2015 BRDC Formula 4 Championship
The 2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Championship[1] 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 2015 season was the third BRDC Formula 4 Championship organised by the British Racing Drivers' Club in the United Kingdom. The season began at Oulton Park on 4 April and ended on 27 September at Brands Hatch, after eight triple header events for a total of twenty-four races.
Will Palmer, running for the HHC Motorsport team, was a comfortable champion in the series; he wrapped up the title with one event to spare.[2] Having been a title contender in 2014, Palmer won exactly half of the races to be held in 2015 – a series-record twelve wins – and fifteen podiums in total saw him finish 137 points clear of the championship runner-up, team-mate Harrison Newey. Newey racked up eight podium finishes before he was able to take the first of two victories during the season, at Donington Park. He added a second win at Brands Hatch, taking a total of twelve podium finishes in 2015. Third place in the drivers' championship went to Chris Dittmann Racing driver Tom Jackson, who also won two races during the season – both coming at Snetterton.
Five other drivers won races during the season; Lanan Racing duo Rodrigo Fonseca (Rockingham and Silverstone) and Chris Mealin (Oulton Park and Rockingham) each won a pair of races, as did Jordan Albert of Sean Walkinshaw Racing, winning races at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch. The remaining races were won by Jackson's team-mate Omar Ismail at Snetterton and Michael O'Brien, who won the partially reversed-grid race at Rockingham for MGR Motorsport. Of the 23 drivers eligible to score points towards the drivers' championship, 17 recorded at least one podium finish.
Teams and drivers
[edit]All teams were British-registered.
| Team | No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Motorsport | 2 |  Akhil Rabindra[3]
|
All |
| 24 |  Fernando Urrutia[4]
|
All | |
| HHC Motorsport | 3 |  Will Palmer[5]
|
All |
| 33 | Harrison Newey[6]
|
All | |
| 37 |  Sisa Ngebulana[7]
|
All | |
| Chris Dittmann Racing | 4 | Omar Ismail[8]
|
3–8 |
| 11 |  Paul Sieljes[9]
|
2 | |
| 12 | Tom Jackson[10]
|
All | |
| 94 | Michael O'Brien[11]
|
4–5, 7 | |
| Hillspeed[12] | 7 |  Faisal Al Zubair[12]
|
1–2, 4–6, 8 |
| 17 | Riki Christodoulou[13][N 1]
|
3 | |
| 51 | Ameya Vaidyanathan[14]
|
All | |
| 66 | Sebastian Lanzetti[12]
|
1–3 | |
| 77 |  Hernán Fallas[15]
|
6–8 | |
| Lanan Racing | 8 | Jack Bartholomew[16]
|
All |
| 9 | Rodrigo Fonseca[17]
|
All | |
| 10 | Chris Mealin[18]
|
All | |
| Lang Sport | 14 | Jack Lang[19]
|
All |
| Sean Walkinshaw Racing | 18 | Zubair Hoque[20]
|
All |
| 23 | Jordan Albert[21]
|
All | |
| 32 |  Marc González[22]
|
4 | |
| 23 Racing[23] | 44 | James Reveler[23]
|
All |
| MGR Motorsport | 77 | Hernán Fallas[24]
|
1–3 |
| 94 | Michael O'Brien[25]
|
1–3 | |
| Graham Brunton Racing[26] | 79 | Ciaran Haggerty[26]
|
All |
| JR Racing[27] | 95 | Joe Stables[27]
|
4–6, 8 |
- Notes
- ^ Guest driver ineligible for any championship points.
Race calendar and results
[edit]The calendar was published on 26 November 2014.[28] The series supported British GT at six events, with stand-alone events at Snetterton in July and Brands Hatch in September.
| Round | Circuit | Date | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winning Driver | Winning Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Oulton Park (International Circuit, Cheshire) |
4 April | Will Palmer
|
Harrison Newey
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R2 | 6 April | Jordan Albert
|
Chris Mealin
|
Lanan Racing | |||
| R3 | Harrison Newey
|
Jordan Albert
|
Sean Walkinshaw Racing | ||||
| 2 | R4 | Rockingham (National Circuit, Northamptonshire) |
2 May | Harrison Newey
|
Rodrigo Fonseca
|
Rodrigo Fonseca
|
Lanan Racing |
| R5 | 3 May | Tom Jackson
|
Michael O'Brien
|
MGR Motorsport | |||
| R6 | Rodrigo Fonseca
|
Chris Mealin
|
Lanan Racing | ||||
| 3 | R7 | Silverstone Circuit (Grand Prix, Northamptonshire) |
30 May | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R8 | 31 May | Ciaran Haggerty
|
Rodrigo Fonseca
|
Lanan Racing | |||
| R9 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
| 4 | R10 | Snetterton Circuit (300 Circuit, Norfolk) |
11 July | Omar Ismail
|
Harrison Newey
|
Omar Ismail
|
Chris Dittmann Racing |
| R11 | 12 July | Will Palmer
|
Tom Jackson
|
Chris Dittmann Racing | |||
| R12 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
| 5 | R13 | Brands Hatch (Grand Prix Circuit, Kent) |
1 August | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R14 | 2 August | Will Palmer
|
Jordan Albert
|
Sean Walkinshaw Racing | |||
| R15 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
| 6 | R16 | Snetterton Circuit (300 Circuit, Norfolk) |
22 August | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R17 | 23 August | Tom Jackson
|
Tom Jackson
|
Chris Dittmann Racing | |||
| R18 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
| 7 | R19 | Donington Park (Grand Prix Circuit, Leicestershire) |
12 September | Harrison Newey
|
Will Palmer
|
Harrison Newey
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R20 | 13 September | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | |||
| R21 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
| 8 | R22 | Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit, Kent) |
26 September | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport |
| R23 | 27 September | Will Palmer
|
Harrison Newey
|
HHC Motorsport | |||
| R24 | Will Palmer
|
Will Palmer
|
HHC Motorsport | ||||
Championship standings
[edit]- 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 | |||||||||||||
Drivers' championship
[edit]
|
Bold – Pole | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup
[edit]The Jack Cavill Pole Position Cup was awarded to the driver who started from pole position most often throughout the season. Will Palmer was the winner of the Cup, starting 10 of the 24 races from pole position.
| Pos. | Driver | Poles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Palmer
|
10 |
| 2 | Harrison Newey
|
4 |
| 3 | Jordan Albert
|
2 |
| Akhil Rabindra
|
2 | |
| 5 | Hernán Fallas
|
1 |
| Rodrigo Fonseca
|
1 | |
| Omar Ismail
|
1 | |
| Chris Mealin
|
1 | |
| Sisa Ngebulana
|
1 | |
| Michael O'Brien
|
1 |
2015 BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "BRDC F4 Championship gains new title sponsorship from DUO". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (13 September 2015). "Will Palmer secures BRDC Formula 4 crown with a round to go". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ^ David, Gruz (13 March 2015). "Akhil Rabindra enters BRDC F4 to race for Douglas Motorsport". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Fernando Urrutia re-signs for BRDC Formula 4 with Douglas Motorsport". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ David, Gruz (16 December 2014). "HHC retain Palmer for 2015 BRDC F4 title assault". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ Allen, Peter (13 November 2014). "Harrison Newey commits to full BRDC F4 programme in 2015". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^ Allen, Peter (25 February 2015). "HHC complete 2015 BRDC F4 line-up with South African Sisa Ngebulana". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (12 January 2015). "Omar Ismail secures BRDC F4 debut with Chris Dittmann Racing". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "Sieljes returns to Duo BRDC Formula 4 with Chris Dittmann Racing". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Allen, Peter (23 February 2015). "Tom Jackson stays with CDR for second season in BRDC F4". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Title battle recommences at Snetterton". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
Michael O'Brien rounds out the top-10 as he switches to competing for Chris Dittmann Racing and the 20-year-old will be looking to add his second win of the year at Snetterton.
- ^ a b c Khorounzhiy, Valentin (8 January 2015). "Hillspeed confirm Al Zubair and Lanzetti for 2015 BRDC F4 season". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ "Palmer tops opening wet practice session at Silverstone". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Rookie Vaidyanathan completes Hillspeed's BRDC F4 line-up". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Fallas to race with Hillspeed at Snetterton". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ David, Gruz (7 January 2015). "Bartholomew joins BRDC F4 with team champions Lanan". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ Allen, Peter (29 January 2015). "Rodrigo Fonseca joins Lanan for second BRDC F4 season". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "Mealin completes Lanan Racing line-up for Duo BRDC Formula 4". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (5 February 2015). "Jack Lang enters BRDC F4 for 2015 season". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ Allen, Peter (19 January 2015). "Zubair Hoque signs with SWR for 2015 BRDC F4 season". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (4 March 2015). "SWR retain Albert for a second BRDC F4 season". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ "Spanish Teenager Gonzalez to Make F4 Debut with SWR at Snetterton". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 7 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ a b "James Reveler becomes 20th driver on the BRDC Formula 4 grid". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 25 March 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (10 March 2015). "Hernan Fallas announced as MGR's first 2015 signing in BRDC F4". Paddock Scout. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "O'Brien joins Mark Godwin Racing in BRDC Formula 4". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 30 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Haggerty to race in BRDC F4 with Ecurie Ecosse and support of Indy 500 winner Franchitti". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Stables Joins 2015 Duo BRDC Formula 4 Grid with JR Racing". BRDC Formula 4 Championship. British Racing Drivers' Club. 11 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Mitchell, Scott (26 November 2014). "BRDC Formula 4 replaces Formula 3 on British GT package for 2015". Autosport. Haymarket. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.