Fortec Motorsports secured a pair of top 10 finishes in the F4 British Championship, as Alex Berg battled the wet conditions at Silverstone at the weekend (September 20-22).
Alex was joined once again by Kai Daryanani and Nina Gademan – back after her strong showing in F1 Academy – for a trip to the venue’s short but action-packed National circuit.
After testing and practice, it was a difficult qualifying session first thing on Saturday morning, where Nina finished 14th, Alex 16th, and Kai 20th. The opening race was held on Saturday afternoon on a drying track after light rain had fallen. Kai had a solid start, gaining five places on the opening lap, while Alex fought his way through the pack and into the top 10. At the flag, he finished eighth, with Kai 13th and Nina 16th, sixth of the Rookies.
Race two, on Sunday morning, took place on a treacherous track after heavy overnight and morning rainfall. The contest began but was quickly red flagged as a car stalled on pole, causing a pile up, and postponed due to the dangerous conditions. There were hopes of holding it at the end of the day, but the timetable was delayed, and it was eventually abandoned.
With the track still being wet, race three started behind the Safety Car, which was quickly called back out when several cars went off. Once the cars were finally released all three drivers made forward progress, Alex up to ninth, Kai gaining seven spots to 13th, and Nina in the Rookie podium positions. Unfortunately, she took contact on the final lap, which left her down the final classification.
The team will now compete on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit over the next two weekends, with the GB3 and GB4 Championship finales over September 28/29, while the F4 British Championship season concludes over October 5/6.
Alex Berg – #48
Race 1: Start – 14, Result – 8
Race 2: Start – 16, Result – Race Cancelled
Race 3: Start – 16, Result – 9
Championship: 15 (55 points)
“This weekend, after two days of testing, we weren’t quite on the pace but then we made some setup changes which was a step in the right direction for qualifying, but unfortunately, I wasn’t really able to put a perfect lap together, which put me down the order. However, with the way that some things worked out in race number one, I was able to get a P8 finish, and then in race three, a P9 finish. I’m happy with how we made progress and I’m gaining my self-confidence back. I’m looking forward to having some test days to learn the track before we go to Brands Hatch, as it’s a dream to drive there.”
Kai Daryanani – #8
Race 1: Start – 20 Result – 13
Race 2: Start – 20 Result – Race Cancelled
Race 3: Start – 20 Result – 13
Championship: 13 (76 points)
“In testing we looked alright, and then in Free Practice I struggled a little bit with myself and the car as well. Qualifying was super difficult as I lost a lot in the last sector, not getting the run out of the last corner that I needed to. In the first race, I had some decent overtakes and I don’t think there was a whole lot more I could have done as I made a good number of places up. The second race got cancelled, I had quite a big shunt because cars were everywhere, and I didn’t have anywhere to go. In the last race, it was a bit difficult as I just didn’t quite feel connected with the car. There are some things to look at for sure but I am excited to go to Brands Hatch as I do love that circuit.”
Nina Gademan – #3
Race 1: Start – 17 Result – 16 (Rookie 6)
Race 2: Start – 14 Result – Race Cancelled
Race 3: Start – 14 Result – 17 (Rookie 7)
Championship: 20 (22 points)
Rookie Cup: 7 (154 points)
“It felt great to get back in the British F4 car this weekend especially as the brakes are a bit better than in the F1 Academy car. We were struggling all weekend with the setup and the pace in general, but I think we made quite a bit of progress for qualifying as we finished P14 which I think was a good step by the team. We just need to do some work on the setup in the wet, which it is looking like for testing at Brands Hatch, so we’ll do what we can to get the maximum out of it for the final weekend.”
