Qualifying Format:

Team One

Who was invovled?

With a maximum 16 grid spots available, Team One was almost a full grid as 15 drivers - 10 Development Squad players alongside coaches Wayne Burnett and Nigel Gibbs as well as support staff - went wheel-to-wheel.

What went down...

Drivers had a 15-minute session of practice and qualifying to get to grips with their karts and the track layout in order to set a best lap time that would determine the starting grid for the race.

In a battle of wits and bravery, full-back Max Robson was always on the limit, recovering from an early spin at Turn 1 on his first flying lap, to set the timing screens alight to claim pole position. Just eight-hundredths of a second behind was Dante Cassanova in P2 with Jude Soonsup-Bell completing the top three.

Meanwhile, an intriguing mid-field battle was also shaping up as four positions, from Under-21 physiotherapist Abdel Benkacem in P4 down to Nile John in P7, were separated by only eight-tenths of a second.

Race Format:

• Grid start for race with F1 starting lights.
• Race Time: 15 minutes.
• Lap Record: 0:45.734 Max Robson (2024).

Team One

After Max Robson clinched pole on the Super Circuit during the qualifying session, the attentions of the paddock turned to the race.

As the karts assembled on the grid, there was a moment of pure drama even before the lights were out when Robson false started on the first light, with the incident missed by Race Control.

When the lights went out and the race was under way, the top two retained their positions into Turn 1 while Abdel Benkacem leapfrogged Jude Soonsup-Bell into P3.

Further back, Wayne Burnett failed to get his car away in P6 and had dropped to the back of the grid by Turn 1, needing to show all of his experience and ability in order to garner something from the race with it all to do.

By the halfway stage, Robson - who had led every lap up until this point - was suddenly caught napping by a hungry Soonsup-Bell who had worked his way from P4 to sweep past the race leader with relative ease to move into first. The ensuing laps saw a battle of the ages between the pair as they jostled for position with Robson eventually capitalising on a spin from the attacker to reclaim P1.

Down the pack there was action aplenty as Burnett produced a near-flawless drive, showcasing an array of slick overtakes, to climb from last place to P9.

Moments later, however, came the incident that would shake up the whole race bar Robson down the road in P1, with winners and losers emerging from a multi-car pile-up as the race entered its final stage. As the race leaders caught up with the back of the pack, a spin from one of the back markers under blue flag conditions caused chaos with multiple drivers caught up in the melee.

Cassanova, who had endured an intense battle for P2 throughout, suddenly dropped to P6 and Soonsup-Bell suffered a similar fate to fall outside the podium places. On the other hand, sixth-placed Nile John arrived on the scene at the opportune time to squeeze around the outside into P2 and Jamie Donley, having a quiet race in P5 up until this point, seized the moment to jump to P3.

Back at the front, Robson’s lead had grown, while John fended off the closely-bunched trio of Donley, Soonsup-Bell and Cassanova behind. As Under-21s coach Burnett navigated his way through the mid-field to reclaim a respectable P6, up ahead Soonsup-Bell was caught out going slow down the main straight as Cassanova gave his team-mate a wave as he passed him into P4.

At the front, Robson took the chequered flag to claim an impressive victory; however, there was still time for one final twist in the battle for the remaining podium places. John, with only two corners to navigate to claim P2, was accidentally impeded by 13th-placed Yago Santiago, who lost control at the penultimate corner, which allowed Donley, Cassanova and Soonsup-Bell to capitalise and swoop past at the final turn. Donley, from nowhere, claimed P2 and Cassanova completed the podium, while John had to settle for P5.

And breathe...

Do you like what you saw and want to test your driving skills at the world’s first official F1® karting experience? Book your place on the grid at F1® DRIVE - London today!