Teenage racer Jaden Pariat impressed with two top ten finishes and a solid haul of points as the F4 British Championship raced at Brands Hatch at the weekend (May 6/7).
The youngster from Northeast India embarked on his second weekend of the championship with successful single-seater outfit Phynsis by Argenti and was supported by a line-up of sponsors such as Lyca Radio, BobaTree, Ahom, and Minerva Virtual Academy.
After two sessions of free practice on Friday, qualifying was set for Saturday morning, with changeable British weather brining rain, making the track damp. This would set up a tough challenge for the young racer on the already technically difficult Brands Hatch Indy layout. Despite this, Jaden was able to dig deep and put in a lap time which meant he was the fifth quickest car on the road, conceding an even higher position when a small mistake cost him two tenths.
Known for his lightning starts, it unfortunately wasn’t one of Jaden’s best in race one where he lined up seventh according to second quickest qualifying times, after he was bogged down on the wet track. Determined to make up the lost ground, the teenager fought back a few places before contact with Dion Gowda forced him to pit for a new nose cone. After re-joining the race, a red flag halted the action due to an incident with two cars at Paddock Hill Bend, but he was back on form on the restart, getting away well and continuing to make up positions, crossing the line in 12th.
The reverse grid race two meant Jaden would line up 16th, leaving plenty of ground to make up in the race, with the added incentive of extra points per overtake. The youngster got his head down and chipped away at the drivers ahead and, gaining an impressive eight positions overall, crossed the line in eighth place, marking his first top ten finish of the weekend.
Due to his quick qualifying lap, Jaden started near the front end for race three, in fifth place, where he had another brilliant start and was approaching the lead spot on the opening lap before a Safety Car deployment slowed the pack down. Contact on the restart meant the youngster lost some time and track position, but with pace continually increasing, and daring moves being completed, he was able to fight his way back up into fifth position, bringing home a sizable haul of points.
Despite some tricky conditions and unlucky incidents throughout the weekend, Jaden proved he has the ability to be one of the quickest cars in the ultra-competitive field. He will now set his focus on the next round of the F4 British Championship at Snetterton over the weekend of May 20/21.