QUINN TAKE SILVERSTONE SATURDAY WIN IN BRITISH F4

TRS Arden and Alex Quinn shone at Silverstone to take victory in Round 25 of the F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost, ahead of Oliver York and Oscar Piastri after a dramatic finish hit by torrential rain.

Silverstone has proved a happy hunting ground for Quinn. It was the scene of his British F4 Rookie title triumph in 2016, which he capped off with a fantastic win at the Northamptonshire circuit.

Quinn managed to survive a last minute rain storm in the closing stages to clinch Race 1 victory – Photo: Jakob Ebrey

Starting on the front row the Cornish racer was determined to add another victory to his name at the home of British Motor Racing and he duly delivered. A lightning start saw him get the jump on team-mate and poleman Oscar Piastri.

Piastri made life difficult for Quinn in the opening stages, refusing to let him escape while bringing Oliver York (Fortec Motorsports) and Jamie Caroline (Carlin) with him. Caroline having already made up two places on the first lap.

As the race progressed Quinn eventually managed to break free of Piastri’s clutches. The heavens opened with just two laps remaining, but Quinn remained unfazed out front. The 16-year-old danced his way around the 1.64 mile circuit on slick tyres in the pouring rain to take his third win of the campaign.

“I got Oscar off the line which is what I was aiming to do because to go head to head in the race would have been more tricky considering the way things are in the championship battle. We have to keep maximising the points.

“I knew the start was my best and safest opportunity to get the job done so I’m really happy to have pulled it off.

“It wasn’t easy after the start though because Oscar was very quick at the beginning, but I eventually managed to pull out a bit of a gap.

“Then I saw a massive black cloud overhead and knew the rain was coming. I stayed calm, didn’t push too hard and it paid off.

“I was trying to pay attention to how much rain was on my visor and how much water there was on the track. The last lap was like driving into the unknown, but I’ve always liked these conditions throughout my career.”

Behind Quinn the situation was far less straightforward. After Caroline got the better of York with a bold move to take third just before the rain began to fall, the championship leader moved to double his fun as he attempted to pass and pull away from chief title rival Piastri on the final lap.

It resulted in a spin for Caroline, forcing Piastri to take evasive action. The Aussie took a wide line and hit the brakes. York promptly capitalised to take second, diving up the inside of both drivers.

“Overall it was a good race for us,” commented York. “We had the pace throughout. Even when the rain came down we were something like a second quicker than anyone else on the last lap when we took second place.

“Jamie went for a late move and I had to back out really otherwise it could have ended very differently. Then it started to rain and he was sideways through Brooklands after a half spin. It forced Oscar out wide and it gave me the opportunity to scythe up the inside the pair of them.

“I think I was a little held back by Oscar which meant I couldn’t attack Quinn for the win. I’m still happy to get second which means plenty more points in the championship so we can continue to target a top five finish in the championship at the end of the season.

“This is my third podium in four races so it’s great to have this kind of consistency and is a sign of our strength.”

“The start was not good at all,” said Piastri. “I didn’t have enough heat in the tyres which meant I couldn’t get the traction I wanted off the line.

“I felt I was faster than Alex in the opening laps, but as the race progressed I didn’t have the life in the tyres that he did which meant I couldn’t quite keep up with him.

“The heavens opened on the final two laps and I was probably a bit too cautious. On the last lap Jamie went for a bold move and spun in front of me. I had nowhere to go other than slam on the brakes and that let York through.

“I’m not happy with the result, but it could have been a lot worse. We finished on the podium and in front of Jamie so that’s still positive.”