Elite Motorsport’s Ary Bansal is the 2025 GB4 Championship title holder, after a scarcely believable triple header on title decider Sunday at Donington Park. Douglas Motorsport’s Dayton Coulthard claimed a stunning maiden victory in the first race season finale, while the two championship leaders collided.
Race one
Elite’s Isaac Phelps and Hillspeed’s Dan Guinchard, the championship leader, qualified first and second respectively for the first two races of the weekend. With much at stake, there was much potential for fireworks, and it almost came at the first corner as Guinchard attempted to go around the outside of Phelps.
That challenge was rebuffed but Guinchard nudged the rear of Phelps at the Old Hairpin seconds later, and both plummeted down the order, with Phelps resuming in 15th and Guinchard down in 21st. Title hopefuls Jack Taylor and Alex O’Grady were also first lap retirements in separate incidents, wiping them out of the battle for the championship.
The main beneficiaries were Leon Wilson, Coulthard and Lucas Blakeley, who occupied the podium positions when racing resumed on lap four. Wilson aimed to claim his second win of the year, but with a couple of laps to go, Coulthard went for a move up the inside at the Melbourne Hairpin.
Ary Bansal, from ninth on the grid, had battled past Blakeley and Wilson and set the fastest lap on the final tour, but Coulthard had enough in hand to win by half a second, while Blakeley fought past Wilson to retain his place on the podium.
Race two
Wilson claimed victory in race two, in a contest that saw all the championship contenders pick up time penalties for track limits. Isaac Phelps won the race on the road but had a penalty, while Guinchard and Bansal we also penalised, finishing seventh and 14th respectively.
Pole sitter Phelps was cautious on the first lap and fell behind Wilson and Juncos in the opening corners. Wilson built an early lead, but Phelps moved past Juncos and passed Wilson on lap nine. He built up a lead of over two seconds by the final lap, but after picking up a track limits penalty in the final stages, it handed Wilson victory.
Race three
Bansal put one hand on the GB4 Championship title with victory in the penultimate race of the year at Donington Park. The Indian driver started fourth, but quickly worked his way to the front of the pack, and claimed his fourth win of the year by over two seconds from Fortec’s Thomas Ingram Hill, while KMR’s Alex O’Grady shot from sixth on the grid to third.
Elite Motorsport’s Isaac Phelps kept his championship chances alive by climbing from 12th to fourth, just ahead of Hillspeed’s former championship leader Dan Guinchard, who battled from 11th to fifth.
Race four
Bansal headed into the race, rescheduled from Brands Hatch and with the grid set there, needing to minimise the damage to his six-point advantage at the start of the race. At one point the title looked to be swinging in the direction of Guinchard, who had blasted up to third on the opening lap, but in reality, Bansal was always in position to clinch the title no matter what.
Juncos took the win with a half second gap to Guinchard, but Bansal moved past Coulthard late on to take the final spot on the podium and sealed the title with a podium finish. His championship-winning margin was 11-points, and he earns a £50,000 contribution towards a GB3 Championship seat in 2026. His Elite Motorsport squad were victorious in the Teams’ classification, with over 200 points in hand over their nearest rivals.
A maiden GB4 podium for Ava Dobson set up her charge to become the top-scoring female contender in this year’s championship, earning her a €50,000 career contribution towards an F1 Academy seat next year, should she secure a drive in the series.
