2026 | GB4 Winter Series | Snetterton | Testing | Thursday | Proudford-Nalder dominates Thursday running

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Douglas Motorsport’s George Proudford-Nalder dominated Thursday testing at Snetterton ahead of the inaugural 2026 GB4 Winter Series, topping three of the day’s four sessions. The Australian recorded a 1:48.159 during the third session to finish 0.286s ahead of teammate Conor Grant in the combined classification.

Elite Motorsport’s John O’Donnell prevented Proudford-Nalder from completing a clean sweep by leading Session 2, ultimately finishing third overall. Meanwhile, Jesse Phillips and Chase Fernandez completed the combined top five as drivers prepared for another day of testing ahead of the four-race weekend.

Proudford-Nalder establishes early advantage in wet conditions

Proudford-Nalder immediately demonstrated his pace during the opening session, setting a 2:02.771 as drivers encountered damp conditions around the Snetterton 300 circuit.

The Douglas Motorsport driver, who finished fourth in the 2026 British F4 Championship, finished 0.612s ahead of reigning Ginetta Junior champion Lewis Goff.

Grant followed in third, just 0.128s behind Goff, giving Douglas Motorsport two cars inside the opening-session top three.

Meanwhile, Elite Motorsport’s Harrison Mackie finished fourth with a 2:04.099, ahead of teammate Phillips. O’Donnell completed the leading six, followed by Fox Motorsport’s Robert Crawford and Pace Performance’s William Rohan.

Archie Bullard and Qarrar Firhand rounded out the top ten as competitors continued adapting to the conditions.

Although the wet track limited outright lap times, Proudford-Nalder established himself as an early contender for the inaugural Winter Series title.

O’Donnell denies Proudford-Nalder a clean sweep in Session 2

Improving track conditions brought significantly faster lap times during the second session, with O’Donnell moving to the top of the classification.

The American-Korean driver recorded a 1:49.418, improving considerably on his opening-session effort to finish 0.129s ahead of Proudford-Nalder.

Phillips continued Elite Motorsport’s strong performance by securing third, another 0.096s behind the Australian. Meanwhile, Grant claimed fourth for Douglas Motorsport with a 1:49.668.

Fernandez completed the leading five on R Racing’s official GB4 debut, finishing just 0.001s behind Grant. Consequently, only 0.251s separated the top five drivers.

Mackie followed in sixth, ahead of Goff and Rohan. Meanwhile, Fortec Motorsports teammates Firhand and Max Yuill completed the top ten.

O’Donnell’s performance ensured that Proudford-Nalder would not complete a Thursday clean sweep, although the Australian remained firmly among the leading contenders.

Douglas Motorsport secures one-two in Session 3

Proudford-Nalder returned to the top during the third session as the circuit dried completely, producing the fastest lap of Thursday testing.

The Australian recorded a 1:48.159 to finish 0.286s ahead of teammate Grant, securing a Douglas Motorsport one-two in the afternoon session.

O’Donnell followed in third, setting a 1:49.002, while Phillips finished fourth with a 1:49.366. Fernandez continued his encouraging preparations by securing fifth, ahead of Mackie.

Fortec’s Ben Smith finished seventh with a 1:49.620, just 0.007s behind Mackie, despite not entering the competitive Winter Series event.

Pace Performance’s Alexander De Benedittis claimed eighth, while Jamie Leverton and Firhand completed the top ten.

The session ultimately proved decisive for the combined classification. All seven leading drivers recorded their fastest Thursday laps during the third session, establishing an order that remained unchanged throughout the afternoon.

Proudford-Nalder completes strong day in interrupted Session 4

Proudford-Nalder maintained his impressive form in the fourth session, setting the fastest lap despite a red-flag interruption.

The Douglas Motorsport driver recorded a 1:48.991 to finish 0.661s ahead of Phillips, who secured another top-three session result for Elite Motorsport.

Goff moved into third with a 1:49.707, improving his combined position to eighth overall. Meanwhile, Leverton finished fourth, just 0.244s behind Goff, after missing the opening two sessions due to illness.

O’Donnell completed the final-session top five, followed by Rohan, Mackie and Fernandez. Grant finished ninth, while Yuill rounded out the leading ten.

Although the final session produced improvements for several drivers, nobody challenged Proudford-Nalder’s earlier benchmark.

The Australian consequently ended Thursday with three session-topping performances, demonstrating competitive pace across both wet and dry conditions.

Grant leads experienced contenders behind Proudford-Nalder

Grant finished Thursday second overall, 0.286s behind his Douglas Motorsport teammate, while O’Donnell followed another 0.557s behind in third.

Phillips secured fourth for Elite Motorsport, 1.207s away from the benchmark. Fernandez followed in fifth, finishing 0.180s behind Phillips and just 0.067s ahead of Mackie.

Smith placed seventh despite not entering the weekend’s competitive races, while Goff finished eighth after recording his best time during the final session.

Leverton secured ninth overall following his shortened day, with his 1:49.951 putting him 1.792s behind Proudford-Nalder. Rohan completed the leading ten for Pace Performance.

Further down the order, De Benedittis finished 11th as the quickest driver preparing for his competitive car racing debut, ahead of Yuill and Firhand.

The field will return to Snetterton on Friday for another four testing sessions, with the opening run scheduled for 09:35 BST.