Douglas Motorsport’s Conor Grant claimed his maiden GB4 victory in the opening race of the inaugural 2026 GB4 Winter Series at Snetterton, resisting relentless pressure from teammate George Proudford-Nalder throughout the 11-lap contest. The Irishman converted his first pole position into victory by just 0.487s after a closely fought battle that continued until the final lap.
Proudford-Nalder challenged for the lead throughout but ultimately settled for second, completing a Douglas Motorsport one-two. Meanwhile, Elite Motorsport’s Jesse Phillips secured third place on his GB4 debut, finishing 3.539s behind Grant.
Grant maintains lead as Douglas Motorsport pulls clear
Grant entered the opening race after securing his maiden GB4 pole position earlier on Saturday morning, narrowly beating Proudford-Nalder by 0.020s.
The Irishman made a strong getaway, retaining the lead as the field negotiated the opening corners. However, Proudford-Nalder remained close behind, immediately applying pressure to his teammate.
The Douglas Motorsport pair quickly established an advantage over the chasing pack, opening a 1.5s gap to Phillips by the end of the opening lap.
Proudford-Nalder attempted to challenge for the lead on Lap 2, but Grant defended successfully and retained first place.
The teammates subsequently exchanged fastest laps throughout the opening five tours, demonstrating the pace that had allowed Douglas Motorsport to lock out the front row during qualifying.
Despite Proudford-Nalder’s repeated attempts to close the gap, Grant maintained his advantage as the race approached its halfway point.
Proudford-Nalder applies relentless pressure
Proudford-Nalder continued challenging his teammate throughout the middle stages, rarely allowing the gap to extend beyond half a second.
The Australian entered the race following an impressive testing programme, having topped seven of the eight sessions across Thursday and Friday. However, Grant had demonstrated his ability to match that pace when qualifying began.
The battle continued into the closing stages, with Proudford-Nalder searching for an opportunity to move ahead.
His strongest challenge came on the final lap, when he attempted to pass Grant around the outside of Agostini. The pair ran alongside each other, but Grant maintained the inside line into Hamilton and successfully defended his position.
Proudford-Nalder could not find another opportunity before the chequered flag, leaving Grant to celebrate his breakthrough victory.
The Australian finished just 0.487s behind and recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1:50.326.
Phillips secures podium on GB4 debut
Behind the leading pair, Phillips completed an impressive opening GB4 race by securing third place for Elite Motorsport.
The 15-year-old started from third after a strong qualifying performance and maintained his position throughout the contest.
Although Grant and Proudford-Nalder established a considerable advantage during the opening laps, Phillips delivered a consistent performance to secure his maiden GB4 podium.
He eventually crossed the line 3.539s behind the winner, finishing comfortably ahead of teammate John O’Donnell in fourth.
Phillips entered the Winter Series following a successful Ginetta Junior campaign, during which he secured nine podium finishes and fourth in the championship standings.
His result therefore provides an encouraging start to his GB4 career, particularly as he continues adapting to single-seater machinery.
O’Donnell holds off Goff, Mackie and Fernandez for fourth
While the Douglas Motorsport drivers battled for victory, an equally competitive contest developed further down the order.
Elite Motorsport’s O’Donnell maintained fourth position despite sustained pressure from KMR Sport’s Lewis Goff, teammate Harrison Mackie and R Racing’s Chase Fernandez.
Goff made progress from seventh on the grid to finish fifth, gaining two positions during his first GB4 race.
Meanwhile, Mackie endured a difficult opening lap, dropping from sixth to eighth. However, the Ginetta Junior graduate recovered through the field and returned to sixth.
He subsequently challenged Goff for fifth during the closing stages but could not find a way past.
Only 0.815s separated the pair at the chequered flag, while Fernandez finished another 0.232s behind in seventh.
O’Donnell ultimately secured fourth, completing a strong race for Elite Motorsport, which placed three drivers inside the top six.
Bullard gains positions as Firhand completes top ten
Fox Motorsport’s Archie Bullard made progress from tenth on the grid to secure eighth place, finishing 19.924s behind Grant.
Meanwhile, Jamie Leverton finished ninth for Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing, having dropped one position from his starting place.
Fortec Motorsport’s Qarrar Firhand completed the top ten, crossing the line just 0.210s ahead of Fox Motorsport’s Jasser Iskander.
William Rohan followed in 12th for Pace Performance, ahead of Fox Motorsport’s Robert Crawford.
Further down the order, KMR Sport’s Toby Campbell finished 14th on his car racing debut, climbing two positions from his starting place.
Pace Performance’s Alexander De Benedittis gained four positions to finish 15th, while Fortec’s Max Yuill completed the leading 16.
Solenn Amrouche, Gianna Pascoal and Archie Pearce rounded out the 19-driver classification, with all competitors completing the full 11-lap distance.
2026 GB4 Winter Series Snetterton Race 1 results — provisional
- Conor Grant — Douglas Motorsport — 11 laps
- George Proudford-Nalder — Douglas Motorsport — +0.487s
- Jesse Phillips — Elite Motorsport — +3.539s
- John O’Donnell — Elite Motorsport — +9.365s
- Lewis Goff — KMR Sport — +10.983s
- Harrison Mackie — Elite Motorsport — +11.798s
- Chase Fernandez — R Racing — +12.030s
- Archie Bullard — Fox Motorsport — +19.924s
- Jamie Leverton — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +26.361s
- Qarrar Firhand — Fortec Motorsport — +30.986s
- Jasser Iskander — Fox Motorsport — +31.196s
- William Rohan — Pace Performance — +32.242s
- Rob Crawford — Fox Motorsport — +34.636s
- Toby Campbell — KMR Sport — +52.601s
- Alexander De Benedittis — Pace Performance — +52.988s
- Max Yuill — Fortec Motorsport — +53.413s
- Solenn Amrouche — KMR Sport — +55.025s
- Gianna Pascoal — Pace Performance — +56.241s
- Archie Pearce — Nitrous Competitions ADM Racing — +1:01.308s
Official results: Race 1 classification — TSL Timing
Grant takes early championship advantage ahead of Race 2
Grant’s victory gives him an early advantage in the inaugural GB4 Winter Series standings, while Proudford-Nalder remains firmly in contention after finishing second.
Phillips also begins his campaign strongly with a podium, although the leading Douglas Motorsport pair have established themselves as the drivers to beat.
However, Proudford-Nalder will have an immediate opportunity to respond in Saturday’s second contest.
The Australian secured pole position for Race 2 after setting the fastest second-best qualifying lap, while Grant will start alongside him in second. Phillips again lines up third, ahead of Fernandez and O’Donnell.
Race 2 will begin at 15:20 local time, offering another opportunity to collect championship points before Sunday’s final qualifying session and two races determine the inaugural GB4 Winter Champion.
