Name: Jamie Caroline
Year: Second
Team: Carlin
Term One
Grade: A
Comment: Caroline enjoyed a strong start to his second season in British Formula 4, with eight wins from four rounds and becoming the first driver to take a hat-trick of victories in a single round. Things dropped off just before the summer break at Croft, though, where he couldn’t finish on the podium.
Term Two
Grade: B+
Comment: Luck wasn’t in Caroline’s favour in the second half of the season. Mechanical failures and a series of tracks Caroline claimed he didn’t enjoy meant he couldn’t match the results he managed int he first half of the year and allowed his rivals to significantly eat into his championship lead. He still went on to take two more wins, and the title with two races to spare.
Overall Grade: A-
Best moment of the season: Caroline claimed a hat-trick of victories at Thruxton, becoming the first British F4 driver to take a “perfect” weekend. The first round after Billy Monger’s crash at Donington Park, Caroline dedicated the hat-trick to his friend, “who said to me ahead of the weekend that I had to make it happen.”
Worst moment of the season: Caroline suffered his first retirement of the year at Oulton Park, where he crashed in spectacular fashion. He ran wide on the opening lap and dropped down order, triggering a strong comeback driver. Caroline had made it up to fourth before colliding with team-mate Patrik Pasma. His Carlin car was dramatically catapulted over the tyre barriers, but he was able to walk away unharmed.
Feature credit: Caroline Rhea
