Conor Grant will remain with Douglas Motorsport for the 2027 GB4 Championship after confirming a second full season with the team, while the Irish driver will first return to action at the inaugural GB4 Winter Series later this month.
The 19-year-old finished runner-up in the 2026 Rookie Championship after making considerable progress throughout his first full season of British single-seater racing. Grant will now use the four-race Snetterton Winter Series on 24-25 October as the beginning of his preparation for 2027, when a year of experience should put him among the drivers expected to fight towards the front.
Douglas confirmed the continuation of its partnership with Grant in the official GB4 announcement, keeping together a combination that increasingly challenged near the front during the second half of 2026. Furthermore, Grant also showed his improving pace immediately before the season finale when he topped Friday testing at Brands Hatch, providing another indication of the progress made during his rookie campaign.
Grant builds on strong rookie campaign
Grant entered GB4 with comparatively little single-seater experience, having previously completed only a handful of races in the United States. His first season therefore involved adapting simultaneously to the Tatuus MSV GB4-025, a new championship and an almost entirely unfamiliar collection of British circuits.
The Wexford driver nevertheless made an encouraging start by breaking into the top 10 during the Silverstone season opener. His results steadily improved from there, with a first top-six finish following at Donington Park before he claimed his maiden GB4 podium with third place when the championship returned to Silverstone later in the year.
Grant took another step forward during the September visit to Donington Park. He charged to second in the event finale, recording his best result of the campaign and continuing an upward trajectory that increasingly placed him among the established front-runners rather than simply the strongest rookies.
That progression also contributed to his eventual runner-up finish in the Rookie standings. While his first year centred heavily on learning, his decision to remain in GB4 means he can approach 2027 with considerably more experience and a much clearer understanding of what he needs to extract from both himself and the car.
Qualifying progress underlines development
Grant’s improvement became particularly clear in qualifying. He began the year fighting within the midfield but developed into a regular top-10 qualifier as the season progressed, never starting outside that group during the latter stages of the championship.
His strongest qualifying performances included three fifth-place starts across the Silverstone and Snetterton events during the summer. Those results gave him more opportunities to fight near the front from the opening laps and helped create the platform for the podium finishes that followed.
The progress continued into the Brands Hatch finale, where Grant set the pace during Friday testing. He produced a 45.020s lap around the Indy circuit to edge Matan Achituv by just 0.009s, further demonstrating the outright speed he had developed by the end of his rookie season.
Although the finale itself did not produce another headline result, Grant’s broader development formed part of a competitive year for Douglas Motorsport. The team ultimately finished fourth in the Teams’ Championship, with its performances across the year included in Pit Debrief’s review of the 2026 GB4 season.
‘Unfinished business’ motivates 2027 return
Grant believes his season developed significantly between its opening and closing rounds and feels his strongest form arrived just as the campaign was ending.
“2026 has been a season of two halves and I feel like we have only just got going and it’s over,” Grant said. “I’ve learned so much, had huge highs and a few pretty tough lows but that’s motor racing.”
Rather than changing teams after his rookie campaign, Grant has opted for continuity. Another year with Douglas allows him to retain the relationships and working methods built throughout 2026 while shifting his objectives towards fighting regularly for podiums and victories.
“I have decided to commit to another year on the GB4 grid with Douglas Motorsport so we can continue to work together to maximise my potential and let’s face it, we have unfinished business!”
The decision also removes much of the adaptation that characterised the start of his first campaign. Grant will return knowing the team, the car and the majority of the circuits, providing a considerably stronger foundation for his second season.
Winter Series starts 2027 preparations early
Grant will not have to wait until next season to begin building towards that campaign. He will lead Douglas Motorsport’s entry at Snetterton for the inaugural Winter Series, which provides four races across a condensed two-day programme.
His existing experience at the Norfolk circuit could prove valuable. Grant qualified fifth there during the main season and already has substantial mileage around the venue, allowing him to approach the Winter Series with more established references than he possessed during much of his rookie campaign.
“I cannot wait to get back in the car for the Winter Series in Snetterton at the end of the month and start the work preparing for a fantastic 2027,” Grant said.
The event should also provide a useful bridge between his rookie season and the beginning of his second year. Rather than entering the winter after several months away from competition, Grant can immediately apply the lessons developed throughout 2026 while beginning to refine the areas required for a stronger championship challenge.
The Snetterton field is continuing to develop, with drivers including Jamie Leverton already confirmed for the event. Pit Debrief has followed the growing grid through its coverage of the 2026 GB4 Winter Series entries as teams use the additional event both to chase results and begin preparations for the following season.
Douglas expects Grant to fight at the front
Team Principal Wayne Douglas believes Grant’s first season demonstrated the potential the team saw when it initially signed him. His progress from a relatively inexperienced newcomer into a podium finisher has strengthened Douglas’ confidence that he can become a regular contender during his second year.
“We’ve really enjoyed working with Conor this season,” Douglas said. “We knew we were teaming up with a driver that had a lot of potential, and he really demonstrated that this year.”
The team expects that experience to translate immediately into the Winter Series, where Grant should enter as one of the more established GB4 drivers on the grid.
“It was a pleasure to be part of that journey with him, and we have no doubt that he will be well in the mix for podiums and wins at Snetterton later this month.”
Douglas has even greater expectations for the main 2027 campaign. Grant will no longer carry Rookie status and instead enters his second year with a full season of data, circuit knowledge and experience behind him.
“Then, going into next year, all the experience he has gained will make him one of the drivers to beat, and we’re excited to be racing together again for the next 12 months.”
Grant’s second GB4 season therefore begins from a very different position to his first. He entered 2026 learning almost everything about the championship from scratch but finished it as a podium finisher capable of challenging near the front. The Winter Series now offers the first opportunity to turn that development into results before he returns with Douglas Motorsport for a full championship assault in 2027.
