Max Shines in wet GB4 Test

Last week saw Max being invited to test a GB4 car for the first time, courtesy of Arden Motorsport, Idola Motorsport and the YRDA (Young Racing Driver Academy). The test took place at the picturesque Anglesey Circuit in North Wales.

Testing the 2024 car for Christian Horner’s family team was a dream come true for Max, who despite the rain and 40mph winds, didn’t seem phased. After a late evening seat fitting on Wednesday, the car fitted like a glove for the 13yr racer.

The weather for the first session in the morning was horrendous, with driving rain coming in off the Irish Sea. Max left the pits and looked comfortable in the car straight away and he had soon found the limit and looked to be enjoying himself. His car control, feel and confidence in the car they had given him certainly impressed the team.

With drivers like Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz in the teams alumni, they are well positioned to be able to spot talent when it comes to racing and that was certainly the case with Max in his first session. Head coach Steve Hutchinson said of Max’s performance that “it is the best first session that they have ever seen, from any driver”. Team owner Gary Horner hailed Max’s session as “very very impressive”.

Despite such a positive first session, there is a lot to learn and adjust to in a GB4 car, with Max never having driven a car with downforce before. The team worked with Max throughout the day, setting him targets to hit on different areas of his driving, be it brake pedal pressure or the way to get the most out of the lines he was using.

As the day progressed the track dried enough to allow for a set of slicks to be bolted to the car. Max did a great job of bringing the tyres up to temperature and was soon gaining speed with every lap, learning all the time.

As the day came to a close, the team were suitably impressed with the young drivers performance, feedback and attitude and have kindly invited him back to HQ to carry on the learning process and evaluation in the simulator.

A massive thank you to everyone involved in giving Max this opportunity, Idola Motorsport, Arden Motorsport, YRDA and especially his race engineer for the day Louis, who worked tirelessly to get Max fitted in the car and kept it running throughout the day.