GranforsRacing

– British F4 campaign reaches halfway mark on outskirts of Edinburgh
– Fortec racer enjoys encouraging pre-event test

The F4 British Championship will reach its halfway point this weekend as some of single-seater racing’s brightest talents set camp at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit for round five of ten in the 2021 campaign.

Sweden’s Joel Granfors carries an optimistic mood into this weekend’s races, encouraged by a strong introduction to the undulating track – located close to Edinburgh – in an official pre-event series test on Tuesday. 

Near the top of the timesheets in each of the four sessions staged, Granfors ultimately wound up with the third fastest time of the day overall, just 0.01s off the ultimate pace – while topping the leaderboard on the list charting ideal lap times (combining all personal best sectors).

Knockhill: track info

“We had a good test yesterday,” says Joel Granfors. “It was my first time here at Knockhill, and it’s a fun track to drive. Especially the chicane at the back – you literally can’t see anything but the sky driving in! It will probably be tough to overtake, although there is an opportunity into the final hairpin, so I expect qualifying to once again be a key moment this weekend.”

Granfors and his team, the experienced Fortec Motorsport operation, spent the test day focussing on the further evaluation of set-up modifications first trialled at the previous round at Oulton Park a fortnight ago. 

“I feel like the changes we made towards the end of the weekend at Oulton Park are really paying off,” Joel Granfors reflects. “I’m able to carry a lot more speed into the corners, so I’m pretty confident heading into the races here this weekend. I can’t wait to be back in a few days and get at it for real.”

The F4 British Championship cars will next take to the track on Friday for a brace of practice sessions. Saturday features qualifying and the first race of the triple-header meeting, with races two and three taking place 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

– Front-running practice pace comes undone in fickle qualifying
– Learning by doing as F4 rookie makes up ground in trio of races

Joel Granfors picked up a top five finish as his best result from this weekend’s F4 British Championship round at Oulton Park.

Returning to action after a lengthy summer break, Granfors wasted little time to get up to speed aboard his Ford EcoBoost-powered Fortec Motorsport machine, going second fastest in Friday’s opening practice session.

With positive momentum heading into qualifying a day later, Granfors carried high hopes of being able to fight for pole – but instead had to see his weekend derailed in a British drizzle.

In mixed and greasy conditions, Granfors found himself in an unfortunate situation on the wrong tyres at the wrong time, restricting him to grid slots in the middle of the 19-car pack for each of the weekend’s three races.

With the field closely matched on pace – and overtaking opportunities limited around the flowing Oulton Park track – Granfors had his work cut out, although the Swede did manage to make up ground in each of the races to bag a results score of P11, P5 and P10.

“It started out well in practice on Friday, and we were right up there,” says Joel Granfors. “I felt like we would finally be in for a really strong weekend, so it was all the more disappointing to miss out like that in qualifying where the conditions caught us out. It’s difficult to overtake around here, so I knew the races were going to be hard, but I did my best, learned quite a bit in the traffic, and at least managed a top five.” 

Granfors and his crew also grabbed the opportunity provided to evaluate some new set-up avenues, most notably in Sunday’s concluding Race 3 which took place in stable, dry conditions. 

“We continue to learn together and we constantly find new things to try and to improve,” Joel Granfors concludes. “With qualifying going the way it went here, we decided to experiment a bit with some ideas I’ve wanted to try, and I think it was successful. It’s something we can apply in the coming races, and that should suit my driving style a bit better, so I’m optimistic for the remaining rounds!” 

The F4 British Championship next returns on August 14-15 at Knockhill in Scotland.

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 4 | Oulton Park

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 4/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 161 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 137 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 107 p.
4: Joseph Loake (GBR), 86 p.
5: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 86 p.
6: Joel Granfors (SWE), 71 p.

View full standings

– Season resumes at Oulton Park after lengthy summer break
– Granfors bidding for podium return

Following a five-week break, Joel Granfors and the F4 British Championship return to action this weekend at Oulton Park to commence a busy remainder of the season.

Granfors heads into the weekend having claimed a trio of top eight finishes last time out at Brands Hatch back in June, where he also set the second-fastest lap of the concluding Race 3. 

It is that sort of pace, and his two podiums already achieved at the opening round of the campaign at Thruxton, that F4 rookie Granfors will be hoping to imitate as the Ford-powered single-seater series descends on what the Swede himself labels as one of the best tracks on the schedule.

Oulton Park: track info

“I’m extremely motivated to get going again after the break, and I can’t wait to be back on track,” says Joel Granfors. “We had a really good test at Oulton Park a while ago, with promising pace, and I think this is one of the most rewarding and fun tracks to drive here in the UK.”

No surprise there, as Oulton Park is widely known to be a drivers’ favourite. The track – located in western England close to Manchester and Liverpool – offers a challenging layout of fast, flowing corners, naturally embedded in the undulating landscape.

Hectic months ahead

After a fairly slow start to the season, with just three rounds played out in three months, the remainder of the campaign is set to be much more intense for the British F4 pack, starting this weekend.

Granfors and his rivals are now facing seven championship rounds – featuring 21 of this year’s 30 races – within the space of just 12 weeks. 

In other words, the most significant portion of the 2021 season still lies ahead.

“We’ve had a bit of a soft start, but from now on we’ll be racing every other weekend,” says Joel Granfors (who made a pace-setting guest appearance in Sweden’s Aquila series last weekend for good measure). “That suits me well. I like to be driving as frequently as I can, especially now being a rookie in F4. I prefer to stay in the zone. I feel perfectly ready to go and we will do our best to put some serious pressure on the other teams.”

Competing for Fortec Motorsport, Granfors currently sits fifth in the drivers’ standings.

Action at Oulton Park begins on Friday with a pair of practice sessions, followed on Saturday by qualifying and the first two races. The weekend then comes to a close with Race 3 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 scores trio of top eight finishes at Brands Hatch
– Fortec racer ends on positive note with second-fastest lap in Race 3

Joel Granfors came through an action-packed weekend of racing in mixed conditions to claim a trio of top eight finishes as the F4 British Championship set camp at Brands Hatch.

The Swedish F4 rookie came home P8, P8 and P6 respectively in this weekend’s three races, which put the 19-car field to the test in partly dry, partly wet weather conditions.

Granfors, however, kept his nose clean to navigate maturely through all three encounters, ending on a high in Race 3 when he recovered from a poor start – at a track notorious for its lack of overtaking opportunities – to take P6.

As he battled back, Granfors underlined his pace by setting the second-fastest lap of the race, just 0.004s slower than Britain’s Joseph Loake. Granfors and Loake were the only two drivers to dip below the 47-second mark around the 1.9 km Brands Hatch Indy layout in any of the three races.

“It’s been a weekend of mixed feelings, but at the end of the day I have learned a lot,” says Joel Granfors. “Again, qualifying proved our main weakness, even though it was slightly better here. We were a couple of places too far back to seriously put ourselves in contention, but it was extremely close and just a few tenths would have made the difference to pole position.

“It’s tough competition here, but it’s the best way to evolve as a driver, so it’s just how it should be.”

Granfors’ best shot at a podium finish arguably came in Race 2 on Sunday morning, where a drizzle of rain before the start saw the field split on tyre choice.

The Fortec Motorsport contingent, including Granfors, went for wet-weather Hankooks, which initially proved effective as Granfors stormed through to P2 in the early stages.

However, the track began drying out halfway through the 20-minute race, shuffling Granfors back down the order as others came through on slicks. The Swede eventually finished P8.

“We had to make some very quick decisions this weekend, especially before Race 2 when it began to rain just before the start,” Joel Granfors explains. “It felt like the right move initially, but then we completely killed our tyres when it began to dry up, and I have learned some very concrete set-up lessons for the future.

“All in all, I had hoped for more this weekend, but I’m happy that we ended on a positive note in Race 3. We can all see that the pace is there; now we just need to piece the potential together a bit better.” 

The F4 British Championship now heads into a five-week summer break, before the season resumes at Oulton Park on July 30-August 1. The series then faces a busy couple of months across August, September and October to close out the season with the remaining seven rounds. 

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 3 | Brands Hatch (Indy)

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 3/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 120 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 100 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 88 p.
4: Matias Zagazeta (PER), 68 p.
5: Joel Granfors (SWE), 61 p.

View full standings

– Swedish national festivities coincide with round three of British F4 
– Qualifying expected to be key at intense Brands Hatch Indy circuit

On a weekend when Sweden will be celebrating its annual Midsummer festivities, the country’s latest racing export Joel Granfors will hope to be in particularly jubilant mode as he contests round three of the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch.  

The Fortec Motorsport youngster enters the weekend sitting fourth in the championship standings – the top non-Brit – after scoring a double podium at the season-opener at Thruxton and then taking his first Motul Fastest Lap Award last time out at Snetterton. 

While Granfors has delivered strong race performances so far in his first international single-seater season, he has been forced to do so with combative drives from the midfield – as entertaining as they have been – after a couple of less-than-ideal qualifying showings.    

As the F4 fraternity heads into round three, qualifying is likely to be even more critical on this occasion, with action playing out around the short and intense 1.9 km Brands Hatch Indy circuit south of London.

Brands Hatch: track info

Featuring very limited overtaking opportunities, with races often won at the first corner, starting position is king at the Kent venue – possibly more so than at any other track on the schedule.

”Qualifying will be crucial this weekend, and I’d say it’s probably the most important qualifying session of the year,” predicts Joel Granfors. “It’s a small, short track with no real straights, so overtaking is very difficult. It takes a mistake from the driver in front to get ahead, so starting high up the order will be key.”

Together, Granfors and his Fortec engineers have been working to analyse and improve their one-lap situation since the previous round.

“Qualifying hasn’t been our strong point so far this year, so that’s an area we need to improve, but we’ve got a couple of ideas to try out that will hopefully change that,” Joel Granfors explains. “For me personally, I will approach the first part of the weekend a bit differently, too, being slightly more on the attack in the early sessions to get more quickly up to speed. We think and hope that we are on the right path and I’m very excited to head back out on track on Friday.”

F4 activity at Brands Hatch begins on Friday with a pair of 45-minute practice sessions, followed by qualifying and the first of the weekend’s three races on Saturday. Race 2 and Race 3 round out the event on Sunday.

In a small change to the regular event format, Race 1 will be the full reverse-grid race on this occasion rather than Race 2. This is due to a tight turnaround between the two Sunday contests, narrowing the window for potential repairs. 

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

How the grids will be set this weekend:

Race 1: full reversed grid based on drivers’ fastest qualifying lap 
Race 2: drivers’ fastest qualifying lap
Race 3: drivers’ second-fastest qualifying lap

TIME TABLE – LOCAL TIME (UK)

F4 British Championship
Rd. 3 | Brands Hatch (Indy)

Friday 25 June
Free Practice 1: 12.05-12.50
Free Practice 2: 16.45-17.30

Saturday 26 June
Qualifying: 10.55-11.15
Race 1: 15.50-16.10

Sunday 27 June
Race 2: 10.00-10.20
Race 3: 13.50-14.10

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 2/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 85 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 60 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 53 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 45 p.
5: Zak Taylor (GBR), 34 p.

View full standings

– Swede has mixed fortunes in round two of F4 British Championship
– Fortec rookie scores Motul Fastest Lap Award

Joel Granfors picked up a top five finish as his best result in round two of the F4 British Championship at Snetterton, but indicated there was pace for more with his first Motul Fastest Lap Award of the season.

Having graced the podium twice in the opening round at Thruxton last month, Granfors endured a tougher outing in Norfolk, where he was restricted to midfield grid slots for all three races after a less-than-ideal qualifying session in the 18-car pack.

The Swedish Fortec rookie made up ground from tenth on the grid to finish eighth in Race 1, before scoring his weekend-best result of P5 from ninth in the subsequent Race 2. In the same encounter, Granfors set the fastest lap of the race, pocketing the Motul Fastest Lap Award and the bonus point that comes with it.

Granfors seemed set to repeat his charge in Sunday’s Race 3, overtaking Carlin’s Roman Bilinski early on. However, as he swept by his rival, Granfors was tagged from the side, inflicting race-ending damage.

Bilinski was later penalised for the incident.

“It’s hasn’t been an easy weekend, with a few incidents too many and some questionable moves in the midfield,” says Joel Granfors. “We weren’t quite there in qualifying, and that cost us in all three races. We managed to improve the set-up and the feeling in the car later in the weekend, particularly ahead of Race 2, but it’s difficult when you start too far back. 

“Still, I think we showed our potential with fastest lap in the second race, and the car felt just as strong in Race 3 until I got punted off the track. It’s a shame it had to end like that, but there are definitely positives to take away. We will get back to work and do better next time out.”

Joel Granfors now sits fourth overall in the F4 British Championship standings. The next round takes place at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit on 26-27 June.

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 2 | Snetterton

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 2/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 85 p.
2: Matthew Rees (GBR), 60 p.
3: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 53 p.
4: Joel Granfors (SWE), 45 p.
5: Zak Taylor (GBR), 34 p.

View full standings

– Swedish rookie set for round two of F4 British Championship
– Fortec racer sits second overall after debut double podium

Joel Granfors is back behind the wheel of his Fortec Motorsport machine this weekend for round two of the F4 British Championship, with the 15-year-old Swede hoping to build on the heavy promise of last month’s season-opener.

Granfors delivered in style at Thruxton back in early May, making the podium in two out of three races on what marked his maiden weekend of international single-seater competition.

Signing an early letter of intent, Granfors left the curtain-raiser sitting second in the overall standings, 21 points behind sophomore racer and Fortec team-mate James Hedley.

This weekend sees the next chapter play out at Norfolk’s Snetterton Circuit, with Granfors keen to press on in an expanded grid of 18 cars. 

Snetterton: entry list | track info

“I’m looking forward to getting back to racing,” says Joel Granfors. “It’s been a while, and I can’t wait. Snetterton is an interesting track with a lot of different corners. It’s actually where I first tested with Fortec in the winter, so it will be special to get back in race mode. The last sector is particularly tricky, I think. It’s easy to lock up the front right going into the last corner and that compromises the exit onto the main straight, making you vulnerable to overtaking.”

While Granfors delivered a fine debut to back up some pre-season hype, having won two championship titles in his native Sweden in 2020, he is well aware that contemplation is a formidable enemy in a sport where fractions of a second can make all the difference.

Work has duly continued apace, with one specific target area identified after the opening round. 

“We had so many positives to take away from Thruxton, but the starts weren’t very good and that’s where we’ve put in some extra effort,” Joel Granfors admits. “We’ve had a day of testing to try and get on top of that, and I feel a lot more confident now with the whole procedure. Hopefully that will show this weekend – I’m really excited for it!”

British F4 action will get underway at Snetterton with a brace of practice sessions on Friday, followed by the customary qualifying showdown and three races across Saturday and Sunday. 

Qualifying rules, points format and more: how British F4 works

British F4 is carried live and free-to-air on ITV4 in the UK alongside the BTCC. Streaming will not be available in other countries, but live timing links and reports will be posted at www.joelgranfors.com. 

TIME TABLE – LOCAL TIME (UK)

F4 British Championship
Rd. 2 | Snetterton

Friday 11 June
Free Practice 1: 09.00-09.45
Free Practice 2: 13.40-14.25

Saturday 12 June
Qualifying: 09.05-09.25
Race 1: 13.25-13.45
Race 2: 17.20-17.40

Sunday 13 June
Race 3: 12.15-12.35

STANDINGS

F4 British Championship
After 1/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 55 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 34 p.
3: Joseph Loake (GBR), 25 p.
4: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 22 p.
5: Zak Taylor (GBR), 20 p.

View full standings

– Swede masters treacherous conditions in Thruxton season-opener
– Fortec racer holds second overall in early standings

Joel Granfors enjoyed a highly promising start to life in international single-seater racing as he powered to a double podium on debut in the F4 British Championship.

15-year-old Granfors overcame difficult conditions on a wet/dry weekend at Thruxton, immediately installing himself in second place in the championship standings after the opening round of the season.   

Finishing second, second and eighth in the three races of the meeting – each time battling back from lower grid slots following a rain-hit qualifying session – the Swedish newcomer proved an instant adapter on the British isles.

“It’s been a great first round of the season,” says Joel Granfors. “I really wasn’t expecting to go away from here sitting second in the standings, especially having only done half a day in the wet in pre-season testing. The pace is definitely there and that gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year. I have to thank my team for helping to prepare me so well for this challenge – they’ve been great.”

Alongside his own personal success, Granfors also contributed to an historic moment for Fortec Motorsport as the season got underway, following team-mate James Hedley across the line in a 1-2 finish in both of the first two races of the weekend to score the Daventry squad’s first – and second – ever British F4 double win.

Hedley – who returns to British F4 this season after already winning four races in 2020 – duly leads the championship, 21 points clear of the debuting Granfors.

“Joel’s performance this weekend was fantastic,” says Fortec Motorsport team boss Oliver Dutton. “To score a double podium in his first couple of races in British F4 was great to see. Joel was unfortunate to get tagged in the last race, but he bounced back from that too.

“His overtakes in the first races were very calculated and, I have to say, executed to perfection. It was nice to see all our preparation in the gym and sim in practice and I’m very proud of how far Joel has come already.”

The F4 British Championship returns on June 12-13 for round two of the season, staged at Snetterton.

RESULTS

F4 British Championship
Rd. 1 | Thruxton

Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3
 

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
After 1/10 rounds

1: James Hedley (GBR), 55 p.
2: Joel Granfors (SWE), 34 p.
3: Joseph Loake (GBR), 25 p.
4: McKenzy Cresswell (GBR), 22 p.
5: Zak Taylor (GBR), 20 p.

View full standings