– Swede in with outside title chance in season finale
– Iconic Brands Hatch GP circuit brings down curtain on 2021 campaign
Joel Granfors is taking a nothing-to-lose mentality into the final round of the 2021 F4 British Championship, as the Swede bids to break into the top three in the final standings – while retaining an outside title chance.
As Britain’s Ford-powered Formula 4 series heads to the spectacular Brands Hatch GP circuit this weekend for the final play of 2021, Granfors is part of the leading plot.
Along with British duo Matthew Rees and McKenzy Cresswell, as well as Peru’s Matias Zagazeta, Fortec racer Granfors is among four drivers still in mathematical championship contention.
With a maximum 84 points remaining up for grabs, however, Granfors practically needs a miracle to overcome his 68-point deficit to leader Rees.
More realistically, the Swede – currently in fourth – will be aiming to break into the top three, requiring him to bridge a much more viable 21-point gap to third-placed Cresswell across the last three races of the year.
“I’m in a pretty simple position this weekend: I’ve got nothing to lose,” says Joel Granfors. “Top three in the championship would be fantastic, and it’s a clear aim for the weekend. If we do well, it’s definitely possible. If we don’t, at least we haven’t lost anything. All I can do is go out there and drive as fast as I can, which is quite a nice place to be in actually.”
Granfors wrapped up the previous round at Donington Park with his eighth podium of the season, and is keen to bow out of his first campaign in international single-seaters on a high at the daunting Brands Hatch GP loop.
Brands Hatch GP: track info
“We raced at Brands Hatch earlier in the year, but that was around the short Indy layout which has very little in common with the GP version we’ll be on this weekend,” Granfors concludes. “The GP loop is very rarely used and I’ve only driven there briefly once, in the rain. It’s a proper old-school track, extremely fast and flowing with no run-off areas. I am buzzing to race there this weekend and of course I want to end the season on the highest possible note.”
The tenth and last round of the 2021 F4 British Championship begins on Friday with a brace of free practice sessions. Saturday’s schedule includes qualifying and the first pair of races, before the season draws to a close on Sunday with the concluding Race 3.
Like always, live timing, radio commentary and results are available throughout the meeting via links from www.joelgranfors.com.
Guide: How British F4 works