Thomas Ingram Hill and Fred Green emerged as the leading drivers from 2026 GB4 Qualifying at Silverstone, with both contenders securing pole positions for the weekend’s main races.
Ingram Hill produced the fastest lap of the weekend to claim his maiden championship pole for Race 1, beating Green by 0.379s. However, Green delivered two closely matched efforts and earned Race 2 pole through the quickest second-fastest lap.
Both drivers entered Silverstone aiming to recover from challenging Donington Park weekends. Their Qualifying performances placed them in strong positions to rebuild momentum and collect valuable championship points.
Ingram Hill celebrates overdue maiden pole
Ingram Hill controlled the closing stages of Qualifying after trading fastest laps with Green during the middle of the session. The Fortec Motorsports driver eventually recorded a 2m01.166s, establishing a clear advantage before Jamie Leverton’s spin at Copse triggered the session-ending red flag.
The result gave Ingram Hill his first GB4 pole after several earlier opportunities had slipped away. Although he welcomed the breakthrough, he also believed his pace should have delivered the milestone sooner.
“It’s a really good feeling. Sad it took this long; it should’ve been earlier this year, but it’s still a good one.”
Ingram Hill will now start Race 1 alongside Green, with Luke Hilton and championship leader Alex O’Grady occupying the second row.
Track-limits preparation creates decisive advantage
Track limits played a major role during the previous GB4 round at Donington, where officials deleted the lap times of several drivers. Ingram Hill and Fortec therefore placed particular emphasis on avoiding similar problems at Silverstone.
That preparation allowed him to attack the session with a clear understanding of the circuit’s limits. Meanwhile, other drivers needed to adjust their approach during Qualifying, which helped Ingram Hill establish his commanding margin.
“It all stemmed from practice. We had a bit of a mess at Donington with the track limits but, since the get-go, it’s been track limits and getting to it. It worked really well and perhaps everyone else was being a bit silly with it and we were able to just keep doing what we were doing. That’s why [the gap] was a bit bigger because people had to adapt and we already were where we were. Obviously, that’s only two corners on the lap really, so the rest of it we were just really strong. I learnt a lot from last year, this was one of my stronger rounds, so I was just making it right from what happened last year. I messed up with the track limits last year so this year I had to learn from it.”
Ingram Hill also drew on his experience from the 2025 Silverstone event. By analysing his previous mistakes, he arrived at the circuit with a more refined plan and converted that preparation into his strongest Qualifying result.
Simulator work supports Silverstone breakthrough
Ingram Hill dedicated significant time to simulator work and onboard analysis before the weekend. Fortec supplied footage from previous laps, allowing him to examine his driving and identify areas where he could improve.
The Briton also created detailed notes and tested several approaches as he prepared to respond to his Donington retirement and reduced points haul.
“I’ve just been on the sim a lot and watching my laps. I was very fortunate that Fortec could send me the onboards, so I was able to watch it and that was the difference.
He continued, “I was able to have a plan of what I was doing. I wrote a lot of notes, tried a lot of things for this weekend because this is an important weekend for us, having to bounce back from a DNF and some bad points from Donington.”
However, Ingram Hill refused to look beyond the immediate task despite starting the weekend with a dominant pole position.
“I don’t want to jinx it but we’ve got to take it step by step.”
He will first attempt to convert pole into his maiden GB4 victory before turning his attention to the remaining Silverstone contests.
Green’s consistency secures fourth pole
Green could not match Ingram Hill’s outright speed, but the Elite Motorsport driver produced two laps separated by only 0.009s. His second-best time of 2m01.554s placed him 0.142s ahead of Ingram Hill in the Race 2 classification.
As a result, Green secured his fourth pole position of the season and strengthened his chances of recovering the championship lead that he lost at Donington.
“Not too bad at all, I’m very pleased with that result. I’m satisfied with the job I did and we managed to get the car in a good window so I’m very happy and it feels good.”
Green credited Elite with providing a predictable car that allowed him to repeat his performance across multiple laps. Although he recognised Ingram Hill’s superior outright pace, he took satisfaction from the consistency that earned him Sunday’s pole.
“The out-and-out pace wasn’t actually too strong. Tom [Ingram Hill] was very fast so that will be interesting for the race to see how that pans out. Obviously, I had a very good car underneath me which allowed me to replicate my lap a few times and hence why we are on pole for race two, so I’m chuffed with that.”
Green will start both main races from the front row, giving him two opportunities to score heavily while championship leader O’Grady lines up fourth in each contest.
Previous success strengthens Green’s confidence
Green dominated GB4’s opening visit to Silverstone earlier in the season, claiming two poles, two victories and the fastest lap in both main races. However, changing conditions prevented Elite from simply applying the same approach during the championship’s return.
The team instead used its available data while adapting to the warmer time of year and different track characteristics.
“We’ve taken as much data as we could into it, but the conditions have changed and it’s a different time of the year so there’s always some variables with that. Starting from pole earlier in the season definitely gives me some confidence that I can convert that into a race win again.”
Green’s earlier success gives him a proven reference for starting from pole and controlling races at the British Grand Prix venue. Nevertheless, he expects the evolving circuit to create a different challenge this weekend.
Dust and wind complicate Silverstone conditions
Despite the August date, Green found the circuit slower than he expected. Dust left by other categories reduced grip, while changing wind direction affected the downforce-dependent GB4 cars around Silverstone’s high-speed layout.
Those variables changed the car’s behaviour from lap to lap and required drivers to adjust continuously during Qualifying.
“It’s typically warmer in August but actually the track is a lot slower at the minute as it is quite dusty from some of the GT cars putting a bit of dust on the track, so that’s something that we have to think about that changes lap by lap, which makes it a bit tough. Then, also the wind conditions is probably the biggest thing. The cars are very reliant on downforce so which way the wind is blowing can have a big effect.”
Green and Elite will now use the data from Qualifying to prepare for the longer race runs, where tyre management, changing grip and aerodynamic balance could influence the fight at the front.
Championship position shapes Green’s approach
Green enters the weekend 11 points behind O’Grady after incidents disrupted his Donington campaign. However, he starts both main races ahead of the KMR Sport driver and therefore holds an opportunity to reduce that deficit.
Although Green intends to challenge Ingram Hill when a realistic opportunity arises, he plans to prioritise the strongest possible result rather than take unnecessary risks.
“The goal isn’t to go and win, it’s just to get the best result possible and hopefully I do a good job. My rivals are a bit further back so I’m not in a huge rush to give Tom a run for his money, but if it is on the table then you can be sure I’ll have a go.”
Green also hopes his Silverstone performance will mark the beginning of a quick response to the misfortune he encountered at Donington.
“A very tricky and frustrating Donington for reasons out of my control, so we lost the championship lead there but hopefully it won’t be long until we are back on top.”
With Ingram Hill pursuing his first victory and Green seeking to reclaim the championship lead, the two polesitters enter the Silverstone races with different objectives but equally strong opportunities.
