Brit, 18, has already beaten Fernando Alonso, bettered Lando Norris and dominated like Max Verstappen

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Mirror Sport speaks to the younger teenager who smashed data in British F4 this season and already has expertise of getting the higher of Method 1 superstars

For many who watched Max Verstappen dominate Method 1 in 2023, this yr’s British F4 season would have felt very acquainted.

Besides it wasn’t a Dutchman doing the dazzling – it was an adolescent from Crawley who is aware of nothing about crawling round a race monitor. Deagen Fairclough would not have the monetary backing that lots of his collection rivals have, but he turned champion this yr in record-breaking vogue.

Fifteen pole positions, 14 race wins and a 222.5-point hole over nearest challenger Alex Ninovic noticed the 18-year-old win the title in fashion. There have been nonetheless 5 races to go within the season when Fairclough made positive of that success.

And, like Verstappen, not solely does he carry out on actual circuits, however the younger Brit additionally hones his expertise via sim racing. He even as soon as obtained the higher of Fernando Alonso in a digital race, when he might barely even name himself an adolescent.

Fairclough advised Mirror Sport: “That was once I was 13 or 14 years previous, so it was a bit of comfortable second for me. I ran downstairs and shouted to my mum, ‘Oh my God, I beat him!’ I get to race such quick drivers now on the sim.

“There’s quite a lot of quick drivers and whenever you put your self round sooner drivers, you are likely to get faster since you’re pushing additional arduous to beat them or to be the identical velocity as them.”

That apply paid off as Fairclough blew away the competitors in British F4, having gained his seat via a ROKiT Racing Stars sim racing competitors. He took to racing single seaters in actual life like a duck to water, scoring six wins and 166.5 factors greater than Lando Norris did when he took the British F4 title in 2015.

He stated: “I obtained to carry that trophy and seeing Lando’s title on it was fairly good. There are such a lot of individuals who have come via F4 and have made it to F1. Clearly, they’ve had that monetary backing to get there and we’re a bit of bit on the again foot.”

No kidding. Motorsport is extremely costly and Fairclough’s dad and mom haven’t got the money to fund his stand up the motorsport ladder themselves. “With out ROKiT, I would not be in British F4,” he admits. “They’ve helped me out massively and it is gone so nicely. It is form of a option to pay them again with this championship yr we have had in British F4.

“We have generally known as a household for a few years now that we have been in motorsport that, with out the monetary backing, it is close to sufficient unattainable. To have that monetary backing by way of ROKiT, I am simply ever so grateful. The sim competitors they arrange in 2022 has actually modified my life and it felt like I gained the lottery.”

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Fairclough’s exploits this yr have earned him a spot within the closing 4 racers within the working for the coveted Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award. He is up towards stiff competitors, together with Pink Bull junior Arvid Lindblad who will race in F2 subsequent yr and the earlier British F4 champion Louis Sharp, who went on to win GB3 this season – the class Fairclough will step as much as in 2025.

However, if he wins, not solely will he land a maiden F1 check, however he’ll additionally get a £200,000 prize which might go a great distance in direction of funding the following levels of his profession.

Naturally, F1 is his end-game. “Oh my God, it might be a dream come true,” he smiled. “Significantly, I dream about it, I give it some thought – racing is in my head 24/7. We’re all as one within the household and we all know the difficulties of getting there. However with the best perspective and the best mindset and the best arduous work, I positively assume we might get there.”