F1 hopeful's new team announced in the most unlikeliest of places

One F1 hopeful's new signing announcement took place amid a rather unique backdrop.

Racing drivers face a rigorous and competitive feeder series system to try and rise to the ranks of F1, with one of the first steps after karting on the British single seater calendar being the GB4 championship.

The series is aimed at drivers graduating from karting, and acts as a stepping stone up to GB3, a more competitive category with car specifications similar to Formula Regional.

GB4's 2026 season gets underway at Silverstone in April, with the series beginning to announce the drivers who will line up on this year's grid.

One announcement, however, took place in rather unique surroundings, with a full GB4 racing car being placed in the middle of the bet365 Stadium, home of Stoke City FC.

Thankfully there weren't any confused Stoke fans scratching their heads as the reveal did not take place during a match.

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Jay Leverton steps up to GB4

16-year-old Jay Leverton was confirmed as the first driver in Idola Motorsport’s lineup, and hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, had his very own launch event at Stoke City FC’s stadium.

Leverton started karting competitively in 2021, where he joined the TeamSport Indoor Karting Cadet Academy and won the British Indoor Karting Championship local finals in consecutive years.

The 16-year-old was named Total Karting Zero Junior Northern Champion in 2022, before moving to outdoor competition in 2023.

In 2023, Leverton started preparing for the switch to car racing with simulator sessions at the Young Racing Driver Academy from 2023, picking up significant GB4 mileage at Anglesey and Donington Park with Idola Motorsport.

“I am really excited to be joining Idola Motorsport for the GB4 2026 season after a great testing program," he said.

“Idola Motorsport has more than 20 years racing experience and is well known for doing an excellent job.

“I believe that with their strong reputation and my passion for racing, we can work well together and achieve some incredible results on the track. I can't wait to see what this season has in store for us!”

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