Daniella Sutton scores points on British F4 Championship debut
- LIAM REDFORD
- 5 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Competing in her first single seater weekend, Daniella Sutton made a superb start to her British F4 Championship career by securing 7 championship points through her progression in race two, leaving Donington Park in 18th position within the championship standings, just three points away from the top-10.
Daniella Sutton made a superb start to her British F4 Championship career by scoring points on debut at Donington Park. Competing in her first single seater weekend, the Chris Dittmann Racing driver took significant strides forward over the course of the event.
Securing seven championship points through her progression in race two, Sutton leaves Donington Park in 18th position within the championship standings, just three points away from the top-10. Sutton completed every lap during the event without incident, securing a highest finish of 23rd which proves cause for optimism heading into the remainder of the season.
Sutton’s step into the British F4 Championship marked a landmark moment for the young driver as she joined the grid of Britain’s premier single seater championship. After two successful seasons competing in front-wheel-drive saloon cars within the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, Sutton embarked on a new challenge in open wheel machinery.
Joining race-winning squad Chris Dittmann Racing, Sutton was targeting a learning-oriented year where she aimed to make consistent progress while adapting to a new style of racing. With the capacity grid standing at a series-high 31 cars, the racing was set to be close and competitive throughout the season. The 2026 calendar sees the young drivers tackle some of the most iconic tracks across Europe including the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit and Zandvoort in the Netherlands.
Racing on the TOCA package also brings additional exposure for Sutton with large numbers of trackside spectators at each round, in addition to free-to-air tv coverage within the UK courtesy of ITV Sport. Sutton has continued to work hard in attracting partners to join her on this journey as she targets sustained progression up the single seater ladder.
Despite being one of only six drivers entering the season without an F4-level race under her belt prior to Donington Park, Sutton was looking to make an impact on her debut weekend. On-track action began on Thursday as the drivers participated in two free practice sessions. Despite a red flag interruption in the first session, Sutton completed a total of 23 laps with her quickest time of a 1:07.290 placing her in 30th position.
Free practice two was held later in the afternoon and Sutton continued to make progress. Her quickest time of a 1:07.013 was over a quarter of a second faster than she managed earlier in the day. This lap placed her in 30th position with the Chris Dittmann Racing driver finding good improvements through Redgate corner and the final chicane.
Qualifying took place on Saturday morning with Sutton looking to bring herself closer to the midfield runners. After getting up to speed during the first half of the session, the Chris Dittmann Racing driver took significant strides forward on her second set of tyres. Setting a fastest time of a 1:06.600, Sutton improved by over four tenths of a second from the two free practice sessions. This saw Daniella qualify in 30th position, while setting a time faster than Leon Hedfors and within half a tenth of a second of Sun Anzhe.
Sutton’s first British F4 Championship race was held on Saturday afternoon and with the grid positions set by the second fastest times from qualifying, Daniella lined up from 30th on the grid. The Chris Dittmann Racing driver made a clean start and completed the first lap in 29th position while avoiding an incident ahead of her at the final chicane. On lap two, Sutton lapped faster than the next three drivers directly ahead as she looked to make up further ground.
Sutton continued to match the sector times set by Cameron Nelson on lap three, while she also moved up to 28th position following contact for Ethan Lennon. Although Harni Sadiq briefly overtook Sutton on lap four, a spin for the JHR Developments racer saw Daniella retain 28th spot. As Sutton continued to get into her rhythm, a recovering Vegard Klemetsen briefly overtook her before the Norwegian racer went off the road in pursuit of further positions.
As the race passed the halfway mark, Sutton was continuing to improve her sector times in her first race in the series while she ran in 28th position. By lap 10, Sutton was lapping in the 1:07 range and this was allowing her to match the group of drivers directly ahead. Into the closing stages, Lewis Wherrell spun into the gravel trap and this elevated Daniella into 27th position with just two laps remaining.
It was a clean run to the chequered flag for Sutton who crossed the line in 27th position to complete her first British F4 Championship race. The Chris Dittmann Racing driver was then promoted two further positions following track limits infringements for Kit Belofsky and Timo Jungling. Sutton’s consistency was also impressive on her series debut as she set nine laps within a quarter of a second of her fastest time.
Race two at Donington Park took place on Sunday morning and the partially reversed contest provided an opportunity for Sutton to score championship points. With drivers awarded one point for each position advanced from their starting position, Daniella was looking to capitalise from 30th on the grid. It was another clean start for Sutton who did a superb job to negotiate a number of first lap incidents, including a multi-car crash at Redgate corner.
Sutton completed lap one in 25th position before the safety car was deployed with the race subsequently red flagged due to the extensive cleanup required. Due to the timing of the stoppage, this meant that the restart positions reverted back to the original grid spots with Sutton moving back to 30th. The restarted race took place over a duration of 17 minutes and once again Daniella enjoyed a clean start. Teammate Piotr Orzechowski overtook Sutton on Redgate on lap two, before the safety car was deployed for a second time with Alfie Slater’s Rodin Motorsport machine beached in the gravel at McLeans.
As the race was set to get back underway for a second time, Timo Jungling slowed on the Exhibition Straight after contact from Chiara Bättig and the drivers behind were forced to scatter in avoidance. Sutton did a great job to avoid contact while a number of her rivals took to the grass. Due to Jungling’s stranded JHR Developments machine, green flag racing resumed for just half a lap with Sutton now in 25th position.
After the marshals had removed Jungling’s car, the race resumed for a final three minutes with Sutton remaining in a good position to score championship points. On lap ten, an incident involving Ella Lloyd and Jaber Alsabah allowed Sutton to gain two further positions as she moved into 23rd spot. Two laps later, Joseph Smith went off the circuit at Coppice and after rejoining just ahead of Daniella, the Chris Dittmann Racing driver shaped for an overtake.
Sutton began the final lap of the race just one tenth of a second behind Smith and following the Virtuosi Racing driver allowed Daniella to improve her lap times. Setting a new personal best time of a 1:07.536, Sutton set a time two tenths of a second faster in race one as she took the chequered flag in 23rd position. As a result, Sutton scored seven championship points in race two which was a deserved reward for a confident performance on her series debut.
The final race of the weekend was held on Sunday afternoon and with the grid positions based upon the results from Saturday’s qualifying session, Sutton lined up from 30th spot. It was an extremely busy opening lap and Sutton did a superb job to negotiate a number of incidents which unfolded ahead of her. Due to multiple cars requiring recovery, together with debris on the circuit, the race was brought under safety car conditions with Sutton up to 24th position.
As the drivers ran at a reduced speed, Lewis Wherrell pitted for a new front wing and this elevated Sutton into 23rd position for the restart. Although Daniella was shuffled back to 28th on the first restart lap, she continued to drive smartly and she soon regained two positions. After Cameron Nelson spun at the final chicane and Harni Sadiq ran through the gravel in avoidance, Sutton was back into 26th position.
On lap nine, Leon Hedfors pitted with Sutton back inside the top-25 as the race approached the halfway mark. Two laps later, Sutton set her fastest race lap of the weekend with a 1:07.375 as she continued to gain confidence in her Chris Dittmann Racing machine. On lap 12, the safety car was deployed for a second time after Theo Palmer spun into the Redgate gravel trap while fighting for the race lead.
This promoted Sutton to 24th position with the race resuming with five minutes left on the clock. A recovering Cash Felber passed Sutton on the restart, however she remained in contention with the drivers ahead while they battled for position. On the penultimate lap of the race, Sutton was the 11th fastest driver on track as she continued to find time through the middle sector in particular. Taking the chequered flag in 25th position, Sutton rounded-off an encouraging debut weekend in the British F4 Championship
Sutton drove smartly throughout the event to complete every lap of the weekend with a trio of clean races. Daniella continued to improve with each passing session and she was rewarded with a healthy haul of championship points in race two. Sutton will be looking to continue her progress when the British F4 Championship resumes at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 9th/10th May.