1st October 2019
Louis Foster enjoyed his most successful British F4 weekend to date as the youngster secured double pole position, a new lap record, two race wins, three trips to the podium and three fastest laps in an enthralling weekend at Silverstone.
Louis Foster headed for Silverstone in confident mood after a return to the winner’s circle last time out at Knockhill. Louis continued his momentum in Friday’s test sessions at Silverstone as he finished the day as the fastest driver by almost half a second.
This rapid pace continued through to qualifying for the Copart-sponsored driver as he set a rapid 56.253 lap time around the 1.6-mile National circuit at Silverstone. This lap time, as well as his second fastest, resulted in Louis securing double pole position for races one and three at the Home of British Motorsport.
Louis’ fastest time also set a new lap record in British Formula 4 at Silverstone National.
Race One
Lining the grid from pole position for race one, the BRDC Rising Star made a strong start as he looked to build on his race three triumph at Knockhill two weeks earlier. The Lord Wandsworth College pupil extended his lead to a massive 3.2-seconds as he controlled the race from start to finish in an emphatic race win at Silverstone.
“It was good, I led from start to finish and was never really pressured,” said an elated Foster.
“My main worry was the start, I knew if I got ahead at the start then the race would be plain sailing from there and it pretty much was. On the first few laps, I was a little bit worried that the pace wouldn’t be there but then I just got my head down and ignored the guys behind me and just kept pushing and pushing. I really enjoyed it; it was a good race.”
Race Two
Starting the reverse grid race from sixth place, Louis’ race got off to a dramatic start as he made contact with Williams at Brooklands. This incident sent Louis to the back of the field and facing an uphill battle to rescue his race.
What followed was a sublime resurgence from Louis that saw him carve his way back through the field. As he charged through the pack, Louis latched onto the gearbox of third-placed Alex Connor with a few laps remaining.
The pair ran side-by-side through Maggots where they eventually made contact. Louis was fortunate to avoid a spin and any damage and recovered strongly to take the position.
Crossing the line in 3rd place, Louis was able to secure his second trip to the podium as he continued to close the gap in the championship fight.
“I was a little frustrated with race two as I knew we had the pace to win so the opening lap wasn’t the start I was hoping for. Overall, coming from the back of the field to finish on the podium is a good result so I can’t be too disappointed.”
Race Three
In the final race of the weekend, Louis made a strong start from pole position and eased clear of the field behind him. With the lead of the race under control, drama unfolded behind him as championship rivals Alvarez and Maloney came to blows at Luffield, simultaneously ending their respective races and bringing out the safety car.
Despite the rain continuing to fall, Foster managed the safety car restart perfectly and eased away once again – crossing the finishing line 1.3 seconds ahead of second place at the chequered flag.
“With how we have been performing this weekend, we hoped to come through the race without too much pressure. Thankfully that proved to be the case,” explained Foster.
“After the safety car came out, I was a little worried because it started raining more heavily and I wasn’t sure where the grip would be on the track. This meant I had to be a little conservative on the restart because I couldn’t afford a DNF in that race when my rivals had just crashed out.”
“At the start, we needed to manage the tyres because it was a drying track and they just destroy themselves when it’s dry so that meant I wasn’t pushing 100%. Overall it’s been a really good weekend and I can’t wait to try and take this form into the season finale in two weeks time.”
This haul of points moves Louis to within 30 points away from tied championship leaders, Alvarez and Maloney, heading into the final race weekend at Brands Hatch (October 12/13). Louis’ result also secured Double R Racing the Team’s Cup title with one round to spare.