A flying start to the year
Heading to the halfway stage of 2024, Hitech have already achieved a remarkable run of success across four major championships. The team’s drivers currently lead three of the four single-seater categories they compete in and have scored 18 wins, 12 runners-up positions and 10 third place finishes.
With their 18 triumphs, Hitech are also P1 in two Teams’ Championships and only a point adrift at the top of a third, which means the Silverstone-based outfit have accrued a remarkable 58 trophies from 53 races across FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3, the GB3 Championship and British Formula 4. That has to be more single-seater wins than any other team in world motorsport, in the professional categories, so far this year.
“Hitech and our drivers have made an incredible start to the year with fantastic success across our international and domestic series,” says Oliver Oakes, Director. “A total of 18 wins and first overall in three drivers’ championships and two teams’ championships is a real testament to our strength at an engineering and strategic level.
“We are also delighted to have such an outstanding roster of young drivers – a mix of both rookies and experienced racers – who have demonstrated amazing speed and consistency. That will stand them in good stead for a bright future in the sport as they continue their journey towards Formula 1.
“That’s really what we’ve been steadily building towards since I formed the team back in 2015. Next year will be our tenth year of competition and our purpose has always been to establish a proven pathway to the highest echelon of the sport, and be successful at every step, nationally and on the world stage.
“We’re only halfway through 2024 but it has already been our most successful season to date. I like to keep my feet on the ground but even I can’t help but feel incredibly proud of the whole team when I see our silverware tally at 58 trophies in 53 races. It’s not just about the trophies, albeit they have a special place at our HQ. It’s about being where I always hoped we would be as a team as we head towards a decade of operations.”
Rookie leads Formula 2 Championship
Estonian Paul Aron leads the F2 series by 11 points with a remarkable consistency that has seen him net seven podiums in as many rounds and nine consecutive points finishes. Despite not reaching the top step of the podium yet, the 20-year-old has demonstrated an impressive pace in his debut year.
In 2024, Hitech are the only team in Formula 2 to have scored a podium in each of the seven rounds and they trail the leaders by just one point in the Teams’ Championship, with seven rounds still remaining. It’s an impressive feat when you consider the mix of different circuits visited in the first half of the championship, with pace shown on both street courses and high-speed tracks. There’s also the not insignificant factor that the F2 chassis is new this year.
“From the day he started with us to now, Paul has been integral to our team,” said Oakes of his leading driver. “His commitment and application is total and he has worked hard with the guys, pushing them as well as being honest about what he can do. That’s been great to see and it’s also how we’ve made the difference this year, by really challenging ourselves in all areas. I’ve also been very impressed with Amaury Cordeel’s start to this season too. The field is so close that the improvements are not always obvious but he is performing well and has contributed a good chunk of the points that see us knocking on the door of the teams’ title.”
Three wins in Formula 3
Last time out in Spielberg, Luke Browning dominated the Feature Race from pole position to earn his second FIA Formula 3 victory of the year and jump into the lead of the championship. It was an excellent drive from the 22-year-old who now enjoys a nine-point advantage at the top of the standings.
The Williams Academy driver started the season strongly, with victory in the first Feature Race of the year in Bahrain from the front-row of the grid. He also took two fastest laps in Australia and a podium on the streets of Monaco. His Hitech team-mate Martinius Stenshorne was also quick in Melbourne, securing a win in the Sprint Race and a further podium in the Spielberg Sprint, which he finished in P2.
“Along with our F2 campaign, our Formula 3 team with Luke, Martinius and Cian Shields has been exceptional this season with three wins so far in an extremely competitive series which has 30 cars contesting each race,” adds Oakes. “In particular Luke has shown great skill and determination and his dominant drive in Austria was vital to secure the overall points lead in the championship. There are four more rounds of course but now he’s back on top, he has his eye on the ultimate prize.”
12 trophies in 12 GB3 races
It’s been a remarkable start to the GB3 Championship this year with Hitech becoming the first team in history to record seven consecutive race wins in the series. The sequence began at the first round at Oulton Park and continued up until the most recent meeting at the Hungaroring.
Will Macintyre sits second in the points standings, just two points off the lead and 19 ahead of his team-mate Tymek Kucharczyk. Both have three wins apiece and four other podium finishes between them. Gerrard Xie has also been victorious to give Hitech a 33-point lead in the Teams’ Championship. And a further five pole positions in the Jack Cavill Cup has technically extended Hitech’s trophy tally to 63 so far this year…
“We’ve made a really impressive start to the 2024 GB3 Championship season, showcasing both individual talent and really effective teamwork across the race weekends,” adds Oakes. “Our talented trio of Will, Tymek and Gerrard have consistently delivered strong performances, often dominating the podiums and accumulating significant points at major Formula 1 tracks such as Silverstone, Spa and Hungary. It’s been really rewarding and enjoyable to see such a commanding performance during the season to date and for sure all three drivers have an exciting future ahead of them.”
Eight wins and eight podiums in British F4
If proof were needed of how close the trio of Hitech team-mates are in British Formula 4 this season, look no further than the final race of the Brands Hatch weekend in May. Deagen Fairclough took the race win by just 0.561s from Mika Abrahams with Reza Seewooruthum another 0.398s further back in third – less than a second covered the top three.
In total the team have enjoyed four one-two finishes in 2024 with five victories for Fairclough, seven fastest laps and two poles. The 18-year-old British driver has a dominant 29-point lead at the top of the British F4 standings. Hitech have taken home a total of 16 drivers’ and eight teams’ trophies across the 15 races held so far.
“At the moment we have a good lead at the top of the teams’ standings after a standout start to our British Formula 4 season,” says Oakes. “Collectively, the Hitech team has amassed 16 top-three finishes and this impressive tally – led by Deagen – underlines the three talented young drivers in our squad and their commitment to teamwork in helping drive performance.”
Plenty of racing still to go…
As Hitech prepares for their home race at Silverstone in Formula 2 and Formula 3 this weekend – in addition to a visit to Zandvoort next weekend for a double-header of GB3 and F4 action – Oakes is keen to temper expectations and ensure the discipline and execution of races so far this season continues into the remaining rounds. He emphasises that both drivers and team personnel won’t rest on their laurels for the rest of 2024.
“The combined efforts of our team and drivers have propelled Hitech to a run of superb form across all the categories we compete in,” says Oakes. “But as we look ahead to the second half of the year, it’s vital we maintain this momentum and keep up this hard work, dedication and effort. We’ll keep fighting until the very final lap of the season in every championship and hopefully go from strength to strength for our landmark tenth season of racing next year as well.”
