Indian karter Jaden Pariat to debut in British F4

London, 22 Sept. 2023: The 15-year-old from Shillong, in Meghalaya, graduates into Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series after a karting career that included the Meco FMSCI X30 National championship, in which he became the first Indian rookie to score a podium on debut.

He finished as runner-up in the series the following year, whilst also separately contesting the MRF Challenge FLGB 1300 and JK Tyre Championship.

Having tested extensively in MRF 1600 AND F2000 cars earlier in 2022, plus some initial mileage in the Tatuus T-421, Pariat has now chosen Tewkesbury-based Chris Dittmann Racing for his ROKiT British F4 debut, starting this weekend at Silverstone (23-25 September).

“I got into motorsport two years ago, and I was mainly influenced by my dad, Atikur, who is a national champion in rallying,” explains Pariat. “We’ve been having fun with cars together since I was a kid, and my original goal was to become a rally driver because of him, but since my dad has already experienced that, I thought I should try something new.

“I started with karting and since then have become vice champion in the Meco FMSCI X30 National Karting Championship, and then moved onto a series called FLGB 1300, which is similar to Formula Ford here, where I became vice champion too after winning on my debut.

“This year I did some testing in MRF 1600 and F2000, before deciding to try something new overseas. To progress, you need to learn from people who are better than you, so that’s why I’m here. I’m learning a lot and I’ve been pretty happy with where we are now. The testing has helped prepared me a little better for British F4. There is still lots to learn, but physically, I’m not facing any difficulties.

“I definitely have big goals, so hopefully we can achieve some good results. I have high expectations for myself, but ultimately this is a learning experience and something we can use to help us build a solid basis for the future.”

CDR have an established track record of driver development, making them the perfect fit for Pariat at a crucial stage in his career. Team Principal Chris Dittmann welcomed the team’s latest protégé to the fold, and has been impressed with his testing outings to-date.

“We’ve been speaking to Jaden for about a month, through a contact of ours in India,” says Dittmann. “He’s very keen to get some mileage in the new F4 car, and with the opportunity there for the last two rounds of the season, it was a great time for him to come and learn in the right environment.

“We’ve been fortunate to get a few test days with Jaden already in the last few weeks and we’ve been pretty impressed. The chemistry has been there from the outset, and we’ve been working together well, so now we’re just looking forward to the last few rounds to see what we can do.

“There’s been a lot of preparation on the simulator before each test date which has been key to fine tune things before going out on track. He’ll be coming into the championship on the back foot compared to most of the drivers, but he’s up for the challenge.”