Martin Molnár secured his third pole position of the year in the British F4 Championship after topping qualifying at Silverstone ahead of the penultimate round. Despite showing strong pace throughout the event, a combination of a previous grid penalty, unfortunate incident, and a poor race start meant he left the iconic circuit without a podium finish.
The Virtuosi Racing driver was on form in the build-up to the race weekend, topping three out of four practice sessions across Thursday and Friday. He carried that momentum into qualifying and clinched pole for Race 3, setting himself up for a potential third victory this season.
In the classification used to determine the Race 1 grid, Martin was third fastest, but a five-place grid penalty carried over from Donington Park meant he started P8. He was classified P9 at the flag.
Race 2, held on Sunday, presented a real opportunity to close the gap to championship leader Fionn McLaughlin, who retired due to a collision. Starting from P12, Molnár charged through the field and was attacking for P7 when disaster struck at Luffield. A rival’s front wing detached and flew under Molnár’s car from over a car length away, causing his car to understeer off into the run-off. After rejoining the track and pitting for a new front wing, he salvaged one point by setting the fastest lap of the race.
In the final race of the weekend, Molnár started from pole but wheelspin off the line allowed both McLaughlin and James Piszcyk to pass before Turn 1. In Luffield, an aggressive move from Tommy Harfield forced Martin off track, also costing him a position to Ary Bansal. What followed was one of the most thrilling battles of the season: Molnár and Bansal went side-by-side for nearly a lap and a half. Following a safety car restart, Martin pulled off a sensational move around the outside at Copse, only for Bansal to retake the place a lap later in the same corner. After another safety car, Martin settled for P5.
As a result, Martin drops to third in the championship standings, tied on points with James Piszcyk in second. McLaughlin extended his lead to 61.5 points heading into the final round at Brands Hatch.
“The only positives from this weekend were the pole position and the consistent pace we had across all four days, including testing,” said Martin. “Race 1 was fairly uneventful. Starting P8, I couldn’t realistically aim for a top result. Race 2 was going really well until I got hit by that flying front wing—one of those once-in-a-thousand moments. At that point, I just focused on securing the fastest lap and taking the extra point.”
“In Race 3, things went wrong from the very start. I had too much wheelspin, and we’ll have to analyze whether that was down to throttle input or clutch release—but that doesn’t change the result. After that, the race was all about fighting for P4. I enjoyed the wheel-to-wheel battle, but obviously I’d hoped to be higher up. Now we need to reset and finish the season strong at Brands Hatch.”
Motorsport Talent Management (MOTAM) sporting director Tamás Pál Kiss acknowledged Martin’s improvements but emphasized the importance of converting opportunities into results.
“Four rounds ago at Zandvoort, Martin hit a slump, and we’ve been working hard together to climb back out. We’re making progress, but this weekend showed we’re not quite there yet,” said Pál Kiss. “Martin’s pace has never been in question, and his pole position proves it once again.”
“Race 1 was compromised by the grid penalty from Donington. Race 2 brought the kind of bad luck I’ve never seen before—if we replayed that scenario a thousand times, I doubt that front wing would fly under his car like that again. It’s racing, and that’s part of it.”
“But what happened in Race 3 is something we can address. Martin is usually a strong starter, and I had written off the previous poor starts as circumstantial. But failing to get away cleanly from pole revealed an issue that needs fixing.”
“That poor start triggered a chain reaction that’s very difficult to recover from, especially at F4 level. Martin lost multiple positions in quick succession and looked like he was overdriving a bit to recover. That never really worked out.”
“That said, the battle with Ary Bansal was fantastic—hard but fair racing, and full credit to both drivers for putting on a great show. The Virtuosi Racing team also did a flawless job again, and we’re thankful for their efforts.”
“As for the championship, I’m no longer focused on the title fight. Of course, reclaiming second place would be nice, but the most important goal is for Martin to end the season on a high at Brands Hatch and prove that he not only has the pace, but can also convert it into results. His racecraft has developed immensely, but that final step still needs to be taken.”
The second and third races from the Silverstone weekend are available to rewatch on the official British F4 YouTube channel [HERE].
The final round of the 2025 British F4 Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on October 4–5.