GB4: Ava Dobson impresses with Top-10 finish in Donington season opener
- VIVIEN STREBELOW
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
The new GB4 season kicked off at Donington Park with five female drivers on the grid. Ava Dobson impressed in the opening round, securing a Top 10 finish in Race 2. While Megan Bruce endured an unlucky weekend and couldn't maximise her pace, Holly Miall, Lily-May Watkins, and Caitlyn McDaniel made the most of their first debuts in the series, gaining valuable experience and adding their first points to the board.
The 2025 GB4 Championship is back — and with its largest grid to date. As the series continues to grow, it also stands out as one of the most inclusive in junior single-seaters, featuring five full-season female drivers.
Ava Dobson returns after a partial 2024 campaign, as does Megan Bruce for her sophomore full-time season. Newcomers to the series include Holly Miall, graduating from Ginetta Juniors, and Caitlyn McDaniel and Lily-May Watkins, both stepping up from karting for their first seasons in single-seaters.
Pre-season testing showed clear progress from Dobson and Bruce, both emerging as likely contenders for top-ten finishes. At the season opener at Donington Park, Dobson led the female drivers, running solidly and indeed contending for the top ten which she would secure with a standout P10 in Race 2.
While Megan Bruce endured an unfortunate weekend, the British driver showed promising pace and determination in the midfield, even if results didn’t reflect her potential.
Holly Miall made a solid debut with Fox Motorsport, capitalizing on one of her favourite tracks to steadily build pace throughout the event. She finished as the top female in Race 3 and showed consistency across the weekend.
Single-seater rookies Caitlyn McDaniel and Lily-May Watkins also impressed with their learning curve, making visible progress across the event and each bringing home a top-20 result from the season opener by keeping it clean and avoiding the chaos that unfolded around them.
Race 1 saw Isaac Phelps (Elite Motorsport) convert pole into a lights-to-flag victory after a clean getaway into Turn 1. Stefan Bostandjiev (Pace Performance) launched from sixth on the grid and immediately challenged Jack Taylor (Fortec Motorsport) for second. While chaos unfolded behind, Phelps ran a flawless race and took the win, with Daniel Guinchard (Hillspeed) and Alex Kattoulas (Elite Motorsport) completing the podium.
Race 2 was a showcase for Elite Motorsport, which locked out the podium with its trio of yellow-liveried cars. Ary Bansal made a decisive move at the start from third on the grid, passing both Phelps and Taylor to take the lead, which he held to the chequered flag for his maiden GB4 victory. Phelps and Kattoulas followed in second and third.
Race 3 featured a reversed grid for the top 12 qualifiers, placing Alex Berg (Graham Brunton Racing) on pole. Berg immediately pulled away once the race went green and led comfortably throughout, claiming his first win in GB4. Enzo Hallmann (Douglas Motorsport) and Bostandjiev rounded out the podium.
Ava Dobson
Starting from 14th on the grid in Race 1, Dobson delivered a solid performance in her first outing of the season. She ran close to the top ten throughout and finished 12th, claiming the top female driver spot in the opening race.
In Race 2, Dobson continued her upward trajectory. She pushed hard and battled inside the midfield for the full race, ultimately breaking into the top ten and finishing 10th — once again as the best-placed female driver.
"P10 in Race 2! It felt incredible to break into top 10 in GB4, and we're only going up from here."
Race 3 unfortunately brought a setback. After making contact in the opening laps, Dobson was forced to pit and dropped to 25th, ending an otherwise strong weekend on a sour note.
"We take these tough situations and come back stronger", she concluded.
Dobson currently sits 15th in the overall standings with a solid points haul, and has shown strong potential to fight for the top ten — and potentially aim for the extra prize money linked to the F1 Academy support scholarship in 2026.
HOLLY MIALL
Holly Miall began her single-seater journey in the GB4 Championship after two solid years in the Ginetta Junior Championship with Fox Motorsport. The young British driver stepped up to formula racing with confidence and delivered a consistent and composed debut at Donington Park — a circuit she knows well and where she has previously enjoyed success.
In the opening two races of the weekend, Miall brought the car home safely in 19th and 21st place, gaining valuable experience in a highly competitive field. Her progress continued in Race 3, where she showed strong racecraft and determination, making up ground through the field to finish P17. That result earned her the best female finisher in the final race of the weekend — a rewarding conclusion to her first round in GB4.
"Donigton Park is my favorite track on the circuit and it did not disappoint this weekend: lots of sunshine, good consistency and some important lessons learned."
Lily-May Watkins
Graduating from karting, Watkins is arguably one of the least experienced drivers on the grid — but she approached her debut weekend with maturity and focus. After completing winter testing in last year’s GB4 car, she continued her learning curve at Donington Park.
"Looking back at testing, it was full of positives", she commented. "Getting the laps in and learning the car, and in most cases also the tracks. And I can’t wait to make even more improvements over the weekend."
Across the weekend, Watkins brought home finishes of P20, P22, and P21 — making steady gains while avoiding errors.
"Being my first season in a car I’ve been learning every time I drive, and this weekend was no different. However, I’m glad about the improvements and progress I have made, despite injuries and challenges, and I can’t wait to show my true pace and further improvements at the next round."
Caitlyn McDaniel
Incredibly, McDaniel’s GB4 debut came with less than 24 hours’ notice. The American was a last-minute addition to the Donington grid after confirming her entry just a day before the first race.
"I wasn’t even planning on racing in the championship three weeks ago and definitely wasn’t going to be competing this weekend until this morning", the young American driver said. "So, thank you so much to all my sponsors (and my family) for making this possible. I honestly don’t have enough words to state how excited I am to start racing and keep progressing!"
Despite the late entry, McDaniel had completed some pre-season testing, which helped ease her transition into the race weekend. Despite some challenges in qualifying, McDaniel showed encouraging progress with every session, closing the gap to the midfield and gaining confidence in wheel-to-wheel battles.
Over the three races, Caitlyn steadily improved, finishing P22, P20, and P20 — demonstrating also smart driving in the face of a steep learning curve. She kept the car clean throughout the weekend, and gained four spots in the final race.
"I know I can be higher up and closer to the mix! It’s all about learning right now and I know I'll be up there on merit soon."
MEGAN BRUCE
Megan Bruce started the weekend at Donington Park on a promising note, showing solid pace in the practice sessions. However, she struggled to put together a clean lap in qualifying and ultimately lined up P17 and P15 for the first two races — a result that didn’t fully reflect her potential.
In Race 1, Bruce got off to a strong start and was running competitively in the midfield, closely following fellow female racer Ava Dobson through the opening laps. Unfortunately, contact with another car just a few laps in forced her to pit for a new front wing. With little time left to recover, she finished in P25 in what was a frustrating start to her campaign.
"Tough start to the weekend, pace has improved but with a second covering the top 19 I qualified P17 and P15 and left too much time on the table. Race 1 I had a decent start moving up a few positions, unfortunately contact damaged the car early on", Bruce reflected.
Race 2 continued to be a challenge, as Megan struggled to find clean air and finished P17 despite consistent pace. She approached Race 3 with determination and made a strong launch off the line, gaining positions in the early stages. But her momentum was halted once again after being hit from behind, which caused a puncture and forced another unscheduled pit stop. She crossed the line in P22.
"Really frustrating, ultimately it’s not where we should have been and a better qualifying from myself would’ve put me in better chances for the races. Lessons learnt and move on to the next."
Despite a difficult opening weekend, Bruce showed glimpses of strong racecraft and remains determined to bounce back stronger at the next round, knowing her pace is there when things come together.
The next round of the GB4 Championship will take place at Silverstone on the Grand Prix layout from 26–27 April, offering another opportunity for the five female drivers to shine and continue their development in this competitive environment.
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