Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
GB4’s sophomore season was a one-sided affair, with Tom Mills taking an emphatic first single-seater title for his father’s KMR Sport team
That hadn’t looked likely at the start of the year. When Mills shook down the team’s newly-acquired third chassis at the pre-season media day at Donington Park, he didn’t have a full budget to race it. Having topped that test, the 17-year-old entered the opening round at Oulton Park.
As the only second-year driver in the field, he used his experience to take a double pole in qualifying. He lost out on victory in race one following a thrilling dice with team-mate Jeremy Fairbairn, but made amends with a comfortable race two triumph. Despite taking an early championship lead, Mills left the Cheshire venue unsure if he would be on the grid again.
“We really didn’t think we’d be here,” says Mills. “We still didn’t have the budget to go for the next round. It was just thanks to the results [at Oulton] that we managed to piece it together.”
He raised further funds to make round two at Silverstone, which initially proved slightly frustrating, having only been able to convert one of two pole positions into victory due to the opening contest being called off because of heavy rain. He eventually won that rescheduled race next time out at Donington Park before taking two further triumphs to complete a weekend victory hat-trick.
Mills on his way one of ten wins across the year
With a comfortable points lead, Mills kept receiving help from sponsors and individuals to be able to continue. He was put slightly in the shade by the impressive Cooper Webster at Snetterton, but normal order was restored at round five at Silverstone. Having dominated the first two races, a rain-abandoned third encounter prevented Mills from challenging for a victory clean-sweep.
“We had such a good start to the year but at Snetterton the momentum went the other way and Cooper was faster than me all weekend,” reflects Mills. “We were worried that if he could carry on doing that all year then he would catch me because there were just as many rounds left, halfway through.
“We knew Silverstone suited us so we knew we should be able to win again there. I knew if I could do what I could early on by getting pole, then it was going to make it much easier by the end of the meeting.”
With the championship finishing line in sight, he took another double victory at Brands Hatch, and a conservative drive to seventh in the reversed-grid race was enough for him to wrap up the crown with a round to spare.
“It means a lot,” Mills reveals. “It’s been a lot of work this year to make sure we had the budget to keep going meeting on meeting. Coming back for a second year does work, you learn so much in the championship.
Mills clinched the crown with a round to spare at Brands Hatch
“I would suggest to everyone, if they are not quite happy with what they achieved this year, it’s definitely a good idea to stay and go again because of the switch you make and the confidence you gain.
“I’m much more mature this year. I have taken it in my stride a lot better. I’m glad I’ve been able to make this step, I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to, even after the test day.”
Despite skipping the final round, Mills accumulated 10 victories in total, one more than 2022 GB4 champion Nikolas Taylor managed.
His title success came with a £50,000 prize, to be put towards a GB3 or British Formula 4 drive, and his nine poles across the season netted him a further £1,000 for winning the George Russell Pole Position Cup. But with significant further budget needed to continue on the single-seater ladder, Mills is unsure what his 2024 racing programme will look like.
“Although £50,000 is a lot of money for any normal person, it’s still not enough to be in GB3,” he says. “I still need a lot more. I’ll do what I can and hopefully it comes off. From a career aspect, GT driving is [looking more realistic] than an F1 drive, so I may have to make a switch. If I’m racing anything I will be thankful.”
Webster had the edge over Mills at Snetterton
Webster shone in his first season of racing in the UK with GB4 debutant Evans GP. Dovetailing his campaign with a third season racing in the S5000 Championship in his homeland, as well as his Red Bull Esport commitments, the Australian turned heads with his pace immediately.
He took a podium finish in each of the first two rounds before finishing second in all four races at Donington Park. He followed that up with his strongest performance of the season at Snetterton, taking a double pole and two victories, climbing from the rear of the field in the reversed-grid race for the second of those wins.
“It was good to have a whole round where I was the quickest,” he says of his Snetterton performance. “It was a really enjoyable weekend, and to win the reversed-grid race was quite nice.”
He took advantage of Mills’ absence at the Donington season finale to take three more wins, becoming the only driver to record a clean-sweep during the year, and ended the season with 15 podiums and runner-up spot in the standings. Webster then went on to win the Indian F4 title, and next year will race in Eurocup-3.
“Second in the championship is good,” he concludes. “I’m really proud of how the whole season’s gone, I haven’t made any major mistakes all year, especially the first time on these tracks I’m really happy.”
McNeilly charged through the field for a maiden win at Oulton
Liam McNeilly finished third in championship after stepping up from Ginetta Junior with single-seater newcomer Fox Motorsport. He took a reversed-grid win in the rain at Oulton and added a second race three triumph at Donington Park in May, and finished on the podium on eight other occasions.
Colin Queen made the step up from the wingless Formula Ford category, with the help of a £20,000 prize for winning the BRSCC National FF1600 shoot-out. Racing for Fortec Motorsports, the 17-year-old American matched McNeilly’s podium haul of 10 en-route to fourth in the points but was unable to take a race victory. He will remain with Fortec in 2024 for the step up to GB3.
Queen’s team-mate Aditya Kulkarni was the best of the other six drivers that competed for the full season, taking three podiums. The Indian driver finished level on points with 15-year-old Harry Burgoyne Jr, who took a pair of fourth places during a solid rookie year in car racing with Graham Brunton Racing.
Harri Reynolds (Elite Motorsport) and Kai Daryanani (Evans GP) both took a reversed-grid race win during part-time campaigns. Formula 1 Esports star Lucas Blakeley impressed in his first two slicks-and-wings events with KMR, taking an emotional podium finish at the Donington finale.
VRD were another new team to join the grid in 2024, with Dylan Hotchin and Lexie Belk also racing as privateers. Average grid sizes increased from 11 in GB4’s inaugural season in 2022 to 14 this year, with a new high of 16 cars at the final round. Idola Motorsport and Indian Warriors have confirmed its intentions to join the grid in 2024, where the series will continue to use the first-generation Tatuus F4 chassis for a third term.