BRITISH FORMULA 4
MOST NUMBER OF WINS IN A SEASON (10). MOST points in a season (442). First driver to win all three races in a weekend. British Formula 4 in its current guise may only be three seasons old, but Jamie Caroline certainly stamped his authority on the category this year, taking a number of records.
Considering those achievements previously belonged to star Mclaren F1 tester Lando Norris, Caroline showed he came of age this season.
Last year was a disrupted one for Caroline as a switch from the withdrawing Jamun team to Fortec failed to deliver results. But Caroline laid down a marker by winning two of the first three races of 2017 with Carlin. He was imperious at the start of the season, and at Thruxton he was at his brilliant best, winning all three races and putting on a masterclass in overtaking.
“Winning all three races at Thruxton was pretty cool,” says Caroline. “It’s a high-speed track and it’s never easy in the lead there, but I managed to pull away in two of the races.
‘The reverse-grid race was the hardest because I was on old tyres and started sixth – but I got into the lead by the first corner! I would say the first two weekends were important [in winning the title, since he took four wins] and then Thruxton came along and I extended that gap. After race one at Oulton I had a 100-point lead.”
At this point he looked unstoppable. But things literally came crashing down on him in race two at Oulton when he was involved in a “rollercoaster” crash after clipping the rear of team-mate Patrik Pasma. He was uninjured, but the incident threatened to derail his title bid.
“It wasn’t ideal and hindered a few test days because of the price of the crash,” he admits.
Caroline was never able to recapture the stunning Thruxton form for the rest of the year as he struggled with a lack of straightline speed and began driving more cautiously with the championship in mind. This enabled Oscar Piastri to gradually eat into Caroline’s advantage. But it was too little, too late and a disastrous Rockingham spelled the end of any real challenge from the Arden driver.
As well as Caroline, the season will forever be remembered for Billy Monger’s crash at Donington, which resulted in him having both lower legs amputated. The incredible response from the wider motorsport community was a heartening response to a shocking incident that threatened to cast a long shadow over the series.
“Caroline stamped his authority on the category early on”