"I had some good overtakes and solid races, so it was a good way to end the season" - Nina Gademan concluded her rookie British Formula 4 season with four strong races at Brands Hatch, consistently gaining positions and making improvements after a difficult start of the weekend, highlighted by a P12 finish.
Nina Gademan completed her rookie season in British Formula 4 with four top-15 finishes at the Brands Hatch season finale, where she gained positions in almost every race and scored a 12th place as her best result of the weekend, nearly matching her season's best.
Gademan rounds out her first year in single-seaters with a strong campaign, gaining vital experience and making up positions at most rounds with good recovery drives, such as in the final reverse grid race where she climbed six positions to score points.
The Dutch racer totaled three 12th place finishes and an 11th place as her best results, with 15 top-15 finishes out of 26 races, for a total of 25 points collected over the season, despite missing the eighth round at Donington Park GP due to a clashing commitment with F1 Academy.
Nina has in fact also been a standout in the all-female championship, securing two top-ten finishes and a fourth place in her first-ever race at Zandvoort, where she participated as a Wild Card in the fourth Prema car.
Gademan's season showed consistent progress, with an extremely strong second half as she gained more confidence with both the car and the tracks.
The tenth and final round of the season was held at the iconic Brands Hatch GP circuit, a tricky and unforgiving venue with a high-speed section that offers little room for error and not many testing opportunities during the season.
Pre-event testing was therefore crucial for the drivers to quickly get up to speed. Nina steadily improved during Friday practice, finding almost 0.8 seconds between the first and second sessions, finishing 18th fastest ahead of qualifying, with some more work still to do to get closer to the top ten.
During the 20-minute qualifying session, Deagan Fairclough quickly went under the 1:30 mark, with times soon dropping. Unfortunately, a red flag with 11 minutes to go interrupted the session, and Nina had not yet set a representative time. After the session resumed, Gademan clocked a 1:36.5 but ended in 18th place after another red flag, setting up a challenging starting position for the races.
In the first race of the weekend, Fairclough had a strong start, taking the lead early on, while Seewooruthun struggled slightly to hold his position. Nina Gademan also got off to a solid start, managing to retain her position in the initial laps. She quickly found her rhythm, making a series of overtakes that allowed her to gain three positions, showing impressive racecraft.
Gademan’s speed was consistent as she set her personal best lap time of 1:26.5 on lap 8, keeping the pressure on her competitors ahead, particularly Yuhao Fu. Despite her strong pace, the race was interrupted by a safety car after an incident involving Ninovic, who went off into the gravel on lap 9. The race ultimately ended under the safety car, with Gademan crossing the finish line in P14. Her four-place gain from the start was a testament to her trademark recovery drives in the races.
The second contest held on Saturday was a make-up event for the previously cancelled race at Silverstone due to inclement weather. Gademan started in P11, putting her in a great position to potentially secure her first top-ten finish of the season.
However, as the lights went out, she lost two positions, dropping to P13 by the end of the first lap. Despite the early setback, Gademan stayed focused, maintaining a steady pace and avoiding errors on the notoriously tricky Brands Hatch circuit.
She kept close to her Fortec teammate Daryanani while also having to fend off challenges from August Raber behind. Her lap times were competitive, consistently in the 1:26.1 range, steadily matching the speed of the drivers ahead.
Further up the field, the battle for the lead was intense, with Robinson opening a slight gap over Seewooruthun and Sherwood.
Despite an uneventful race, Gademan's performance was marked by consistency, allowing her to secure a solid P13 finish.
The third race on Sunday morning featured the reverse grid, promising plenty of action. Gademan started from 18th place but quickly moved up the order with a brilliant start, gaining three positions to reach P15 by the end of the first lap, having passed several competitors, including Harrison, who fell back to P19.
As the race progressed, Gademan made a decisive move on her teammate Kai Daryanani, advancing to P13, and set her sights on the next group of cars led by Cui. The action at the front of the field was intense as well, with Sherwood making an impressive charge through the pack before a dramatic crash led to a red flag situation.
Sherwood's off-track incident at Sheene's corner caused significant damage to the barriers, resulting in the race being called off early. Despite the abrupt end, Gademan’s climb from 18th to 12th was one of her strongest performances of the season, showcasing her ability to maximize opportunities. This race awarded only 50% of the points due to its early conclusion, but Gademan’s recovery and racecraft stood out as a highlight of her weekend.
The final race of the weekend saw challenging conditions as rain began to fall just before the start. Starting from P17 on the grid, the mixed weather and changing track conditions made for a difficult race, with teams struggling to find the right tyre strategy on the grid.
Several cars went off at Turn 1, and the safety car was immediately deployed, followed by a red flag due to multiple incidents. After a delay, the race restarted from its original positions, and Gademan once again made an excellent launch off the line, gaining three positions despite the tricky conditions.
She battled hard with Raber and Campbell Pilling, navigating the wet track with caution and control. As the chaos unfolded around her, with multiple drivers sliding off, Gademan managed to avoid the incidents, positioning herself in P14.
In the closing stages, Nina’s sector times improved significantly, and she pushed to apply pressure on Campbell Pilling ahead while also keeping Chloe Chong at bay behind her. Despite the competition and lack of grip, she eventually finished in P14.
Nina Gademan ended her rookie season with four solid races at Brands Hatch, highlighting her growth and development throughout the year. She finished 19th in the drivers' standings and seventh among the rookies, with three top-5 in the rookies' class at Brands Hatch.
“We had a difficult start to the weekend but overall, it’s been quite positive", Gademan commented. "We didn’t have the pace at the beginning, and I couldn’t match my teammates, but in races two and race three we matched their lap times which was really good."
"I made up positions in every contest apart from the Silverstone race that was rescheduled. I had some good overtakes and solid races, so it was a good way to end the season", she added.
The season finale marked another step forward in her single-seater journey, laying a solid foundation as she prepares for future challenges.
"I’ve really enjoyed this year and learned a lot, and I thank the team for that", the Dutch driver concluded. "They have helped make me ready for the next steps in my career.”
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