The second race weekend in the 2021 British F4 season saw Dougie travel to Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk, for what was to be a sweltering three days of track action. The 16-year-old demonstrated great resilience achieving another thrilling rookie podium in Race 2, just a few hours after a spin left him out of contention in the first race.
The event began on the Friday, with the F4 drivers hitting the 3-mile Norfolk track for Free Practice, in which Dougie was able to make the most of two incident free sessions. In the warm, dry conditions, the whole field proved extremely competitive and Dougie ended both sessions in P15. Whilst the #25 car was not as close to the front pack as hoped, the session hinted at good pace potential for the weekend ahead.
Starting bright and early on Saturday, British F4 kicked off proceedings with Qualifying. After an early change of tyres, Dougie headed out on track setting some solid times with a particularly impressive third sector. Ultimately he was able to qualify in P12, although after some competitors had their deleted lap times reinstated he was classified P13.
Race 1 proved a frustrating race for the 16-year-old, who at first fought well to take P12 in the early stages and held off a number of competitors for the majority of the race. Unfortunately, any progress was unravelled after Dougie, pushing to the limit, spun off at Turn 1 with 7 minutes to go. This incident led to Dougie crossing the line in 18th, despite fighting hard to claw back lost ground in the final laps.
As a reverse grid event, Dougie started the second race in a promising P6 alongside Argenti’s Coseteng. Often four-wide into a number of corners, Dougie and his competitors scrapped lap after lap for key points positions. As the leader Dimitrov pushed ahead and gained some distance from the rest of the pack, Dougie put on an impressive defensive display in P6, holding off the weekend’s other top performers. Maintaining his position to the chequered flag secured Dougie good points in 6th as well as his second Rookie podium of the season.
At the conclusion of the first day of racing, Dougie said:
“I was very happy to secure another Rookie podium in today’s second race. It was a big improvement on this morning’s race so I’m feeling positive.”
Sunday’s race and the final one of the weekend proved a short-lived for the Japanese racer. Starting from P12, Dougie quickly went onto the offensive, sending it down the outside into Turn 1. As his car reached the end of the exit kerb, the right rear wheel dipped into the grass and the impact sent his car careering off track into thick vegetation. Thankfully, Dougie was not hurt in the incident.
Despite the disappointment of Race 3, the weekend was a positive one for Dougie, learning key lessons and building his confidence for future rounds.
At the end of a tough Sunday, Dougie concluded:
“It was frustrating to DNF in today’s race after my tyres got caught on the dip at the end of the kerb in Turn 1. Apologies to the team and a big thank you for their efforts this whole weekend. There are plenty of positives to take away, including big lessons learnt and confidence gained ahead of the next round at Brands Indy.”
Kieren Clark of Kokoro Performance added:
“Whilst not the weekend we had necessarily hoped for, this event was still a crucial one for Dougie’s development as a driver. Both incidents happened whilst Dougie was pushing fully to the limit, fighting hard against his competitors for crucial points. The experiences gained will only help him in the next rounds, where I’m sure he will be fighting for points yet again. In addition, the Rookie podium was a fantastic achievement, and well deserved after an impressive defensive display.”
Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the 2021 British F4 Championship certified by FIA will take place at the Brands Indy circuit on 25-27 June.
