British F4 Esports Championship, Round 6: Carroll closes the gap

The 2024 British F4 Esports Championship’s two main protagonists, Henry Moore and Graham Carroll, had an eventful round at Silverstone. 

Finishing first and fourth in Race 1 was as good as it got for the pair, however, as they came to blows in Race 2. Both failed to score.

The result meant Moore had extended his championship lead to the Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team driver to 40 points, with a trip to Carroll’s native Knockhill looking like the Scotsman’s best chance to get back on terms with the young Englishman.

Race 1

Moore missed out on his fourth pole position in a row, having copped a non-qualifying penalty, and lined up 20th on the grid. Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team’s real-world Formula 3 driver Joseph Loake took up the mantle and secured pole position by two-tenths-of-a-second on a damp track.

Guild Esports’ Remy Gilbert lined up second, with Willaims Esports’ Moreno Sirica third just ahead of Graham Carroll in fourth.

Starting on the wet side of the track, Loake lost out to Gilbert heading into Duffus Dip and on lap six launched an ill-advised lunge down the the inside of the Guild driver at Turn 1. Being on the damp line meant Loake had little chance of completing a safe move, and he duly lost track position to both Sirica and Carroll.

Loake soon got his second position back, though, after Sirica looped it entering the hairpin, before he slipstreamed past Carroll on the start-finish straight. The Englishman hounded Gilbert for the remainder of the race but couldn’t do enough to wrest victory from the Guild driver.

Carroll came home third with Matt Caruana holding fourth from the recovering Sirica.

Henry Moore found the going tough towards the back of the pack, being embroiled in a few scuffles well outside the points-paying positions, but the Guild Academy driver elevated himself into the top 10 before a drivethrough penalty on the final lap dropped him to 12th.

Race 2

The reversed grid draw saw Moore start from third position, instantly making him the favourite for victory. Aston Martin’s Connor Muir would start first alongside Prismatic Motorsports’ Olivia Hayward, with Graham Carroll starting way down in 12th.

Moore signalled his intentions early by making a quick getaway, scything inside Muir to lead by Turn 1. It got much worse for Muir soon after, as he tried to go side-by-side with Samuele Villa through the Chicane. The resulting contact left him floundering at the back of the pack.

Those thinking Moore would disappear into the distance didn’t count on the abilities of Mensah Racing Driven By Us’ Ronnie Smith, who had already taken his first win at Oulton Park in what was his debut season.

The pair traded places throughout the race but were able to extend the gap to the chasing pack until the latter stages. Guild’s Leo Brown, who won the opening event of the season before suffering a drop in form, closed the gap on the leaders, dragging the imperious Carroll along with him.

With a handful of laps left, any one of the leading quartet was in the frame for victory, with Carroll and Brown showcasing incredible skill to settle their battle for third without incident. Carroll was now on the rostrum and launched a last-lap, around-the-outside move on Smith at Taylor’s hairpin.

Last lap drama

Smith appeared to leave enough room for Carroll on the corner’s exit, but the front right of the Ferrari car tangled with the left rear of Smith’s, sending the latter into the barrier and out of the race. It was a contentious ending, especially given Smith’s excellent race-long duel with Moore.

Moore claimed the win, with Carroll taking second on the road ahead of Brown, allowing Guild Esports to close in on Ferrari in the Teams’ Championship. Carroll closed the gap on Moore to 22 points with five races remaining, with the pair once again displaying their championship credentials.

Tune in to the next round from Donington’s Grand Prix layout on the 20th of November, broadcast live on iRacing’s YouTube channel.

2024 UK FF1600 Esports Cup, Round 6

Race 1

Shoma Shintani dominated proceedings in the UK FF1600 Esports Cup’s previous round at Silverstone, picking up a rare double win. Qualifying for Knockhill’s opening race didn’t quite go to plan, however, with the Japanese ending up third on the grid.

Ian Joyner and Jonathan Smith locked out the front row respectively, with championship leader Mark Fletcher only mustering seventh. His main championship rivals; Hans Joakim Sivertsen Mollatt and Harvey Jones, were just ahead in fifth and sixth position. Early pacesetter Lewis Wherrell was again absent, surely denting his title hopes beyond salvage.

Shintani made a good start to sit behind Joyner into Turn 1 and was soon into the lead after his opponent ran deep into Taylor’s. A colossal shunt further back on lap two decimated the midfield, leaving a train of six cars for the lead, including Fletcher, Jones and Mollatt.

Shintani made a break out front after fending off the attentions of Sam Sanders. Sanders did well to stick with Shintani initially, but with five minutes left he spun entering Clark’s, rejoining outside the top six.

Shoma Shintani won the race at a canter, his fifth of the season, with Flecther holding off Mollatt for second.

Race 2

The reverse grid draw saw Shintani start from seventh, with Jones claiming pole position. Jones streaked away from the pack at the start, with Joyner, Mollatt and Fletcher dicing for second on the opening lap.

With 10 minutes left to run, Fletcher made a bold move down the inside of Joyner into Duffus Dip as Shintani loomed in his mirrors. The pair aggressively battled on the start-finish straight, with Fletcher forcing his rival onto the grass, as Jones continued to lead.

Jones made a mistake at the Chicane to allow Fletcher through, with Shintani capitalising on his lost momentum to claim second. 

Heading onto the final lap, Shintani had Fletcher in his sights and made his move into Turn 1. Despite Fletcher’s best efforts, he couldn’t deny his opponent on the run to the chequered flag. 

With Shintani claiming an incredible four wins in a row. Fletcher’s championship lead looks less secure once dropped scores are taken into account, with this season’s UK FF1600 Esports Cup increasingly becoming a two-horse race.

2024 British F4 Esports Championship, Round 6 Knockhill Race 1 results  

1. Remy Gilbert, Guild Espors
2. Joseph Loake, Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team
3. Graham Carroll, Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team
4. Matt Caruana, Mensah Racing Driven By Us
5. Moreno Sirica, Williams Esports

2024 British F4 Esports Championship, Round 6 Knockhill Race 2 results  

1. Henry Moore, Guild Academy
2. Graham Carroll, Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team
3. Leo Brown, Guild Esports
4. Moreno Sirica, Williams Esports
5. Samuele Villa, AZZ Tech Racing by Grid Finder

Driver standings after Round 6

1. Henry Moore, Guild Academy, 387 points
2. Graham Carroll, Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team, 365 points
3. Remy Gilbert, Guild Esports, 271 points
4. Leo Brown, Guild Esports, 230 points
5. Matt Caruana, Mensah Racing Driven By Us, 219 points

Team standings after Round 6

1. Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team, 525 points
2. Guild Esports, 501 points
3. Aston Martin Aramco Esports Team, 392 points
4. Guild Academy, 387 points
5. Mensah Racing Driven By Us, 331 points

2024 British F4 Esports Championship and UK FF 1600 Esports Cup schedule

• Round 1 – 25th September – Brands Hatch Indy
• Round 2 – 2nd October – Zandvoort
• Round 3 – 16th October Snetterton 300
• Round 4 – 23rd October Oulton Park Full
• Round 5 – 30th October Silverstone GP
• Round 6 – 13th November Knockhill
• Round 7 – 20th November Donington GP
• Round 8 – 27th November Brands Hatch GP

Images courtesy of Rhys Caryl / RC Sim Photography