Elite Motorsport’s Jesse Phillips claimed victory in the final race of the inaugural 2026 GB4 Winter Series at Snetterton, securing the championship title by a single point following a dramatic post-race penalty for Douglas Motorsport’s George Proudford-Nalder. The 15-year-old converted a chaotic contest into his second victory of the weekend, finishing 2.498s ahead of R Racing’s Chase Fernandez.
However, the championship outcome remained uncertain following the chequered flag. Proudford-Nalder initially appeared to have secured the inaugural title after recovering from a collision with polesitter Harrison Mackie to finish third. Nevertheless, a subsequent investigation found the Australian responsible for another collision with Mackie on the final lap, resulting in a one-place penalty that dropped him to fourth.
The decision promoted Mackie onto the podium and handed Phillips the championship with 107 points, just one ahead of Proudford-Nalder. Officials also issued the Douglas Motorsport driver a formal reprimand for an earlier collision with Mackie, while Pace Performance’s Alexander De Benedittis received a separate five-place penalty following an opening-lap incident.
Proudford-Nalder enters final race leading championship battle
Proudford-Nalder entered the final contest holding a ten-point advantage over Mackie following his victory in Sunday’s Race 3. The Douglas Motorsport driver had capitalised on an excellent start to seize the lead before defending against Mackie throughout the closing stages, eventually winning by just 0.343s.
Meanwhile, Phillips had endured a difficult penultimate race. Although he crossed the line fourth, a ten-second penalty for an out-of-position start dropped him to eighth, leaving him third in the championship with 72 points.
Consequently, Proudford-Nalder entered Race 4 with 85 points, followed by Mackie on 75 and Phillips on 72. With 35 points available for victory, all three retained mathematical opportunities to secure the inaugural title.
Mackie held an important advantage after dominating Sunday’s delayed Qualifying session, securing pole position for both races with fastest and second-fastest laps of 1:49.581 and 1:49.585.
The Elite Motorsport driver therefore lined up on pole alongside teammate Phillips, with John O’Donnell completing an all-Elite top three. Meanwhile, Proudford-Nalder started fifth, immediately behind R Racing’s Fernandez.
Mackie leads as Proudford-Nalder charges from fifth to second
As the lights went out, Mackie maintained his advantage from pole, immediately establishing himself at the front of the field. However, Proudford-Nalder made an exceptional getaway from fifth, gaining ground against the leading Elite Motorsport drivers.
The Australian moved into fourth at Turn 1 before challenging Phillips for third at Palmer. Having successfully completed the move, he continued his charge towards the front, targeting O’Donnell as the field approached Oggies.
Proudford-Nalder subsequently overtook O’Donnell to secure second, completing an impressive opening-lap recovery that placed him directly behind Mackie.
The rapid progress significantly strengthened his championship position. Having entered the race with a ten-point advantage, Proudford-Nalder now occupied a position that would guarantee the title regardless of his closest rivals’ results.
Meanwhile, Phillips recovered from losing a position to the Douglas Motorsport driver by overtaking O’Donnell, ensuring that he remained within striking distance of the leading pair.
Although Mackie retained the race lead, Proudford-Nalder’s presence immediately behind him created a difficult situation for the Elite Motorsport driver, who needed to finish sufficiently far ahead of his rival to overturn their championship deficit.
Early Safety Car brings leading championship contenders together
An early Safety Car intervention interrupted the opening stages, eliminating the gaps between the leading drivers and bringing the championship contenders back together.
Mackie continued to lead, with Proudford-Nalder immediately behind and Phillips occupying third. Their positions placed the three leading championship contenders at the front of the field, creating the prospect of a decisive battle once racing resumed.
Following the restart, Proudford-Nalder maintained pressure on Mackie, attempting to find an opportunity to take the lead. However, the Australian also faced pressure from Phillips, who remained close behind and continued searching for an opportunity to recover second.
Consequently, Proudford-Nalder had to balance his offensive and defensive efforts, challenging Mackie while attempting to prevent Phillips from moving ahead.
The three drivers circulated closely throughout the following laps, with little separating them on track. Although Proudford-Nalder held the strongest championship position, any contact or loss of places threatened to change the order considerably.
Meanwhile, Mackie remained determined to defend his lead, recognising that a victory could prove crucial to his title ambitions.
Lap 6 collision at Agostini hands Phillips the lead
The battle reached a critical moment on Lap 6 when Proudford-Nalder attempted to overtake Mackie at Agostini, the circuit’s fourth corner.
The Douglas Motorsport driver challenged down the inside, but the two cars made contact during the manoeuvre. The collision compromised both drivers, leaving their cars briefly entangled as they attempted to accelerate away from the corner.
Phillips immediately capitalised on the incident, moving ahead of both championship rivals to seize the race lead.
Meanwhile, Mackie dropped to fifth, with Proudford-Nalder falling to sixth. Their loss of positions significantly changed the provisional championship situation, placing Phillips in a strong position to claim the title.
The incident also represented a substantial setback for Proudford-Nalder, who had previously occupied second and appeared to hold a secure advantage in the championship standings.
Although both drivers continued racing, they now faced the challenge of recovering several positions before the chequered flag.
Following the race, the Clerk of the Course reviewed the Turn 4 incident and issued Proudford-Nalder a formal reprimand for causing the collision. However, a separate final-lap incident would ultimately have greater consequences for the championship.
Phillips controls race as Fernandez secures second
Having inherited the lead following the collision, Phillips immediately concentrated on establishing a gap over Fernandez, who had moved into second.
The Elite Motorsport driver maintained a consistent rhythm throughout the remaining laps, avoiding further incidents as his championship rivals attempted to recover behind him.
Phillips had already demonstrated his ability to control a race during Saturday’s rain-affected Race 2, when he secured his maiden GB4 victory ahead of teammates Mackie and O’Donnell.
However, Sunday’s final contest presented a different challenge. Although Phillips controlled the race from the front, the championship outcome depended on the positions of Mackie and Proudford-Nalder further down the order.
Nevertheless, the British driver continued building his advantage, eventually crossing the line 2.498s ahead of Fernandez to secure his second victory of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Fernandez completed an impressive conclusion to the inaugural Winter Series, claiming his second consecutive podium after finishing third in Race 3.
The result also strengthened R Racing’s competitive single-seater debut, with Fernandez demonstrating strong pace and consistency throughout Sunday’s contests.
Mackie and Proudford-Nalder recover towards podium positions
Behind the leading pair, Mackie and Proudford-Nalder began recovering from their earlier collision, gradually moving back towards the leading positions.
Their progress became increasingly important as Phillips continued towards victory. With the Elite Motorsport driver set to collect 35 points, Proudford-Nalder needed to recover sufficient positions to maintain his championship advantage.
On the penultimate lap, both drivers overtook KMR Sport’s Lewis Goff, moving into fourth and fifth, respectively.
The passes brought them directly behind Douglas Motorsport’s Conor Grant, who occupied third and had previously claimed victory during Saturday’s opening contest.
Although Mackie now held fourth, Proudford-Nalder remained fifth, leaving the Australian without sufficient points to secure the championship.
However, Grant began defending against the approaching drivers, creating an opportunity for his Douglas Motorsport teammate to challenge for the position he needed.
The final lap therefore developed into a decisive battle involving Grant, Mackie, Proudford-Nalder and Goff, with several championship positions still subject to change.
Final-lap battle at Murrays initially hands Proudford-Nalder the title
Grant attempted to assist Proudford-Nalder during the final lap, defending against the closely following drivers and creating an opportunity for the Australian to recover another position.
As the field approached the closing corners, Proudford-Nalder challenged Mackie, with the two drivers once again battling directly for position.
The contest reached its decisive moment at Murrays, Turn 12, where Proudford-Nalder attempted to overtake the Elite Motorsport driver.
However, the pair made contact, with Proudford-Nalder’s front wing striking Mackie’s left-rear tyre. The incident damaged the Australian’s front wing and forced Mackie wide at the corner exit.
Proudford-Nalder subsequently moved ahead, with the drivers continuing their battle towards the chequered flag.
Although Mackie attempted to recover the position, Proudford-Nalder narrowly prevailed, crossing the line third, just 0.176s ahead of his rival.
The provisional result initially appeared sufficient to secure the championship for Proudford-Nalder, who would have finished two points ahead of Phillips.
However, officials subsequently investigated the contact at Murrays, placing both the Race 4 classification and the championship outcome under review.
Clerk of the Course finds Proudford-Nalder responsible for final-lap collision
Following the race, the Clerk of the Course investigated the final-lap incident between Proudford-Nalder’s car 8 and Mackie’s car 21.
According to the official decision published by GB4, Proudford-Nalder attempted to overtake Mackie on the left-hand side as the pair approached Murrays.
The Clerk of the Course provided the following explanation:
“Car 8 was behind Car 21 (Harrison Mackie) as they approached Turn 12 (Murrays) on the last lap of the race.
“Car 8 moved to the left-hand side to attempt an overtake and makes contact with their front wing into the rear left tyre of Car 21.
“This caused Car 8 to damage their front wing and Car 21 to run wide on the exit of the corner. As a result of the contact Car 8 moves past Car 21 and finished in front of them in the result of the race.
“After considering all the evidence available to me, I determine that Car 8 was responsible for the collision and apply a 1 place position penalty.”
Consequently, officials imposed a one-place penalty on Proudford-Nalder, reversing the positions of the two drivers and promoting Mackie to third.
Separate Turn 4 incident earns Proudford-Nalder formal reprimand
The Clerk of the Course also reviewed the earlier collision between Proudford-Nalder and Mackie at Agostini on Lap 6.
During that incident, the Australian had attempted to overtake the Elite Motorsport driver down the inside, but contact between their cars allowed Phillips to move ahead and seize the lead.
Following their investigation, officials determined that Proudford-Nalder bore responsibility for the contact and issued him a formal reprimand.
Unlike the final-lap incident, the Turn 4 collision did not result in an additional position penalty.
Nevertheless, the reprimand represented a second disciplinary decision involving Proudford-Nalder and Mackie during the same race.
The two incidents ultimately proved central to the championship outcome. While the first collision compromised both drivers’ positions and allowed Phillips to move into the lead, the second directly affected Proudford-Nalder’s final classification.
Consequently, the Australian lost the third-place finish that would have secured the championship, while Mackie inherited the final podium position.
Proudford-Nalder penalty hands Phillips championship by one point
The one-place penalty significantly changed the outcome of the inaugural GB4 Winter Series.
Proudford-Nalder initially finished third on the road, collecting a provisional 24 points. Combined with his previous 85 points, the result would have increased his championship total to 109.
Meanwhile, Phillips’ victory earned him 35 points, bringing his total to 107.
Consequently, the initial classification would have handed Proudford-Nalder the championship by two points.
However, the penalty dropped the Australian from third to fourth, reducing his Race 4 points haul from 24 to 21.
His revised championship total therefore fell to 106, allowing Phillips to claim the title with 107.
The decision also promoted Mackie to third, increasing his total to 99 points and securing third in the final championship standings.
The reversal marked a dramatic conclusion to a weekend in which Phillips had initially led the standings after Saturday’s races before losing his advantage following a penalty in Sunday’s Race 3.
Ultimately, the British driver’s second victory proved sufficient to secure the inaugural title after officials amended the final classification.
De Benedittis receives five-place penalty following opening-lap collision
The post-race investigations also resulted in a separate penalty for Pace Performance’s Alexander De Benedittis, who had started ninth.
The British karting graduate became involved in an incident during the opening lap, preventing him from completing a racing lap. Meanwhile, Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing’s Jamie Leverton and Fox Motorsport’s Rob Crawford also retired without completing a lap.
Following their review, officials determined that De Benedittis had caused a collision and imposed a five-place penalty.
Although the penalty did not alter the leading championship positions, GB4 included it in the amended Race 4 classification, alongside Proudford-Nalder’s one-place penalty.
The revised results therefore reflect both disciplinary decisions, while Proudford-Nalder’s separate formal reprimand remains part of the official record.
With the investigations completed, Phillips emerged as the inaugural Winter Series champion, while the remaining classified finishers retained their respective positions.
Goff finishes fifth as Grant and O’Donnell follow
Behind the leading championship contenders, Goff completed an impressive weekend by securing fifth for KMR Sport.
The reigning Ginetta Junior champion had already demonstrated competitive pace during Sunday’s Race 3, finishing fourth after gaining positions from seventh on the grid.
Although Goff lost ground during the final contest, he capitalised on the closing-lap battles to move ahead of Grant, eventually finishing 6.556s behind Phillips.
Meanwhile, Grant secured sixth for Douglas Motorsport, just 0.086s behind Goff. The Irishman had played an important role in the championship battle during the final lap, attempting to assist Proudford-Nalder as the Australian recovered towards the podium.
O’Donnell followed in seventh, having challenged among the leading drivers during the opening stages before losing positions as the race developed.
Further back, Fortec Motorsport’s Qarrar Firhand secured eighth, continuing his encouraging transition into GB4 competition.
Fox Motorsport’s Jasser Iskander followed in ninth, while KMR Sport’s Solenn Amrouche completed the leading ten.
Pascoal leads remaining finishers as three drivers retire
Pace Performance’s Gianna Pascoal completed the race in eleventh, continuing to gain experience during her first competitive GB4 weekend.
The South African driver finished 20.316s behind Phillips, ahead of Fox Motorsport’s Archie Bullard, who secured twelfth.
Meanwhile, Pace Performance’s William Rohan followed in thirteenth, with Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing’s Archie Pearce completing the leading fourteen.
Fortec Motorsport’s Max Yuill secured fifteenth, ahead of KMR Sport’s Toby Campbell, who completed the classified finishers in sixteenth.
The race also featured three opening-lap retirements, with De Benedittis, Leverton and Crawford failing to complete a lap.
Although all three drivers lost the opportunity to gain further racing experience during the season finale, the weekend provided valuable preparation ahead of potential 2027 single-seater programmes.
For several competitors, the inaugural Winter Series represented their first experience of competitive GB4 machinery, making the four-race format an important opportunity to adapt to standing starts, tyre management and wheel-to-wheel racing.
2026 GB4 Winter Series Snetterton Race 4 results — amended provisional classification
The following results reflect the Clerk of the Course decisions issued after the race.
- Jesse Phillips — Elite Motorsport — 9 laps
- Chase Fernandez — R Racing — +2.498s
- Harrison Mackie — Elite Motorsport — +5.848s
- George Proudford-Nalder — Douglas Motorsport — One-place penalty
- Lewis Goff — KMR Sport — +6.556s
- Conor Grant — Douglas Motorsport — +6.642s
- John O’Donnell — Elite Motorsport — +7.080s
- Qarrar Firhand — Fortec Motorsport — +7.733s
- Jasser Iskander — Fox Motorsport — +16.038s
- Solenn Amrouche — KMR Sport — +18.064s
- Gianna Pascoal — Pace Performance — +20.316s
- Archie Bullard — Fox Motorsport — +22.916s
- William Rohan — Pace Performance — +23.956s
- Archie Pearce — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +29.926s
- Max Yuill — Fortec Motorsport — +30.203s
- Toby Campbell — KMR Sport — +52.742s
Did not finish
- Alexander De Benedittis — Pace Performance — 0 laps*
- Jamie Leverton — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — 0 laps
- Rob Crawford — Fox Motorsport — 0 laps
De Benedittis received a five-place penalty for causing an opening-lap collision.
Proudford-Nalder initially crossed the line third, 5.672s behind Phillips, before officials imposed his one-place penalty. He also received a formal reprimand for causing the separate Turn 4 collision with Mackie.
Official amended Race 4 classification
Phillips becomes inaugural GB4 Winter Series champion
Phillips concludes the inaugural championship with 107 points, securing the title by just one ahead of Proudford-Nalder.
The Elite Motorsport driver demonstrated strong consistency throughout the four-race event, beginning with third place during Saturday’s opening contest before claiming victory in the rain-affected second race.
Although his ten-second penalty in Race 3 initially compromised his championship challenge, Phillips recovered with another victory during the final contest.
His two victories proved crucial, particularly after the Clerk of the Course’s final-lap decision reduced Proudford-Nalder’s points total.
Meanwhile, Proudford-Nalder finishes runner-up with 106 points, having demonstrated impressive pace throughout the weekend. The Australian topped seven of the eight pre-event testing sessions before securing pole for Race 2 and victory in Race 3.
However, his two collisions with Mackie during the final race ultimately prevented him from converting that performance into the championship.
Mackie completes the leading three with 99 points, having claimed two poles and three podium finishes during his first competitive GB4 weekend.
Dramatic Snetterton finale concludes inaugural Winter Series
The final race brought a dramatic conclusion to the inaugural GB4 Winter Series, with the championship battle changing repeatedly throughout the nine-lap contest.
Although Mackie initially controlled the race from pole, Proudford-Nalder’s exceptional start immediately placed him in contention for victory. The Australian’s progress appeared to strengthen his championship advantage before his Lap 6 collision with Mackie allowed Phillips to take the lead.
However, the title remained undecided until the final lap, when Proudford-Nalder recovered to third following another incident with the Elite Motorsport driver.
The resulting investigation ultimately reversed their positions, handing Phillips the championship by a single point and bringing an extraordinary conclusion to the four-race event.
For Elite Motorsport, the result extends the team’s successful 2026 campaign following consecutive GB4 Teams’ Championship victories. Meanwhile, Phillips adds the inaugural Winter Series title to his achievements as he continues preparing for the next stage of his single-seater career.
With three different race winners, multiple championship contenders and a title battle that continued beyond the chequered flag, the inaugural GB4 Winter Series delivered a closely contested conclusion to the British single-seater racing calendar.
