Scores are level as rivals Maloney and Alvarez collide
Zane Maloney and Sebastian Alvarez will head to British Formula 4’s Brands Hatch finale in a fortnight as joint points leaders after they sensationally collided in Silverstone’s third race. While, after a strong weekend, Louis Foster still has an outside title shot.
Foster took two Silverstone wins and a third place, and was pacesetter in wet and dry. Only a race-two incident, wherein he was an innocent victim, denied him a possible perfect weekend.
“I’m not going to focus on the negatives too much, but if we didn’t have that contact in race two we probably would have had the triple,” Foster said. “I don’t know why, but we always seem to go well [at Silverstone].
“Brands Hatch is my favourite circuit – the championship’s open now. We’re still 30 points behind; we’re going to need luck. But you create your own luck and if we go quick we’ll create some of ours.”
Foster took a lights-to-flag Silverstone race one victory while Maloney, who led the championship pre-weekend, locked up and ran wide at Becketts on lap one while challenging Josh Skelton for second. This dropped Maloney to sixth and let Alvarez – who entered the event 15 points shy of him – take advantage to move up to second, where he stayed for the race’s remainder. Maloney only recovered to fifth.
Alvarez made more points hay by winning a damp race two. He rose within two laps from starting fifth on the reversed grid to a lead he didn’t lose, keeping Maloney at arm’s length in second. Maloney reckoned he had understeer from front wing damage after nudging Carter Williams at Brooklands on lap one, spinning Williams into
Foster. Foster then recovered from 14th to finish third, despite contact with Alex Connor when taking the place, leaving Connor in the Becketts gravel.
Foster again dominated race three, held in variable weather. Alvarez tried to pass Maloney for second at half-distance, getting alongside on the outside of Brooklands. But, not offered space by Maloney at the corner’s exit, lost control on the slippery kerb and speared into Maloney at Luffield, putting both out.