2026 | GB4 | Brands Hatch | Testing | Ingram Hill sets the pace ahead of season finale

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Thomas Ingram Hill put Fortec Motorsports on top during Thursday’s GB4 test at Brands Hatch, setting the pace as the championship prepared for its season finale later this month.

The British driver produced a 1:24.922 during the third and final session around the Grand Prix circuit, finishing 0.205s clear of Elite Motorsport’s Fred Green. Championship leader Alex O’Grady completed the top three, only 0.026s behind his closest title rival.

All five drivers who remain mathematically capable of winning the championship featured inside the top nine. Dayton Coulthard finished seventh and Enzo Hallman ninth alongside Ingram Hill, Green and O’Grady, while exactly eight tenths covered the leading 10 drivers.

O’Grady sets early benchmark

O’Grady opened the day at the head of the timesheets, producing a 1:25.495 during the first session. His effort put the KMR Sport driver 0.202s ahead of Green, with Fortec rookie Franciszek Cegielski another 0.197s behind in third.

Torrin Byrne followed in fourth for Pace Performance, only 0.013s behind Cegielski, while Ingram Hill began his day in fifth. The eventual overall pacesetter recorded a 1:25.920 in the opening run, leaving him 0.425s away from O’Grady before finding almost a full second later in the day.

Coulthard occupied sixth ahead of Josh McLean and Connor Willis, while Emmilio Valentino Del Grosso and Hallman completed the opening-session top 10. The championship contenders therefore immediately featured towards the front as preparations began for the three-race title decider.

O’Grady entered the test carrying the championship lead after Green reduced his advantage during the most recent Donington Park round. Green returned to winning form in Race 1 at Donington Park before following stand-in teammate Yani Stevenheydens home in the second contest.

Green leads second session

Green responded during the second session and moved Elite Motorsport to the top with a 1:25.634. The time did not improve on O’Grady’s morning benchmark, but it gave Green first place in the session by 0.105s from Douglas Motorsport rookie Conor Grant.

O’Grady took third with a 1:25.914, placing the championship’s leading two drivers first and third. Byrne again featured near the front in fourth, while Del Grosso climbed to fifth for Elite Motorsport ahead of Cegielski.

Hallman took seventh ahead of Ingram Hill and Coulthard, with Elite’s Charlie Smith completing the top 10. The margins remained close throughout the order, as only 0.745s separated Green from Coulthard in ninth.

Green’s performance continued the strong one-lap form that has characterised his season. Although Stevenheydens claimed both poles during the latest Donington Park Qualifying session, Green has already secured the 2026 George Russell Pole Position Cup with five poles across the campaign.

Ingram Hill makes decisive improvement

The fastest times arrived during the final session, when the entire field improved on its earlier efforts and Ingram Hill produced the lap that ultimately decided the combined classification.

The Fortec driver’s 1:24.922 came on his 12th lap of 16 and made him the only driver to break into the 1:24s. It represented an improvement of 0.998s over his opening-session best and put him comfortably clear at the head of the order.

Green also found substantial time and recorded a 1:25.127 to take second. O’Grady followed just 0.026s behind with a 1:25.153, meaning the two leading championship contenders remained almost inseparable despite Ingram Hill establishing a larger advantage ahead of them.

The result gives Ingram Hill encouraging momentum before the finale. He enters Brands Hatch as one of five mathematical title contenders, although his 96-point deficit to O’Grady means he requires an exceptional weekend and problems for the championship leader to remain in contention deep into the event.

Grant and Cegielski put two Fortec cars inside top five

Grant finished fourth overall after producing a 1:25.347 in Session 3. The Douglas Motorsport rookie ended the test 0.425s away from Ingram Hill and 0.194s behind O’Grady, having already demonstrated his pace with second place during the middle session.

Cegielski gave Fortec a second car inside the top five. The Pole recorded a 1:25.457 on his 19th lap of the final session, finishing 0.110s behind Grant and 0.535s away from teammate Ingram Hill.

Byrne maintained his presence near the front to take sixth. His 1:25.538 left the Pace Performance driver 0.616s away from the outright benchmark, having previously finished fourth in each of the opening two sessions.

Coulthard, Willis and Hallman remain closely matched

Coulthard led another tightly grouped section of the order in seventh. The Douglas Motorsport driver produced a 1:25.589 during Session 3 to finish only 0.051s behind Byrne.

Willis ended the test just 0.002s behind Coulthard in eighth, recording a 1:25.591 for Hillspeed. Teammate Hallman followed in ninth with a 1:25.672, leaving the three drivers separated by only 0.083s.

Hallman and Coulthard join Ingram Hill, Green and O’Grady as the five remaining Drivers’ Championship contenders. Coulthard sits third in the standings, while Hallman and Ingram Hill occupy fourth and fifth respectively heading into the final three races.

Del Grosso completed the overall top 10 on his return to Elite Motorsport. His 1:25.722 left him exactly 0.800s behind Ingram Hill and only 0.050s away from Hallman.

Smith leads second half of order

Charlie Smith finished 11th for Elite Motorsport with a 1:25.834, placing him 0.912s from the top. McLean followed in 12th and was the final driver within one second of Ingram Hill, his 1:25.902 leaving him 0.980s behind.

Demitri Nolan narrowly missed joining them inside the one-second margin. The Hillspeed driver recorded a 1:25.924 and finished 13th, 1.002s from first place.

Jamie Leverton led the remainder of the field in 14th ahead of Michael Koh, Romuald Bocquet and Matan Achituv. Only 0.316s separated Leverton in 14th from Achituv in 17th, continuing the closely matched nature of the field.

John O’Donnell followed in 18th, with Lily-May Watkins and Holly Miall completing the top 20. Faris Organji, Jasser Iskander, Caitlyn McDaniel, Solenn Amrouche and Robert Crawford rounded out the 25-car classification.

Thursday’s running represented the field’s only test on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit before the season finale on 26/27 September. With Green and O’Grady separated by just 0.026s and all five title contenders inside the top nine, the test offered another indication of the tight margins likely to decide the championship.