'Speechless' McLaughlin wins British F4 title

Red Bull Junior driver Fionn McLaughlin has won the British F4 title at Brands Hatch.

The 17-year-old from Northern Ireland headed into the final round of the season with a 61.5 point advantage after a superb campaign.

He finished second in Saturday's opening race behind nearest challenger Jimmy Piszcyk, which was enough to secure the title with two races to spare.

McLaughlin has five race wins and seven podiums in his first single-seater campaign, and took a moment in his car before celebrating with his team and family.

"I'm speechless, I don't have much to say," an emotional McLaughlin told ITV Sport.

"The team has done a great job all season and I'm so proud that we've done it.

"My family sacrifices a lot for me, it means a lot to all of us and I'm just proud."

The final two races of the season take place on Sunday at the Kent circuit and McLaughlin will look to help Hitech TGR secure the team title.

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Who are former winners of British F4?

McLaughlin has joined an illustrious list of British F4 champions, which is often the first step in single-seater racing for many top-level drivers.

McLaren's Formula 1 championship challenger Lando Norris claimed the British F4 title in 2015 and was racing in Formula 1 just four years later.

Ireland's in-demandAlex Dunne dominated British F4 in 2022 and is closing on a Red Bull deal after he impressed for McLaren in his F1 practice outings this year, while fellow Formula 2 title challenger Luke Browning, a development driver for Williams, was champion in 2021.

Deagen Fairclough, the previous British F4 champion, stepped up to British GB3 for this season and earned a Formula 1 test drive with Aston Martin through the BRDC Award for young drivers.

There are also plenty of notable drivers who raced in British F4 and didn't win the title, such as Formula 1 championship leader Oscar Piastri, Alpine's Jack Doohan, former Williams driver Logan Sargeant, and IndyCar star and Cadillac reserve driver Colton Herta.

The British GB3 Championship is a possible option for McLaughlin to step up the racing ladder, or a move to Europe could also see him progress.

McLaughlin's superb season

McLaughlin was selected by Red Bull after impressing in a shootout in Jerez in August 2024, which led him to step up from karting to British F4.

The Magherafelt driver made a big impression from the first round as he took four podiums in the first six races.

A first victory cam at Snetterton in the third round, at by this point he was embroiled in a tussle at the top of the standings with Molnar.

He took two more victories at the rounds at Zandvoort and Knockhill to move clear at the top, and McLaughlin took the rookie title with two rounds to spare at Donington Park.

His fifth win of the year at Silverstone moved him to the brink of the overall title, which he secured at the first time of asking in the opening race at Brands Hatch by finishing second.

McLaughlin's focus will now turn to wrapping up the team title for Hitech, but he can now celebrate winning his first championship since winning the Tullyallen Karting title when he was seven.