Cheshire teenager Zubair Hoque will make his full-season BRDC Formula 4 Championship debut with top team SWR this year after today, Monday, 19th January, becoming the race-winning squad’s maiden signing ahead of the 2015 season.

Hoque, of British Asian heritage, graduated from karting to cars in last November’s BRDC F4 Winter Series where he finished an impressive fifth overall, despite having spent the previous 18 months on the racing sidelines after turning his full attention at that point to his A-level studies.

Achieving top five results at both Snetterton 300 Circuit and Brands Hatch Indy Circuit during the eight-race Winter Series, the 18-year-old from Hale in Cheshire is now determined to use that experience to his advantage when he begins his pre-season testing programme with Chipping Norton’s SWR.

“I’m really looking forward to the season ahead with SWR – they’re proven race-winners and with their support I’m aiming to be competitive right from the first round of the championship”, said Hoque, “As it is my first season in single-seaters, I know there will be a lot to learn in terms of car set-up but my focus is to improve with every race and to eventually be fighting for podiums.”

Starting his competitive motorsport career in 2007, Hoque moved into Formula Kart Stars and the Super 1 British Championship in 2009 and two years later he tested a single-seater for the first time as part of the FKS selection of three drivers for the Formula BMW Talent Cup evaluations in Valencia, Spain.

In 2012, Hoque progressed into KF2 Karting and finished an excellent fifth overall in the MSA British Championship with a hat-trick of podium results. While spending the next year and a half focusing on his educational commitments, the youngster did stay sharp with several Formula Renault tests.

“It’s fantastic to confirm our first signing just a couple of weeks into the New Year, Zubair clearly has a lot of potential and ability and we’re really looking forward to working with him this season”, said SWR team owner Sean Walkinshaw, “Hopefully we can start testing with him very soon to prepare as well as possible ahead of his first full season.

“Everyone at SWR was impressed by Zubair’s performances when we watched him in action during the Winter Series in November, so we’re delighted he’s joined the team. Discussions are ongoing with several drivers regarding our two other seats and we’re always open to further enquiries too.”

Running as a co-headline category alongside the British GT Championship this year for the first time, the BRDC Formula 4 season will get underway over Easter weekend, 4th/5th/6th April, at Oulton Park International Circuit.