Alba Larsen claims first British F4 Championship podium at Zandvoort
- LIAM REDFORD
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
Alba Larsen enjoyed a landmark weekend in the British F4 Championship as the Danish racer scored a podium finish at Zandvoort with a third-place result, having ran in second position for the majority of race two.
Alba Larsen enjoyed a landmark weekend in the British F4 Championship as the Danish racer scored a podium finish at Zandvoort with a third-place result, having ran in second position for the majority of race two.
Emma Felbermayr scored ten championship points at Zandvoort after the Austrian racer produced an excellent hard-charging drive in the reverse grid contest as the Virtuosi Racing driver moved forward from 23rd to finish in 13th position.
Rodin Motorsport driver Ella Lloyd banked valuable experience at Zandvoort as the Welsh racer gained maximum progression points in race two after the Welsh racer finished in 16th position after starting in 29th after a challenging qualifying session.
Following a productive third round of F1 Academy at Silverstone, Lloyd, Larsen and Felbermayr all returned to the British F4 grid at Zandvoort. The additional mileage proved valuable at Silverstone as Felbermayr claimed her third victory of the season to consolidate second position in the overall standings. Lloyd secured her best result of the season as she stood on the podium in race one, while Larsen battled illness on her way to a pair of top-10 results.
The trio of drivers arrived into the weekend with extensive experience at the Dutch circuit after competing in the corresponding round last season. Lloyd enjoyed a career-best weekend with the Welsh driver finishing all three races inside the top-7, while securing a podium result. Both Larsen and Felbermayr scored progression points before using their experience to good effect during their respective F1 Academy campaigns.
On-track action at Zandvoort began on Thursday as the trio of drivers participated in four short test sessions. It was a valuable day of learning with Larsen setting the fastest time amongst the trio. Her quickest lap of a 1:37.877 placed her in 13th position in the morning session. Both Lloyd and Felbermayr set their fastest time of the day in the final session with both drivers regularly inside the overall top-20.
Two free practice sessions were held on Friday and served as the final running prior to qualifying on Saturday morning. In the morning session, Larsen was the quickest of the three F1 Academy racers as she set the 20th fastest time on a 1:37.922. Felbermayr ended the session in 27th position with Lloyd in 29th position as both drivers lapped in the mid 1:38 range.
The afternoon session was significantly disrupted by multiple red flag periods, however the drivers still gained some additional running. Felbermayr finished the day in 19th position as she lapped Zandvoort in 1:38.961 with Larsen just two places behind in 21st. Lloyd wrapped-up free practice in 27th position and she was now targeting improvements in her one-lap pace.
Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with the 25-minute session setting the grid for all three races. It was a consistent start to the session for the trio of drivers with Larsen the best placed at the halfway point in 20th position.
After a late red flag period following an incident for Henry Mercier, the drivers were given two flying laps in which to improve upon their times. Larsen continued her strong form by securing her best ever qualifying result in her British F4 Championship career by setting the ninth fastest time overall with a 1:37.864. This lap also put the Danish driver in contention for the reverse grid race where she would line up from fourth position.
It was a more challenging session for both Felbermayr and Lloyd, however Felbermayr also improved in the closing stages with the Austrian racer setting the 23rd fastest time on a 1:38.343. Lloyd’s quickest lap of a 1:38.557 saw the Rodin Motorsport driver qualify in 29th position and the Welsh racer was now targeting substantial progress akin to that which she made in the previous round at Silverstone.
The opening race of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon and with the grid positions based upon the second fastest times from qualifying, this saw a significant shuffle in the order. Larsen lined up from 13th on the grid with Felbermayr starting from 27th and Lloyd from 28th position.
As the lights went out, it was a positive start for the trio of female drivers with Larsen maintaining her 13th position, while Felbermayr and Lloyd climbed to 25th and 27th positions respectively. On lap two, Lloyd overtook Cole Hewetson for 26th position before the safety car was deployed to retrieve the stricken car of Sun Anzhe.
The race resumed on lap five and Larsen was looking to make progress as she applied pressure to multiple race winner Lewis Wherrell. The battles in the midfield remained extremely close with Felbermayr and Lloyd now running nose-to-tail. After a quiet middle portion of the race with regards to overtaking, the race intensified in the closing stages.
Larsen’s pace remained strong and after battling with Wherrell and Joseph Smith, she went off the circuit at Scheivlak. This dropped the Chris Dittmann Racing driver to 30th position with Felbermayr and Lloyd promoted to 23rd and 24th positions respectively. Larsen was able to fight back and overtake teammate Daniella Sutton for 29th position before running out of time to make any further progress.
An action-packed final lap saw Lloyd overtake Felbermayr and with five drivers almost crossing the line side-by-side, it was a chaotic run to the chequered flag. Lloyd finished race one in 23rd position with Alfie Slater splitting the Welsh racer and Felbermayr who crossed the line in 25th, while Larsen was classified in 29th position.
The second race at Zandvoort took place on Sunday morning and was the reverse grid contest which provided all three drivers a chance to score valuable championship points. Larsen lined up from fourth position with Felbermayr starting from 23rd and Lloyd from 29th on the grid.
As the lights went out, it was a great start for the trio of drivers with Larsen driving smartly to maintain fourth, while Felbermayr and Lloyd made significant progress. The Virtuosi Racing driver was up to 18th with Lloyd climbing up to 25th position.
On lap two, an incident directly in front of Larsen involving Tommy Harfield and Mate Kobakhidze saw the Georgian driver make contact with the barriers, while Harfield was delayed. Larsen read the situation perfectly and moved through into second position with the safety car then being deployed to retrieve Kobakhidze’s car.
During the neutralisation period, Larsen ran in second position while Felbermayr was up to 14th and Lloyd up to 19th after a number of cars pitted with damage. The race resumed on lap six and contact was immediately made in the midfield with all three female drivers escaping damage. With the cars of Roman Felber and Alfie Slater requiring recovery, the safety car was deployed for a second time.
Lloyd gained one position following this incident, while Larsen held the runner-up spot and Felbermayr remained in 14th position. The race resumed for one final lap and Larsen’s spirited defence was broken by BRDC International Trophy winner George Proudford-Nalder. The Australian driver passed Larsen into Tarzanbocht with Larsen settling into third.
Larsen maintained third position to the chequered flag to claim a superb podium finish, her first in the British F4 Championship. Felbermayr completed an excellent drive by crossing the line in 14th position, while Lloyd finished race two in 18th position, later promoted to 16th following penalties applied to Lyuboslav Ruykov and Ethan Carney. After Felbermayr was then elevated to 13th, both her and Lloyd banked maximum championship points via their progression after two hard-charging drives through the field.
The final race at Zandvoort took place on Sunday afternoon and with the grid positions based on the results from Saturday’s qualifying session, Larsen lined up from ninth with Felbermayr starting from 23rd position and Lloyd from 29th spot.
As the lights went out, it was a clean start throughout the field with Larsen losing one position on the opening lap, while Felbermayr and Lloyd made progress. The Austrian driver was up to 20th at the conclusion of lap one with Lloyd now inside the top-25. After running side-by-side with Ethan Carney to start lap two, Larsen passed the American racer to reclaim ninth position.
Looking to make up further ground, Lloyd began battling with Haarni Sadiq and contact was made between the drivers with Sadiq stranded in the Scheivlak gravel trap, while Lloyd was delayed and fell to 28th position. This incident brought out the safety car with Sadiq’s car requiring recovery and the green flags were displayed on lap six.
After a good initial restart, Larsen was shuffled back to 14th through the final corners with Felbermayr slipping to 22nd. It was also a tough lap for Lloyd who fell behind Ruykov with the Welsh racer now in 29th position. On lap seven, Felbermayr was involved in an incident approaching Scheivlak with Daniella Sutton also caught up in the crash.
With both cars requiring recovery, the safety car was deployed with Larsen now down to 16th position while Lloyd had climbed to 26th. It was a disappointing end to the weekend for Felbermayr who enjoyed a fantastic charge through the field in race two.
The race resumed with one lap remaining and Larsen did a nice job to pass Lewis Wherrell and take the chequered flag in 15th position to complete a landmark weekend for the Danish racer. Lloyd held her position and crossed the line in 26th to bank further experience ahead of the F1 Academy event at Zandvoort next month.
Overall, it was a positive weekend of racing for the trio of F1 Academy drivers who all gained valuable knowledge. Larsen’s podium was a particular highlight and she will now be aiming to carry this confidence forward into the next round of the all-female single seater series which returns at Zandvoort on the weekend of 22nd/23rd August.