GB4: Ava Dobson claims maiden podium, secures top Female Prize Fund
- RACERS
- Oct 7
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 8
Ava Dobson concluded her GB4 Championship season with a superb third-place finish at Donington Park, securing her first series podium and enough points to claim the €50,000 prize fund as the top female driver in the championship.
Ava Dobson secured a remarkable third-place finish in the GB4 Championship season finale at Donington Park, claiming her maiden podium in the series and collecting enough points over the weekend to move up in the drivers’ standings, thus earning her the career contribution prize fund of €50,000 towards a potential F1 Academy seat as the best-placed female driver in the championship.
Dobson came into the final weekend battling for top female honours with Megan Bruce — but the latter missed the final round after receiving a last-minute call-up to substitute for the injured Aiva Anagnostiadis in F1 Academy at Singapore.
Five female drivers therefore took to the grid at Donington Park: Ava Dobson, Flame Airikkala — who had made big improvements over the last few rounds and in testing — Holly Miall, Lily-May Watkins and Caitlyn McDaniel, all making gains in their rookie seasons in formula cars.
Over the pre-event tests and official practice sessions, it soon became clear that Dobson was close to the top ten and would try to maximize her points, although her main target remained to learn as much as possible and end her first full-time GB4 season on a high.
After some wet sessions on Friday, rain returned before qualifying on Saturday morning.Flame Airikkala set a 1:45.719 on her first timed lap, but the session was quickly red-flagged after Lily-May Watkins went off at the Melbourne Hairpin, ending her qualifying early. When the session resumed, Ava Dobson posted a 1:43.264 to go P17 and fastest among the female drivers. Holly Miall had a positive session just outside the top 20, setting a 1:44.141 for P21. Airikkala was P22 with her earlier time, while McDaniel took P23 with a 1:47.254.
Later in the evening, the first of four races got underway in cold, fading light with some rain in the air. Despite the damp conditions, all drivers started on slicks after the earlier wet qualifying. The 24-car grid lined up with Ava Dobson starting from P22 due to a carry-over penalty from Brands Hatch.
At lights out, drama unfolded immediately among the front runners as Taylor went off at Turn 1, followed by contact between Guinchard and Phelps. Further back, O’Grady was eliminated after another collision, prompting a Safety Car.
Dobson made up six places on the opening lap and reclaimed the top spot among the female drivers, ahead of Holly Miall, who gained three spots, followed by Airikkala, Watkins and McDaniel — all making up ground in the chaotic first lap.
When the Safety Car came in with 11 minutes to go, Wilson retained the lead as drivers struggled for grip on cold tyres. Dobson kept moving forward, climbing to P15, while Airikkala also showed strong pace in the tricky conditions, gaining one place to P17 as Miall slipped to P19. Watkins and McDaniel battled with the recovering Wherrell. Guinchard was also making his way back through the field.
Dobson set a 1:30.7 and closed in on Arden teammate Ruddock, passing him on lap 7, with Guinchard following her through. Ava then continued to make progress, overtaking Pribyl — again followed by Guinchard — while Airikkala climbed to P16 as Pribyl pitted. This promoted Miall to P19, McDaniel to P20, having passed Watkins, in P21.
Guinchard eventually found a way past Dobson on lap 9, but the American stayed close behind and pressured McLean in the closing laps. Despite gaining a second on the final lap, she ran out of time to pass and crossed the finish line in P14, in a strong first race in difficult conditions.
Flame Airikkala completed a clean run in P16, with Miall and McDaniel both finishing in the top 20 in P19 and P20 respectively. Lily-May Watkins finished P21, improving her lap times throughout and setting her personal best on the final lap. Dayton Coulthard secured his first GB4 win ahead of Ary Bansal and Lucas Blakely.
Race 2 saw Isaac Phelps (Elite Motorsport) start from pole alongside Leon Wilson. Ava Dobson was the first female driver on the grid in P16, again targeting a top-ten result to maximize points in her fight with Bruce in the standings. Miall and Airikkala started P21 and P22, with McDaniel and Watkins in P23 and P24.
Wilson took the lead into Turn 1 as Phelps dropped to third before locking up into the Hairpin. Bansal quickly climbed up the order, while Taylor spun at the final corner, forcing several drivers to take avoiding action on the still-damp track. Dobson made a good getaway and gained a place on the opening lap, with Miall also up one position and Watkins passing McDaniel for P22.
Dobson continued her charge, passing two more cars to move up to P13 by lap two, showing excellent pace as she closed in on the top ten and chased Bostandjiev.
Coulthard dropped down the order, allowing Miall, Airikkala, Watkins and McDaniel to each gain a place. He soon recovered, climbing back into the top 20 and passing Miall by lap 4, while Airikkala moved into P20. Watkins maintained good pace close behind, with McDaniel fighting Taylor and showing strong improvement in lap times.
Dobson maintained close pace with Bostandjiev, and both gained a place when Kattoulis went off through the gravel at the chicane, promoting Dobson to P12. Watkins hit trouble and fell to the back, with McDaniel up to P23. At the front, several drivers received 5-second penalties for track limits, which would later prove decisive in the tightly bunched field.
Dobson defended well from Hallman, while Airikkala climbed to P19, fending off the recovering Taylor, and with Miall close behind. McDaniel delivered a strong second half of the race, overtaking Hallman, Taylor and O’Donnell for P20 before losing one place back to O’Donnell a lap later.
After an action-packed finish, Phelps crossed the line first, but post-race penalties heavily reshuffled the order: Ava Dobson was promoted to third, securing her maiden GB4 podium — in the first female podium of the year in the series — after finishing just eleven seconds behind the race leader on track. The result was also enough to elevate her above Megan Bruce in the standings.
Flame Airikkala was classified P16 after another solid run, ahead of Miall in P17. McDaniel finished P19 after a strong final part of the race, while Watkins was classified P23, one lap down.
Race 3 on Sunday featured a reverse grid, with Pribyl starting from pole. Dobson lined up P17, ahead of Miall (P21), Airikkala (P22), McDaniel (P23) and Watkins (P24).At the start, Pribyl held the lead while McLean spun at Turn 1. Miall gained three positions to P18, Dobson held 17th, and Airikkala moved up two spots to P20.
Bansal took the lead early, but contact between him and Taylor at the final corner dropped both down the order. Dobson and Miall each gained two places by lap 3, up to P15 and P16 respectively, but Dobson then hit trouble and had to pit, rejoining near the back. Miall therefore advanced to P14, Airikkala to P18, and McDaniel broke into the top 20 after staying just ahead of Watkins.
Airikkala battled O'Donnell for P19 before contact between the two at the Melbourne Hairpin left O'Donnell stranded with suspension damage. With four minutes left, the red flag was deployed and the race ended early. Results were counted back, giving the win to championship contender Ary Bansal ahead of Ingram-Hill and O’Grady.
It was a tougher race for the female drivers: Miall finished P17 after another solid run, ahead of McDaniel (P18), Airikkala (P19) and Watkins (P20). Dobson, unlucky after her earlier incident, was P22.
As the sun set over Donington, the final race of the GB4 Championship season — a rescheduled Brands Hatch race — brought the curtain down on 2025. With cold track conditions, fading light and the title on the line, everything was to play for.
Dobson, the first of the female drivers, lined up P12 and aimed to secure the €50,000 prize fund as the top female in the standings. Watkins started P17, ahead of Miall (P18), Airikkala (P19) and McDaniel (P20).
The race began cleanly, with a tight pack through Turn 1. Dobson held P12, while Miall passed Watkins for P18 as Airikkala and McDaniel followed closely. On lap two, contact between Wilson and Bostandjiev flipped the Arden Motorsport car upside down, bringing out the Safety Car. Taylor escaped unharmed. The incident promoted Dobson to P10, with all five female drivers avoiding the chaos.
After the restart at the end of lap 4, low sun made visibility difficult, and the field bunched up under braking. Dobson fought hard to stay inside the top ten; further back, Bostandjiev recovered quickly, passing McDaniel, Airikkala and Watkins. Miall ran consistently in P16 with 1:34.2 lap times and fended off pressure from behind, while Watkins also showed improved pace, running within a tenth of Miall’s times.
Dobson clocked a 1:31.4 while defending from Magnussen, who eventually went through, followed by McLean. Dobson, however, responded with sub-1:31 pace and stayed close behind, challenging McLean to the flag. She crossed the line P12, in a strong end to her season.
McDaniel continued her momentum with one of her best weekends of the year, lapping in the 1:32s and closing in on Airikkala and Watkins, all separated by just a few tenths. Miall finished a consistent P15, four seconds clear of Watkins in P16, followed by Airikkala in P17 and McDaniel in P18 — all showing clear progression over the weekend.
The three-way title fight concluded with Ary Bansal crowned 2025 GB4 Champion.
Ava Dobson’s P12 finish earned her four more points — enough to stay ahead of Bruce in the standings and secure the €50,000 prize fund towards an F1 Academy seat in 2026, should she secure a spot in the all-female championship.
Dobson ended the season with 120 points, finishing 18th overall, as Megan Bruce concluded in 20th with 113 points. Holly Miall completed her rookie year with 78 points, her Fox Motorsport teammate Caitlyn McDaniel scored 45, six more than Lily-May Watkins, while Flame Airikkala — who joined mid-season and contested only four rounds — collected 34. All five drivers will look to build on their first season of formula racing as they continue their progress through the ranks.
