Aiden’s formidable achievement came following a strong rookie campaign last year, which saw the 15-year-old British driver make the graduation from karting to contest a partial campaign in the 2021 British F4 season. Earning himself a collection of rookie podiums and three overall podium finishes, he was further awarded the Joe Tandy Memorial Trophy as recognition for his achievements throughout the year. 

Taking to the track at Thruxton this weekend, as always Aiden had his sights set on making the most of every opportunity that came his way. With no benefit of testing at the high-speed circuit set in the Kent countryside, qualifying was the first showing of pace when the pack filed out onto the track on Saturday morning. Aiden showed supreme pace throughout the session, despite getting caught out by some red flag periods and some last lap improvements, he claimed P5 starting position which provided good base to fight from in the races. 

Following fierce battles in Race 1, Aiden’s shining moment came when the grid formed for Race 2 on Sunday afternoon. Firing from the fourth row of the reverse grid, Aiden knew he had the skills and strong pace to make moves when racing got underway. 

Initially struggling with the start, the Phinsys by Argenti racer fell back to 8th place but immediately put his head down and forged his way back through to be running in 5th place by Lap 3. With strong pace he further managed to pick off Loake, then Dimitrov for 3rd in successive laps. Spotting his opportunity, he followed teammate Guinchard through past the leading car to claim 2nd place on the road as the race reached the closing stages. 

From there, using his raw racing talent and with full confidence in his machinery, he judged his move perfectly to power his way up into the lead of the race. Holding off any challenge to the flag, Aiden Neate crossed the line to score his maiden victory in the championship and fastest lap honours. 

“Obviously it feels amazing to get my first win in single-seaters. Going into the race we knew our pace was strong. I had a bit of a poor start and dropped back to 8th, but from there I knew if I kept my head we could pick up places one-by-one. It’s difficult to overtake at Thruxton so I had to line them up just right and it paid off!” – Aiden Neate

Further scoring 4th place in the final race of the weekend, Aiden added a strong points haul to his championship campaign.

Speaking of Aiden’s achievement, Gary Catt, Director of Infinity Sports Management added:

“It's great for Aiden to get his first F4 win. It's been a long time coming as he’s been at the front fighting for wins ever since he first made the move into British F4 in the middle of last year. The season is still in its early stages, so we will be aiming for more wins throughout the season and our aim is still to be fighting for the championship this year.

With Aiden taking a win in the British F4 2022 season, it also means we have secured a win with an Infinity driver every year since the series began in 2014. A record that we are extremely proud of.”

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