Luke Hilton will start the opening 2026 GB4 race at Donington Park from pole position after widespread track limits penalties dramatically altered Saturday morning’s Qualifying order.
KMR Sport’s Alex O’Grady originally set the fastest and second-fastest laps to secure pole for both of the weekend’s opening races. However, officials deleted nine of his 10 recorded laps for exceeding track limits, dropping him to 10th on the amended Race 1 grid.
Hilton moves from eighth in the original classification to pole despite losing six lap times of his own. Fortec Motorsports rookie Franciszek Cegielski will join him on the front row, while Douglas Motorsport’s Dayton Coulthard and Hillspeed’s Demitri Nolan start third and fourth.
Track limits review transforms Qualifying order
Officials reviewed the 15-minute session after several drivers exceeded track limits around the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit.
The subsequent decisions affected 25 of the 26 competitors, with Arden Motorsport rookie Michael Koh the only driver who did not have a lap deleted for a track limits infringement. Some drivers retained enough representative times to remain near the front, while 10 lost every valid lap from the session.
Hilton retained a 1m29.954s despite officials removing six of his nine recorded laps. That time placed the Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing driver 0.172s clear of Cegielski in the amended classification.
Cegielski lost eight lap times but kept a 1m30.126s, promoting the Fortec rookie from seventh to second. Coulthard also lost six laps but retained a 1m30.213s, while Nolan climbed to fourth after receiving only one deletion.
O’Grady drops from double pole to 10th
O’Grady had controlled the original session and set a 1m29.372s to beat Thomas Ingram Hill to Race 1 pole by 0.070s. His second-best lap of 1m29.390s had also appeared sufficient to give him pole for Race 2.
However, officials removed nine of his 10 laps after the session. His only surviving effort, a 1m34.924s, placed him 11th in the amended Qualifying classification and 10th on the separately issued Race 1 grid.
Other original front-runners suffered similarly significant demotions. Ingram Hill fell from second to 15th on the Race 1 grid after losing eight laps, while Connor Willis retained only a 1m40.844s and will start 16th.
Championship leader Fred Green, Enzo Hallman and Torrin Byrne lost every valid time. Green and Hallman had originally qualified fourth and third respectively, while Byrne had secured sixth before the post-session review.
Hilton and Cegielski gain front-row opportunity
Hilton now has an unexpected opportunity to lead the 26-car field away in Race 1.
The British driver had originally qualified within half a second of O’Grady but gained seven places following the track limits decisions. Cegielski also moves onto the front row and remains the highest-placed rookie.
Coulthard climbs from 11th to third, while Nolan gains 10 positions and completes the second row. Fortec rookie Jordyn Martin starts fifth ahead of Pace Performance’s Joshua McLean.
Solenn Amrouche will line up seventh, followed by Fox Motorsport teammates Enzo Rujugiro and Jasser Iskander. O’Grady completes the revised top 10 and faces a recovery drive after appearing set to begin both races from pole.
Qualifying penalties
Officials deleted the following lap times because the drivers exceeded track limits:
- #6 Demitri Nolan: One lap time deleted.
- #36 Enzo Rujugiro: Three lap times deleted.
- #33 Jasser Iskander: Five lap times deleted.
- #88 Jordyn Martin: Five lap times deleted.
- #95 Solenn Amrouche: Five lap times deleted.
- #28 Dayton Coulthard: Six lap times deleted.
- #42 Luke Hilton: Six lap times deleted.
- #76 Joshua McLean: Six lap times deleted.
- #77 Matan Achituv: Seven lap times deleted.
- #5 Emilio Valentino Del Grosso: Eight lap times deleted.
- #8 Thomas Ingram Hill: Eight lap times deleted.
- #11 Franciszek Cegielski: Eight lap times deleted.
- #17 John O’Donnell: Eight lap times deleted.
- #48 Archie Bullard: Eight lap times deleted.
- #99 Connor Willis: Eight lap times deleted.
- #3 Alex O’Grady: Nine lap times deleted.
- #4 Jamie Leverton: Nine lap times deleted.
- #7 Enzo Hallman: Nine lap times deleted.
- #9 Romuald Bocquet: Nine lap times deleted.
- #23 Holly Miall: Nine lap times deleted.
- #35 Caitlyn McDaniel: Nine lap times deleted.
- #51 Fred Green: Nine lap times deleted.
- #87 Archie Davies: Nine lap times deleted.
- #18 Torrin Byrne: Ten lap times deleted.
- #54 Conor Grant: Ten lap times deleted.
Officials also reported that Green’s car did not have a working transponder. They instructed Elite Motorsport to rectify the issue before its next session.
McDaniel, Hallman, Del Grosso, Byrne, Grant, Miall, Leverton, Bocquet, Davies and Green finished the amended classification without a valid lap.
Amended Qualifying classification
- #42 Luke Hilton — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: 1m29.954s
- #11 Franciszek Cegielski (R) — Fortec Motorsports: 1m30.126s
- #28 Dayton Coulthard — Douglas Motorsport: 1m30.213s
- #6 Demitri Nolan — Hillspeed: 1m30.353s
- #88 Jordyn Martin (R) — Fortec Motorsports: 1m30.586s
- #76 Joshua McLean — Pace Performance: 1m30.716s
- #24 Michael Koh (R) — Arden Motorsport: 1m30.817s
- #95 Solenn Amrouche — Arden Motorsport: 1m30.910s
- #36 Enzo Rujugiro (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m31.414s
- #33 Jasser Iskander (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m31.426s
- #3 Alex O’Grady — KMR Sport: 1m34.924s
- #77 Matan Achituv — Elite Motorsport: 1m34.947s
- #48 Archie Bullard (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m35.612s
- #17 John O’Donnell — Pace Performance: 1m36.340s
- #8 Thomas Ingram Hill — Fortec Motorsports: 1m39.831s
- #99 Connor Willis — Hillspeed: 1m40.844s
- #35 Caitlyn McDaniel — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: No valid time
- #7 Enzo Hallman — Hillspeed: No valid time
- #5 Emilio Valentino Del Grosso — Elite Motorsport: No valid time
- #18 Torrin Byrne — Pace Performance: No valid time
- #54 Conor Grant (R) — Douglas Motorsport: No valid time
- #23 Holly Miall — KMR Sport: No valid time
- #4 Jamie Leverton (R) — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: No valid time
- #9 Romuald Bocquet — Scorpio Racing: No valid time
- #87 Archie Davies — Scorpio Racing: No valid time
- #51 Fred Green — Elite Motorsport: No valid time
The official Qualifying classification remained provisional pending the conclusion of any judicial and technical matters.
Revised Race 1 starting order
The separately issued Race 1 grid differs slightly from the amended Qualifying classification. Most notably, Koh appears 12th rather than seventh, although the Qualifying document does not explain the reason for that change.
- Luke Hilton — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: 1m29.954s
- Franciszek Cegielski (R) — Fortec Motorsports: 1m30.126s
- Dayton Coulthard — Douglas Motorsport: 1m30.213s
- Demitri Nolan — Hillspeed: 1m30.353s
- Jordyn Martin (R) — Fortec Motorsports: 1m30.586s
- Joshua McLean — Pace Performance: 1m30.716s
- Solenn Amrouche — Arden Motorsport: 1m30.910s
- Enzo Rujugiro (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m31.414s
- Jasser Iskander (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m31.426s
- Alex O’Grady — KMR Sport: 1m34.924s
- Matan Achituv — Elite Motorsport: 1m34.947s
- Michael Koh (R) — Arden Motorsport: 1m30.817s
- Archie Bullard (R) — Fox Motorsport: 1m35.612s
- John O’Donnell — Pace Performance: 1m36.340s
- Thomas Ingram Hill — Fortec Motorsports: 1m39.831s
- Connor Willis — Hillspeed: 1m40.844s
- Fred Green — Elite Motorsport: No valid time
- Enzo Hallman — Hillspeed: No valid time
- Torrin Byrne — Pace Performance: No valid time
- Archie Davies — Scorpio Motorsport: No valid time
- Conor Grant (R) — Douglas Motorsport: No valid time
- Romuald Bocquet — Scorpio Motorsport: No valid time
- Caitlyn McDaniel — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: No valid time
- Emilio Valentino Del Grosso — Elite Motorsport: No valid time
- Jamie Leverton (R) — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing: No valid time
- Holly Miall — KMR Sport: No valid time
The penalties have completely changed the complexion of Race 1. Hilton and Cegielski now start from an unexpected front row, while O’Grady, Ingram Hill, Green and Hallman must fight through the field after initially occupying four of the leading positions.
Officials will publish the revised Race 2 grid separately, with Nolan expected to inherit pole based on the surviving second-fastest lap times.
