatch Circuit, Grand Prix layout (10–11 October)
The format
As in previous seasons, there will be two practice sessions, a qualifying session and three races per weekend. The grid for race one will be determined by the second-fastest time achieved by a driver during qualifying. Race two’s grid will be formed by reversing the top 12 of the qualifying order; the rest of the field will start where they qualified. The full qualifying order is used to set the grid for race three.
A small tweak has been made to the points distribution for this season. As in 2025, two points will be awarded to whichever driver sets the fastest legal lap in qualifying. Races one and three will award points according to the standard FIA distribution, with 25 points for first, 18 for second, and so on down to one point for the tenth-placed driver.
The reverse-grid race will now award 10 points for first, 8 for second, 6 for third, 5 for fourth, 4 for fifth, 3 for sixth, 2 for seventh, and one for eighth, a reduction from the 15, 12, 10, et cetera seen in previous seasons. The new system mirrors what F2 uses in its sprint races.
Race two will continue to award a point per position gained relative to the driver’s position on the starting grid, up to a maximum of 10 points. All three races also award one point for the fastest lap.
Drivers competing in the Rookie Cup will receive points towards their class standings in the same distribution, though no bonus points will be awarded for either the fastest lap in class or positions gained.
Points for the teams’ championship will be awarded based on the finishing positions of the three highest-placed drivers in each team.
Where to watch
A new deal arranged with ITV and the BTCC has allowed for expanded coverage of the 2026 British F4 season, with all races now receiving live coverage. For the first three and final five rounds, race one will be streamed on the British F4 YouTube channel, with races two and three available on ITV4 and ITVX for UK viewers and on the championship’s YouTube channel for international viewers. Rounds four and five will broadcast all three races on the British F4 YouTube channel for all viewers. Live timing for all sessions will be available on TSL Timing.
Teams and drivers
All eight teams that competed in 2025 will return for the 2026 season. The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy has confirmed that Alba Larsen, one of their latest signings, will run a dual campaign in F1 Academy and British F4 after having raced in UAE4 over the winter – though as yet, the Danish 17-year-old has not been confirmed with any team in British F4.
Rodin Motorsport
Rodin Motorsport reclaimed the teams’ championship title in 2025, with championship runner-up Jimmy Piszcyk, Adam Al Azhari and Dries Van Langendonck all picking up wins for the New Zealand–British outfit. Alongside their winning trio, the team ran Ella Lloyd in a Challenge Cup title bid, as well as Guy Albag and Chloe Chong for select rounds.
A last-minute addition to the grid, Ella Lloyd (#20) returns to the series for a third, albeit brief, stint in British F4. The now 20-year-old made her single-seater debut in the series in 2024 with JHR Developments, finishing 11th in the championship with four podiums to her name. Lloyd joined Rodin as a McLaren-backed driver for a dual campaign in F1 Academy and British F4. The Welsh driver took one win and four further podiums in F1 Academy to finish fourth in the standings, while in her sophomore British F4 campaign, she managed second in the Challenge Cup standings, with one overall podium at Zandvoort. For 2026, Lloyd will once again primarily compete for the F1 Academy title, with plans to compete in just three rounds of this year’s British F4 season.
Alfie Slater (#27) made the step up from the Ginetta Junior championship – in which he finished fifth in last year’s standings – to F4 in the Formula Winter Series earlier this year. The 15-year-old Englishman took three podiums on his way to seventh in the championship.
Also making the step up from the Ginetta Junior championship via FWS is Ethan Lennon (#32). Prior to his car racing debut, the 15-year-old South African driver finished runner-up in the 2024 ROK Cup Superfinal in the Junior ROK class. Despite only competing in five of the eight Ginetta Junior rounds last year, Lennon managed to remain 13th in the standings by season’s end, with a best result of fourth. In FWS, Lennon took another step forward, taking four podiums to finish fifth overall and third in the rookies’ championship standings, level on points with second-place finisher Samuel Ifrid.
Rodin’s standout driver for the season – and the most exciting prospect on the grid – is McLaren junior Dries Van Langendonck (#51). A world and European junior karting champion in consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, the Belgian driver made his single-seater debut at round eight of the 2025 British F4 season at Donington Park, where he took pole position and a win in his first two days of car racing after turning 15. Over the winter, Van Langendonck dominated FWS, winning nine of the 15 races to claim the title with a 149-point lead over runner-up Thomas Bearman.
Hitech
The Silverstone-based Hitech outfit took back-to-back drivers’ titles in 2024 and 2025 with Deagen Fairclough and Fionn McLaughlin respectively, though they lost out on the teams’ championship in 2025 by just 1.5 points to Rodin. Alongside McLaughlin, Hitech fielded Thomas Bearman and Xavier Avramides for the full 2025 season, with Leo Robinson, Nina Gademan and Joseph Smith running part-time campaigns with the team.
Adam Al Azhari (#3) makes the switch from Rodin to their teams’ championship rival for 2026, joining his older brother Keanu Al Azhari of Eurocup-3 in the silver-and-red stable. Al Azhari took three wins and three second-place finishes in his 2025 British F4 campaign, ending the season sixth in the standings. Ahead of the 2026 season, the Emirati driver took part in the Saudi Arabian F4 championship, Formula Trophy and UAE4. The 16-year-old saw only moderate success in the two Emirati series, finishing sixth and 11th in the final standings, but in the F4 Saudi Arabia championship, he managed two wins and three further podiums to claim the runner-up spot in the championship despite missing the final round.
Swedish driver Scott Kin Lindblom (#5) was the first of Hitech’s two Red Bull-backed drivers to be announced in November, with the 15-year-old making the step up from the Ginetta Junior championship. Lindblom achieved nine podiums in the sports car series, finishing fourth in the final 2025 standings. In preparation for his transition to single-seaters, the Red Bull junior joined his Hitech teammates in the Middle East for F4 Saudi Arabia, Formula Trophy and UAE4. Lindblom managed one win and five further podiums in F4 Saudi Arabia to finish third overall – just 17 points behind Al Azhari – as well as two podiums in UAE4 on his way to seventh in the championship, which made him the highest-placed future British F4 driver in the series.
Also making the step to single-seaters in a Red Bull-liveried car is Chiara Bättig (#6), a frontrunner in the European karting scene last year The 16-year-old Swiss driver made her car racing debut in F4 Saudi Arabia last autumn, scoring in six of the 10 races to finish 12th in the standings. The Swiss driver then joined Campos for FWS and took a podium in a chaotic wet race at the Estoril season opener, eventually finishing 17th overall in the standings as the highest-placed female driver.
The final driver joining the Hitech stable for 2026 is Theo Palmer (#7), who makes the switch from Xcel for his second season in the championship. The 15-year-old finished fourth in the 2025 Rookie Cup, just a single point away from third-placed Cole Hewetson, despite missing the first round of the season. In preparation for his sophomore season, Palmer entered the first two rounds of the Saudi Arabian F4 championship, taking back-to-back podiums in the first round. The Emirati then pivoted to the Formula Trophy series, in which he took one win and one further podium to finish fourth in the standings, before finally competing in the UAE4 series, ending the winter 15th in the standings with a best finish of sixth.
Argenti Motorsport
After their 2023 slump in the standings, Argenti continued their climb back up the teams’ championship pecking order, placing third overall in 2025. Ethan Jeff-Hall and August Raber furnished their points tally, supported by rookies Henry Mercier and Arjen Kräling.
The most experienced of the three new drivers joining the Argenti stable, shifter karting graduate León Hedfors (#4) made his single-seater debut in Formula Trophy, with a best finish of 10th in the opening round in Dubai. The Swedish driver, 17, also took part in three rounds of FWS with Campos, once again managing a 10th-place finish in the final round of the championship.
Sun Anzhe (#24) spent 2025 competing in the FIA Karting European Championship and the Champions of the Future series in the OK class before making the step up to car racing in the 2026 UAE4 Series. Sun, 15 and from China, competed in two rounds of the championship, taking a best finish of 24th.
Mercedes junior Ethan Jeff-Hall (#25) remains with Argenti for his sophomore year of British F4. The 17-year-old Briton had an impressive debut season in single-seaters, taking one win and five further podiums to finish fifth in the final standings, along with a podium in the non-championship round supporting the British Grand Prix. As the second-highest-placed driver in last year’s championship to return to the series, Jeff-Hall is well-poised for a potential title challenge.
Vegard Klemetsen (#88), the only Argenti driver with no car racing experience, spent 2025 competing in the FIA Karting European Championship and the Champions of the Future Euro Series. The 18-year-old Norwegian driver had an intensive winter testing programme ahead of his debut season, completing test days with GRS, MP, Drivex, Hitech and finally Argenti.
Virtuosi Racing
While Martin Molnár was Virtuosi Racing’s only full-time driver for the season, the Norfolk-based outfit enjoyed their most successful campaign in the teams’ standings, with Molnár’s results supported by a win from Salim Hanna and several points finishes from Oleksandr Savinkov.
Australian driver George Proudford-Nalder (#8) made his car racing debut last year in the Ginetta Junior Championship, finishing seventh in the standings with two podiums. The 16-year-old’s standout performances, however, came in FWS, in which he made his single-seater debut. Competing in the final two rounds of the championship, Proudford-Nalder took a podium and four further points finishes from his first six races.
Joseph Smith (#15) was sixth in the Ginetta Junior Championship when the opportunity to step up to British F4 with Hitech presented itself for the final four rounds of the season. With little preparation, Smith managed a Rookie Cup win with a sixth-place finish at Silverstone, though that was his only top-10 finish of the season. Ahead of first full season in his home F4 series, the 16-year-old took part in the UAE4 Series, taking one podium and one other top-10 finish, both coming in the final round of the championship.
Jarrett Clark (#55), like his teammates, made his car racing debut in the 2025 Ginetta Junior Championship, taking two podiums in the final round of the championship to finish eighth in the final standings. The 15-year-old then picked up his first win in cars in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series en route to fourth in the standings. In his single-seater debut at the second round of Formula Trophy, Clark managed a fifth-place finish in his first race. The British-Australian driver then entered the UAE4 Series, taking one podium and two other points finishes to end the season 14th in the standings.
Fortec Motorsport
Fortec Motorsport’s 2025 campaign was spearheaded by full-season driver Henry Joslyn, who collected seven podiums for the red-and-white outfit, though it was Challenge Cup champion Ary Bansal who took the team’s only win of the season at Zandvoort. Thomas Ingram Hill, one of Fortec’s GB4 drivers, also took part in several rounds of the FIA-backed series with the team.
Kit Belofsky (#9) made his single-seater debut in the F4 Saudi Arabia Championship. Despite having next to no experience in cars, the British driver – well known for his sim racing content on social media – took the win in his debut race ahead of much more experienced drivers such as Al Azhari and Palmer. Belofsky carried this momentum through the championship, taking three more wins and four further podiums to win the title. These are the 15-year-old’s first races since his championship campaign.
The first of two twins to be announced, Cash Felber (#11) joins Fortec in British F4 after his first full single-seater season in the 2025 Ligier Junior Formula Championship, in which the American driver took two wins and four further podiums to finish third in the final standings. Ahead of the 2026 season, Felber entered one round of the UAE4 series at Yas Marina, taking a best result of 12th.
American-Australian driver Ethan Carney (#53) made his car racing debut in the 2024 Ginetta Junior Championship, ending the season 17th in the championship with a best finish of sixth place. Returning to the series for 2025, 16-year-old Carney claimed one podium and finished 11th in the standings. Ahead of his single-seater debut, Carney has taken part in a thorough winter testing programme with Fortec.
Roman Felber (#73) has followed the same career path as his twin brother and teammate Cash, making his full-season competition debut in the 2025 Ligier Junior Formula Championship after making sporadic single-seater appearances in the previous two years. Felber took one win and four further podiums to finish seventh overall in the standings. Entering the UAE4 series one round after his brother, the 15-year-old took a best finish of 18th in the final race at the Dubai Autodrome.
Chris Dittmann Racing
Chris Dittmann Racing took their first win in British F4 at round eight of last year’s championship in the hands of Tommy Harfield, having joined the series in 2022. Alongside Harfield, CDR ran a trio of rookies – Charlie Edge, Alba Larsen, and Piotr Orzechowski – in selected rounds of the championship.
American driver Henry Mercier (#13) made his single-seater debut in last year’s British F4 championship with Argenti Motorsport, claiming a second-place finish in the reverse-grid race at Oulton Park along with several Rookie Cup podiums across the season to finish 17th overall and sixth in the rookie standings. Feeder Series understands that having made the switch to CDR for his sophomore season, 17-year-old Mercier is more settled at his new outfit and is better poised to battle towards the top of the field.
Tommy Harfield (#21), the highest-placed driver from the 2025 British F4 championship to return to the series, will be one to watch for the title fight. Initially only confirmed for a Challenge Cup campaign, The Briton was a surprise standout in 2025, taking three wins and five further podiums to finish fourth in the final standings. Ahead of his 2026 title challenge, 17-year-old Harfield took part in the final round of Formula Trophy, taking a second-place finish in the final race of the series.
Polish driver Piotr Orzechowski (#40) made appearances at three rounds of the 2025 British F4 season as part of a learning programme with CDR, taking a best finish of 17th. The 18-year-old also competed in the Polish and Italian ROK Cup karting championships between F4 rounds. Orzechowski explained to Feeder Series that he will compete for the Challenge Cup as a result of being forced to miss three rounds for public exams.
Daniella Sutton (#43) made her car racing debut in the 2024 British Racing & Sports Car Club Fiesta Junior Championship, having won the inaugural BRSCC Fiesta Junior Scholarship at Blyton Park. Ending her debut season 25th in the overall standings, Sutton returned to the series in 2025, improving significantly to see out the season eighth in the championship. Selected as a member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club Rising Stars programme last year, 17-year-old Sutton will make her single-seater debut at Donington Park after an extensive winter testing programme with CDR.
JHR Developments
JHR Developments suffered their worst season in British F4 in 2025, ending the season seventh in the championship. Despite this, their full-season driver Rowan Campbell-Pilling was able to claim his first win in single-seaters at Knockhill, with Joel Bergström taking two podiums in the four rounds he entered. Harri Reynolds and Haarni Sadiq filled out the team’s roster at select rounds of the championship, with Reynolds collecting a points finish in his one weekend.
Timo Jüngling (#2) enters the world of single-seater racing with an extensive record of karting success behind him. The 16-year-old won the 2021 British Kart Championships’ Cadet class and the 2023 Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals’ 125 Junior Max class before finishing runner-up in last year’s FIA Karting World Cup in the KZ2 class. Jüngling’s winter programme primarily focussed on testing with JHR, though the London-based driver of German and Australian parentage entered as a guest driver for the final round of FWS, taking a best finish of 22nd.
The 2023 FIA International Karting Ranking Driver of the Year, Lewis Wherrell (#10) began his car racing career with one-off appearances in the 2025 Spanish F4 and GB4 championships, with a fifth-place finish in his second GB4 race. The 15-year-old then entered two rounds of the Saudi Arabian F4 championship, taking two wins and a further podium finish from his four races in the series, earning him fifth in the final standings despite his reduced campaign. This is set to be the Briton’s first full single-seater season.
Haarni Sadiq (#12) made his single-seater debut in 2025 after only two years of competitive karting, competing in selected rounds of the 2025 British F4 championship. The 16-year-old Pakistani-British driver adapted well given his lack of experience compared to the field, managing a best finish of 16th on two occasions.
Cameron Nelson (#22) makes the step up from karting with considerable pedigree behind him. The Cardiff-based driver took third in the RMC Grand Finals’ Junior 125 class at the end of 2024 before competing in the first three rounds of the 2025 British Kart Championships’ Junior Rotax class, taking one overall win. Nelson, 15, also claimed the BNL Golden Trophy in the junior class at Belgium’s Genk circuit in 2024. Prior to his single-seater debut, Nelson completed a thorough winter testing programme with JHR, receiving coaching from 2006 British Formula Renault 2.0 champion Duncan Tappy.
Xcel Motorsport
Having first joined the championship in 2024, Xcel Motorsport once again brought up the rear of the teams’ standings. Despite this, the Emirati outfit and the series’ newest team scored nearly triple their 2024 points haul in their sophomore season at the hands of Cole Hewetson, Chase Fernandez, Theo Palmer and Yuhao Fu.
South African driver Cole Hewetson (#33) remains with Xcel for his second-year campaign in British F4, having taken the final spot on the Rookie Cup podium last year. Ahead of his sophomore year, the 17-year-old entered the final round of the Formula Trophy series, with a best result of 13th. He then completed a winter testing programme with Xcel that included five days in a GB3 car, setting the third-fastest time overall on the first day of GB3 pre-season testing at Snetterton.
Mate Kobakhidze (#44) makes his single-seater debut with Xcel, stepping up from karts after competing in a range of Rotax Max championships in 2025. Racing in the Junior Max class, the 15-year-old Georgian driver took wins at the RMC Grand Festival in Italy and the RMC Euro Trophy.
Jaber Al Sabah (#83) made his single-seater racing debut with Xcel at the non-championship British F4 round supporting the British Grand Prix, having been a part of the Xcel stable through karting. Ahead of his first main championship campaign, the Kuwaiti driver took part in the Formula Trophy and UAE4 series, with a best finish of sixth in the former and 14th in the latter.
The inaugural winner of Rob Smedley and FAT Racing Dept’s F4 shootout, Jackson Wolny (#96) made his car racing debut in the SCCA Spec Miata class and earned a spot as a finalist for Mazda Motorsports’ 2025 shootout for a seat in the Mazda MX-5 Cup. The 16-year-old American driver also won the Fat Karting League Midwest Pro Championship and took third in the FKL Junior class World Finals in the same year, earning his entry into the FKL F4 shootout.
The grid at a glance
| Team | # | Driver |
| JHR Developments | 2 | Timo Jüngling (R) |
| 10 | Lewis Wherrell (R) | |
| 12 | Haarni Sadiq (R) | |
| 22 | Cameron Nelson (R) | |
| Hitech | 3 | Adam Al Azhari |
| 5 | Scott Kin Lindblom | |
| 6 | Chiara Bättig | |
| 7 | Theo Palmer | |
| Argenti Motorsport | 4 | León Hedfors (R) |
| 24 | Sun Anzhe (R) | |
| 25 | Ethan Jeff-Hall | |
| 88 | Vegard Klemetsen (R) | |
| Virtuosi Racing | 8 | George Proudford-Nalder |
| 15 | Joseph Smith | |
| 55 | Jarrett Clark | |
| Fortec Motorsport | 9 | Kit Belofsky |
| 11 | Cash Felber | |
| 53 | Ethan Carney | |
| 73 | Roman Felber | |
| Chris Dittmann Racing | 13 | Henry Mercier |
| 21 | Tommy Harfield | |
| 40 | Piotr Orzechowski (R) | |
| 43 | Daniella Sutton | |
| Rodin Motorsport | 20 | Ella Lloyd |
| 27 | Alfie Slater | |
| 32 | Ethan Lennon | |
| 51 | Dries Van Langendonck (R) | |
| Xcel Motorsport | 33 | Cole Hewetson |
| 44 | Mate Kobakhidze (R) | |
| 83 | Jaber Al Sabah (R) | |
| 96 | Jackson Wolny (R) |
Header photo credit: British F4
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