GranforsRacing

– Swede picks up eighth podium of the year
– Entertaining racing in beautiful autumn conditions

Joel Granfors scored his eighth podium of the F4 British Championship campaign on an entertaining penultimate weekend of racing at Donington Park.

In ideal late-season conditions, and with plenty of fans flocking to the Leicestershire track, the F4 contingent produced a particularly thrilling last race of the triple-header meeting – with Granfors in the middle of the action.

Starting fourth, the Swedish Fortec driver featured in a frenetic scrap over position behind breakaway leader Matthew Rees, eventually pulling through in a number of intense wheel-to-wheel battles to take third at the chequered flag.

In arguably one of the most entertaining races of the season, Granfors thus ended the weekend on a high after a brace of P8 finishes in the preceding two heats.

“The last race was great fun to drive, and I’ve understood that people seemed to enjoy it from the outside too,” says Joel Granfors. “It was a cool race with lots going on, good and mostly fair battles all around. I was in a pack with four or five cars covered by a second at times. We’ve improved our pace across the weekend and it’s great to end it like this with a podium, which everyone deserves after a lot of hard work.”

Granfors remains fourth in the championship standings, now sitting 21 points adrift of third-placed McKenzy Cresswell heading into the finale at Brands Hatch on 22-24 October. 

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 9 | Donington Park

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 9/10 rounds

1: Matthew Rees (GBR), 296 p.
2: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 284 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 249 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 228 p.
5: James Hedley (GBR), 210 p.

View full standings

– Critical weekend coming up in British F4 title fight
– Donington Park stages penultimate round of season

With just two rounds to go in the F4 British Championship, Joel Granfors is locked in a wide-open scrap over positions at the sharp end of the standings. As the pack heads to Donington Park for the penultimate round of the season, every single point could prove decisive as the campaign nears its climax.

Granfors, a 2020 double single-seater champion in his native Sweden, enters this weekend’s races at the Leicestershire venue sitting fourth in the standings, although just 11 points behind third-placed McKenzy Cresswell.

Slightly further up the road is second-placed Matthew Rees and, while leader Matias Zagazeta has opened up a small gap atop the standings, Granfors’ title dreams remain alive too.

A three-place Race 1 grid penalty, carried over for a clash at the previous round at Silverstone, makes things a bit more complicated for Granfors heading into the Donington weekend – but the Swede remains upbeat and is keen to take on the additional challenge.

Donington Park: track info

“We take a grid penalty into this event, which isn’t ideal of course, but all we can do is look ahead and make the most of it,” says Joel Granfors. “We tested at Donington this winter, before the season began, and it went really, really well. Hopefully we can convert that into proper pace on a racing weekend. I’m confident and the goal as always is to run up there at the front.”

Granfors, who will be the sole Fortec driver on the grid this weekend, will hit the track on Thursday for an early brace of practice sessions. There will then be no activity on Friday.

The field regroups on Saturday for qualifying and the first race of the meeting, with races two and three then following suit to complete the weekend on Sunday. 

Like always, live timing, radio commentary and results are available throughout the meeting via links from www.joelgranfors.com.

Guide: How British F4 works

– Eventful Silverstone meeting offers little success
– P4 finish followed up by double retirements
– Swede retains fourth in overall standings 

Joel Granfors took away a fourth-place finish as his best result from a challenging weekend of racing in the F4 British Championship at Silverstone.

Arriving at the famous F1 venue with wind in his sails following five podiums from the previous nine races, Granfors’ momentum was halted by an unfriendly mix of circumstances in round eight of the campaign.

The issues began already in testing and practice on Thursday and Friday, where Granfors suffered from heavy oversteer aboard his Fortec car. The cause was later identified going into qualifying, but effectively rendered data from the previous two days virtually invalid – although Granfors was able to still qualify a respectable sixth.

The Swede then claimed P4 in the first race of the weekend, but was forced to retire from the final two encounters due to suspension failure (Race 2) and a coming-together with championship rival Matthew Rees (Race 3).

“This has been a weekend to forget,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s been really difficult and we’ve had too many issues combining in one weekend. I tried my best with what I had, but it wasn’t easy. We need to sit down and analyse this, and I’m sure there are lessons to be made.”

Despite the Silverstone setback, Granfors retains fourth place in the overall championship standings, where he remains in contention but has now dropped to 47 points behind leader Matias Zagazeta.

“Luckily for us, the other guys (in title contention) didn’t have the best of weekends either,” Joel Granfors concludes. “We’re still in it, although it’s looking slightly more difficult, so in some ways it’s been a little bit of damage limitation.”

Two rounds remain of the 2021 F4 British Championship. The penultimate meeting takes place at Donington Park in a fortnight (8-10 October).

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 8 | Silverstone

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 8/10 rounds

1: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 251 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 234 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 215 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 204 p.
5: James Hedley (GBR), 189 p.

– British F4 title run-in begins at famous Grand Prix venue 
– Granfors in the midst of wide-open top five championship fight

Just a mere days after the engines went silent over Croft, Joel Granfors and his fellow F4 British Championship rivals resume an ever-intensifying title fight this weekend – and they do so at the most legendary venue of them all.

Hosting round eight out of ten on the 2021 schedule, namely, is Silverstone – the spiritual home of British motor racing, famed for its annual slot on the Formula 1 calendar.

The Formula 4 races are run on the circuit’s National layout, a shorter section of the full Grand Prix track which retains iconic corners such as Copse, Brooklands and Luffield.  

Silverstone: track info

“I’ve been looking forward to Silverstone this year, definitely one of the highlights,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s a fun track – I’ve tested there once – and it lends itself to some really good racing. It’s possible to overtake, so you can recover from any potential qualifying issues and still have a good weekend. It is usually an entertaining track both for us drivers and for everyone watching.” 

Granfors arrives at Silverstone amid a thrilling title scrap, in which the Fortec rookie has recently made up significant ground. Along with championship leader Matias Zagazeta (Argenti Motorsport), Granfors has scored more podiums than any other driver in the field – five – across the last nine races as the plot thickens.

The top five have opened up a gap to their nearest pursuers, with Granfors currently sitting fourth. The lead quintet is separated by a mere 35 points, which – with 25 points at hand for just a single win – makes it a wide-open affair with nine races still to go. 

“We’ve got strong form at the moment, so we’ll keep pressing on,” says Joel Granfors. “I take things race by race and we’ll see how far we can go. I want to win a few more races before the end of this season, so that’s my main target for now.”

The Silverstone round formally begins with free practice on Friday, although that is preceded by two hours of testing already on Thursday.

Qualifying and the first race of the triple-header meeting take place on Saturday, with races two and three rounding out the event on Sunday.

Like always, live timing, radio commentary and results are available throughout the meeting via links from www.joelgranfors.com.

Guide: How British F4 works

– Swede strengthens position in intensifying title fight
– Eye-catching race craft displayed at Croft
– Fortec racer grabs fifth podium in nine races 

Joel Granfors picked up another podium at this weekend’s British F4 round at Croft, the Swede continuing to make inroads in the title fight.

Granfors arrived at Croft with confidence running high, having clinched his first win in the championship at the previous round at Thruxton and added a further three podiums across the last six races.

That momentum was to be maintained, as Granfors stormed to a fresh second-place finish in the first race of the meeting on Saturday – capped with an advanced move on pre-event championship leader Matthew Rees.

Granfors started the race in third but managed to draw alongside Rees halfway around the opening lap, the duo running wheel to wheel for 20 seconds before the Swede finally drifted clear in an eye-catching powerslide.

“Good to see the form being maintained and another podium in the books,” says Joel Granfors. “We knew the JHR cars (featuring Rees) were going to be quick in the beginning of the race, so I had to do something early on. I managed to grab the opportunity and it was definitely a positive start to the weekend.”

Granfors delivered another strong drive in the subsequent Race 2, where he vaulted himself from 14th on the fully reversed grid to eighth by the chequered flag – surviving a chaotic start and then narrowly avoiding contact as confusion ensued in the field as the safety car was triggered.

The Fortec rookie then wrapped up the event with fourth place in the concluding Race 3 on Sunday, again making a crucial move on Rees to further strengthen his cause in the championship.

While Granfors retains fourth in the standings, he continues to edge closer to the overall top, now sitting just 28 points behind new leader Matias Zagazeta – and a mere three from third place. Three championship rounds remain. 

“Things are getting close in the championship, and there’s all to play for with the momentum we’ve got,” Joel Granfors concludes. “It’s been a solid weekend again here at Croft and we have now had five podiums in the last nine races. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing, and try to improve wherever we can, and we should be in for an exciting end to the season!”

The F4 British Championship gets back on track already next weekend (25-26 September), setting camp at legendary Formula 1 circuit Silverstone. 

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 7 | Croft

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 7/10 rounds

1: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 220 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 215 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 195 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 192 p.
5: James Hedley (GBR), 185 p.

View full standings

– Confidence running high following breakthrough British F4 triumph 
– Swede in championship hunt with four rounds to go

Having scored a maiden international single-seater victory last time out, Joel Granfors returns to action in the F4 British Championship this weekend with confidence running high as he continues to close the gap in the title race.

Granfors powered through to take an emphatic first victory at Thruxton three weeks ago, adding to another three podiums in the last six races that have hauled the Swede firmly into championship contention. 

With four meetings and 12 races still to go, Granfors has closed to just 32 points off series leader Matthew Rees as the campaign continues this weekend at Croft on the outskirts of Newcastle.

Croft: track info

“We’ve had a strong run recently and I’m looking forward to more of the same at Croft,” says Joel Granfors. “We tested there following the Knockhill round a month ago and were immediately on the pace. It’s a track I enjoy – pretty technical with a mixture of very fast and very slow corners – and I see no reason why we shouldn’t be up there again and fight for wins and podiums.”

Action begins at Croft on Friday with two practice sessions. Qualifying and the first two races of the triple-header event take place on Saturday, with the concluding Race 3 staged on Sunday.

Like always, live timing, radio commentary and results are available throughout the meeting via links from www.joelgranfors.com.

Guide: How British F4 works

– Spectacular drive nets breakthrough British F4 triumph
– Saturday win backed up by Sunday podium
– Swede breaks Thruxton lap record

Joel Granfors scored a breakthrough first international single-seater victory with a storming drive at this weekend’s F4 British Championship round at Thruxton, underpinning his pace with a new lap record as he significantly closed the gap in the title race.

Granfors’ career milestone win came in the second race of the triple-header meeting, where the Fortec youngster battled through spectacularly from tenth on the fully-reversed grid.

Making up five places on the opening lap alone, Granfors quickly worked his way into the top five and then continued to pick off his rivals one by one until snatching the lead from JHR Development’s Abbi Pulling on lap nine.

Pulling fought back, with the pair even making contact on lap 13, but Granfors was able to maintain the lead in a race which saw the top six covered at one point by just 1.3 seconds in a sensational display.

“Wow! What a race, absolutely crazy,” says Joel Granfors. “I thought we were going to crash on the first lap already, going four-five wide through the Complex, but somehow I managed to get around all that and slot into P5. Then I pushed with all the pace I had and managed to take the lead. We’ve been working so hard for this, so I’m super happy – and big thanks to the guys on the team as well. Fantastic!”

After winning on Saturday, Granfors again featured prominently in Sunday’s concluding Race 3, going wheel-to-wheel with Fortec team-mate Oliver Gray into the very final corner of the very final lap battling over victory in yet another Thruxton thriller.

Granfors, however, was run wide over the exit kerbs, narrowly losing second place to Argenti driver Matias Zagazeta across the line.

Third place still marked the second podium of the weekend, and the fourth in the last six races for the on-form Swede.

Further underlining his pace, Granfors set the fastest lap of both Race 2 and Race 3, with his benchmark time in the latter – a 1m13.751s – representing a new British F4 lap record at the Hampshire track.

“We’re on a roll now,” Joel Granfors concludes. “We’ve had great pace again this weekend, like we did last time out at Knockhill, and come away from here with a win and a new lap record. It’s obviously good, but we need to press on. There are still things to improve and the competition is tough. We’re back in the fight, and we have to keep this momentum up in the coming races.”

The F4 British Championship resumes at Croft on September 17-19. Joel Granfors now moves up to fourth in the overall standings, having eradicated half of his deficit to the top of the table to now find himself just 32 points shy of championship leader Matthew Rees. 

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 6 | Thruxton

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 6/10 rounds
 
1: Matthew Rees (GBR), 187 p.
2: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 183 p.
3: James Hedley (GBR), 179 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 155 p.
5: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 143 p.

View full standings

– British F4 heads back to site of thrilling season-opener
– Granfors closing on first win after four second places 

With four runner-up finishes, and a recent upturn in form, Joel Granfors continues his pursuit of a maiden victory in the F4 British Championship this weekend as the field returns to the high-speed circuit of Thruxton.

With round six of the season ushering in the second half of the 2021 campaign, 16-year-old Granfors is in optimistic mood. A double podium last time out at Knockhill – twice runner-up – combined with a front-row qualifying performance to mark the Swede’s most competitive showing yet. 

That, however, is not all. The championship’s second visit to Thruxton marks yet another reason for Granfors to smile wide, as he returns to the scene of an explosive debut back in May’s season-opener – where, again, he took a pair of second places.  

“I’m feeling very optimistic heading to Thruxton,” says Joel Granfors. “Our pace here was very strong earlier in the season and crucially, I now have much more experience, both in the car and in this circuit, so we’ll be able to use our time in practice very productively to chase some extra performance. Racing is always great here, so it will be close.”

Thruxton: track info

Having qualified a season-best second – a mere 0.013 seconds from a maiden pole – Granfors enjoyed a brace of race-long battles with Argenti’s Matias Zagazeta for victory last time out in Scotland. Eventually finishing just half a second behind in the final race of the weekend, the Fortec rookie appears to be closing in on a breakthrough win.  

“Knockhill was another really positive weekend for me,” Joel Granfors concludes. “We’ve tried a few things with the car recently and I’m finding it better to drive, and that’s been shown in the results. We’ve had four second places now – two very recently, and two here at Thruxton on my debut weekend – so the objective is to build on that and keep pushing for my first win.”

The F4 British Championship weekend begins, as always, with a pair of practice sessions on Friday. Saturday’s schedule contains qualifying and the opening two races, with Race 3 bringing the event to a close on Sunday afternoon.  

Like always, live timing, radio commentary and results are available throughout the meeting via links from www.joelgranfors.com.

Guide: How British F4 works

– Swede scores double podium in competitive Knockhill showing
– Fortec racer underlines pace with Motul Fastest Lap Award

Joel Granfors delivered his most competitive performance so far in the F4 British Championship with a commanding double podium at Knockhill this weekend, coming within half a second of his first victory.

Granfors was on strong form throughout the meeting at Scotland’s national motorsport arena, topping the times in Friday practice and then lapping just 0.013s off a maiden F4 pole in qualifying.

Lining up on the front row of the grid for both the first and third race of the triple-header meeting, Granfors maintained second place throughout both contests, putting eventual winner Matias Zagazeta under constant pressure. 

The Swede came particularly close to a maiden win in Sunday’s concluding Race 3, where he was able to position his Fortec car within a matter of tenths behind his Peruvian rival while setting a series of fastest laps.

Zagazeta held firm, however, with Granfors eventually crossing the line just half a second in arrears of the Argenti driver. 

“It’s great to be back on the podium, and those were two intense races trying to force Matias into a mistake,” says Joel Granfors. “I felt we had a pace advantage, especially in Race 3, but he drove well under the pressure and it’s hard to overtake around here. We can still be pleased with two second places, and we’re getting closer to that first win.” 

In the intermediate Race 2, featuring a reversed grid, Granfors was forced to retire as a mid-race clash brought down the curtain on a strong drive from the last row. 

The Swede had battled his way into the top ten thanks to some committed overtaking moves when he came up behind Argenti’s Eduardo Coseteng, only for the duo to make contact and spin off in synchronized fashion. Granfors was able to recover from the gravel traps, but his Fortec machine had sustained race-ending damage and he retired in the pits.

Thanks to his runner-up finishes in Race 1 and Race 3, however, Granfors now moves back into the top five in the overall standings, sitting fifth with exactly half the season completed.

“We’ve had a really competitive weekend, with an important breakthrough in qualifying – where, ironically, I think we still lost two possible wins,” Granfors concludes. “Those 13 thousandths of a second meant the difference between pole and second place, and given how close the races turned out, I think track position proved crucial. Small margins, but very happy overall and I think we have every reason to be optimistic going forward.” 

The next round of the F4 British Championship takes place at Thruxton in two weeks’ time (28-29 August). The Hampshire track also staged the opening round of the campaign, with Joel Granfors scoring another double podium back then.

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 5 | Knockhill

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 5/10 rounds

1: Matthew Rees (GBR), 167 p.
2: James Hedley (GBR), 162 p.
3: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 144 p.
4: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 131 p.
5: Joel Granfors (SWE), 108 p.

View full standings