The former Mercedes junior seeking to revive his career in GB4

There is a fascinating mix of drivers on GB4’s record-breaking grid this year. The introduction of a new car (a modified version of the old GB3 machine) has helped generate a buzz about MotorSport Vision’s second-tier junior single-seater championship and an impressive line-up of 24 drivers is due to assemble at Donington Park for this weekend’s opener.

But, while the car racing debuts for the sons of David Coulthard and Jan Magnussen have generated headlines over the winter, one of the most intriguing names on the entry list has to be a former Mercedes junior who has not raced a car for 20 months and has been given an unexpected second chance.

To put it frankly, Daniel Guinchard was not anticipating racing in single-seaters this season. “This year I started my own coaching business and that was going to be my focus for the year and then everything turned upside down,” explains the 18-year-old. He received a phone call just before Christmas from Richard Ollerenshaw, boss of the Hillspeed squad Guinchard had previously tested for, saying there was an opening in his GB4 line-up. Guinchard did not need asking twice: he had been handed a lifeline to revive a car racing career that had never quite hit the heights.

Great things were expected of Guinchard when he arrived in British Formula 4 in 2022. He had accomplished the unprecedented feat of winning two different British junior karting titles the previous year, an achievement that resulted in him being signed to the Silver Arrows’ books. But it proved to be a “tricky” campaign with Argenti Motorsport as he finished ninth in the table with a solitary win at Croft being the highlight.

“There was a new F4 car and different teams were getting it right and others weren’t – I was in the right place at the wrong time,” reflects Guinchard, who says mastering the new Pirelli rubber in qualifying proved a particular challenge.

He then endured a tumultuous winter, during which he lost the Mercedes backing, and he eventually ended up at Chris Dittmann Racing for the following season. Ultimately, high hopes were dashed again amid some mixed results and the budget ran out mid-year.

Guinchard’s transition into F4 didn’t go smoothly in 2022, but a lifeline in 2025 could see his racing career kickstarted

Photo by: JEP

“But that’s sport and you have to go again,” Guinchard continues. “It’s definitely not been a straightforward few years. But I learned a lot – it made me a lot stronger as a person and I think that’s definitely going to help this year.”

Guinchard says he is now “hungrier than ever” to make the most of the Hillspeed opportunity. He spent last year racing karts in Germany – having previously competed extensively in the country in 2020 – to keep sharp and is aiming to be quick from the start in GB4.

Despite not having driven a car for over a year, he was instantly on the pace during the media day test (although these times should not be too heavily examined) when up against rivals that had spent the winter pounding the circuits. And he is relishing driving the new GB4 challenger. “It’s nice to turn up and be quite fast already,” says Guinchard. “The car is amazing to drive – it’s a proper drivers’ car and you can really hustle it. It felt so natural as soon as I got in.

Gone are the days of GB4 barely mustering fields into double figures – instead the category appears revitalised this year with a host of new teams joining the fray

“A year out is a long time, especially when you’re young. To have people spending a whole budget on testing [when] I don’t have that luxury… it was nice to hit the ground running.”

Guinchard acknowledges that securing budget is still a problem but he nevertheless is confident of mounting a GB4 title bid this year. However, as already alluded to, he will be up against no shortage of drivers. Gone are the days of GB4 barely mustering fields into double figures – the category appears revitalised this year with a host of new teams joining the fray.

Guinchard will be up against tough opposition in GB4 this year

Photo by: JEP

Another to impress during testing has been Douglas Motorsport’s Luke Hilton – a driver Guinchard knows well as the pair were previously team-mates in karting. Hilton has also had an unconventional path into the series having been Fiesta Junior runner-up in 2023. He raced Radicals last year and is only now heading down the single-seater route.

Elite Motorsport trio Isaac Phelps – a Ginetta Junior frontrunner last season – Alex Kattoulas and Ary Bansal have also looked promising, while Leon Wilson (Arden) is among the sophomore drivers to watch.

As for Guinchard, he is just excited to be a part of the championship at all. “It was a massive surprise when it all came together,” he admits. “It was a nice Christmas present.” But the greatest gift of all for Guinchard will be for him to finally deliver on the potential he showed in karting all those years ago.

Can Guinchard deliver on his new GB4 chance?

Photo by: JEP