Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
JHR Developments’ British Formula 4 race-winner Joseph Loake will join the team in an expanded F4 United Arab Emirates line-up for the next rounds.
The condensed five-round season got underway at Yas Marina Circuit last weekend, with JHR entering one of the new Tatuus T-421 cars for South Korean rookie Michael Shin ahead of the car’s introduction to the British championship.
As F4 UAE heads to Dubai Autodrome for its next events, on successive weekends, JHR will add a second car for 16-year-old Loake who won three races, including one on his first weekend, as a single-seater rookie with the team in British F4 last year.
“It’s a huge opportunity for me and it will be good to travel to Dubai and see a different part of the world,” said Loake.
“Luckily, I’ve driven the circuit quite a lot on the simulator, so I pretty much know it off by heart.
“The main thing is to help JHR develop a good understanding of the car. I have the mindset that as I can’t win the championship, there’s not much point in me being stressed and worrying about points. At the end of the day, the main goal while we’re out there is to broaden our understanding of the new machinery.
“Our goal is to race in British F4 this year and these races will help JHR with the knowledge that they have of the car, so hopefully I can really help them with that. The team was amazing all last year – there were ups and downs, but that’s what makes us stronger. It’s so good to be able to keep going with them and to make more memories with this new adventure.”
Before F4, Loake spent two years in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior touring car championship and won the 2020 title.