Sebastian Alvarez took victory in the penultimate F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost race of the season at Brands Hatch, taking the championship lead to set up a one-race showdown with Carlin’s Zane Maloney for the title tomorrow.

The Mexican made a lightning start from the second row to overtake both Arden Motorsport cars on the front row, passing Alex Connor then Bart Horsten to lead on the run through Paddock Hill Bend in the wet conditions.

Though his getaway was initially judged as a false start and a 10-second time penalty awarded, this was rescinded post-race.

Alvarez therefore extended his advantage on-track to win by a margin of 3.506 seconds from Horsten, with Richardson Racing’s Luke Browning completing the podium after a first-lap pass on Connor.

Crucially, the result moves Alvarez into the championship lead ahead of Maloney by 5 points, setting up a thrilling one-race shootout at the 2.4-mile Kent circuit for the British F4 crown tomorrow afternoon.

Maloney took the chequered flag in fifth behind Connor, who was unfortunate to miss out on a first podium in the Ford EcoBoost-powered series after a thrilling dice with Browning late on.

Alvarez’s Double R Racing team mate Louis Foster bounced back from his retirement in the opener to scythe his way through the field, rounding out the top six.

The BRDC Rising Star made up six positions on the opening two tours and then finally bested JHR’s Josh Skelton at Clearways with eight minutes remaining after a great battle between the two former title contenders.

Skelton dropped back to tenth late on after an off with Tommy Foster, with Fortec’s Mariano Martinez, Skelton’s team mate Carter Williams and Arden’s Foster finished seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.

Reema Juffali (Double R) was eleventh; Abbie Munro rounds out the finishers after an off for Roberto Faria at Clearways.

The final round of the 2019 F4 British Championship season takes place at 14:50 tomorrow (BST), live on ITV4.

Result – Round 29