Triumphant Jewiss seals British F4 Championship
1st October 2018
Another imperious performance from Kiern Jewiss saw the hugely talented sixteen year old crowned the F4 British Drivers’ Champion this weekend – making championship history in the process.
The Double R racer headed to his home track, Brands Hatch, only needing fourteen points to secure the Drivers’ Championship thanks to a 62 point advantage over title rival Ayrton Simmons. Driving superbly under pressure, Kiern once more delivered a faultless performance when it really mattered to claim the title in race one prompting joyous celebrations on Saturday evening.
With the weight of expectation relieved ahead of Sunday’s two races, Kiern enjoyed one final win of the season with a dominant lights to flag victory in race two of the weekend.
Kiern’s performances across the weekend ensured he will go down in British F4 history; proudly now standing as the highest point scorer in championship history as well as recording the most podiums across a season from a British F4 champion.
Qualifying
After a strong display in Friday’s free practice sessions, Kiern entered Saturday in confident mood. The weekend’s qualifying got underway in the morning and saw a closely contested session where five different drivers held pole position during the session, including Kiern.
However, it was Sebastian Priaulx who went fastest to take his first pole position of the year. Jewiss continued to push the car but had to settle for lining up on the third row of the grid just one crucial position ahead of title rival Simmons.
Race One
Acutely aware of what was riding on the events of race one, Kiern coped superbly under pressure delivering a mature race even after being passed by Simmons on the first corner. Knowing what was required of him and with his title rival unable to make ground on the race leaders, Kiern shadowed his competitor’s car sensibly around the Kent-based track.
With a sixth placed finish enough to hand Kiern the title he had so long fought for, the 16-year-old kept the trailing pack at bay with ease whilst choosing not to risk a late attack on his championship rival in front.
As the laps counted down, Jewiss appeared serenely calm – a stark difference from his family and supporters waiting nervously in the crowd. With no further trouble on the horizon, Kiern drove his way to a controlled sixth placed finish and with it created his own history by being crowned the British F4 Drivers Champion!
Jubilant celebrations followed as an elated yet relieved Jewiss was greeted in style by his family and team.
“We can chill out now and relax,” Jewiss said. “I’m sure the boys will be celebrating with a drink and they deserve it because they’ve done a fantastic job this season. I can’t thank Double R Racing enough for everything that they have done.”
“It has been an amazing year and I’m delighted to wrap up the title with a few races still to go. The competition has got fiercer and fiercer as the season has progressed so to be able to call myself the 2018 British F4 Champion is a very proud moment.”
“This means the world to me and hopefully I can now follow in the footsteps of some of the drivers who have won this series and gone on to do great things in their careers.”
Race Two
Kiern started the second race on Sunday on pole position, by virtue of his sixth placed finish in race one, and what followed was an almost processional race for the newly crowned champion.
Starting once more alongside his rival, Simmons, Kiern got off to an outstanding start on the Brands Hatch circuit, stretching the gap between himself and the trailing pack excellently through the first few turns.
Jewiss remained largely untroubled for the entirety of the race, ultimately finishing nearly two seconds clear of the chasing pack behind him.
A dominant performance from the FM Conway sponsored driver secured him his sixth win of a fantastic season, showing an excellent ability to maintain his high-standards even after Saturday’s confirmation.
“After yesterday, I sat on the grid with a smile on my face and no pressure on my shoulders for the first time this season. It was an enjoyable race and it might be the final time that the ‘Green Arrow’ crosses the line first as I think we’ll struggle in the dirty air in race three. However, I’ll do my best to end the season with another strong result.”
Race Three
The final race of the weekend, and the season got underway in the late afternoon on Sunday with the sun setting on the 2018 British F4 season.
Starting on the third row, in P5, once again alongside title rival, Simmons, Jewiss got off to a strong start moving up into fourth position. However, this early momentum was stunted due to the deployment of the Safety Car.
The race resumed with 10 minutes to go, and on the eighth lap of the race Jewiss lost two places to Simmons and Arden’s Patrik Pasma as the sixteen year old ran wide at turn three. There would be no fairytale ending for Jewiss but the 16 year old had marked himself out as the one of the series’ most outstanding champions to date
Another weekend of outstanding driving from the youngster, at his home circuit ensured that he secured the championship in spectacular style, bowing out with two more top six finishes and yet another race win to his name.
This all meant that the Double R Driver finished the season on a mammoth 445 points, a 71 point winning margin. Kiern’s sizeable points haul also marks him as the highest point scorer in British F4 history, three points higher than the previous record holder Jamie Caroline.