'Made in Sheffield': Rowan Campbell-Pilling flying Yorkshire flag with JHR Developments on journey to Formula 1

For if teenager Rowan Campbell-Pilling’s mission is to be accomplished then his season driving for JHR Developments based 20 minutes down the road from him in Dronfield, will result in a Formula 4 title and promotion to the next rung up the ladder on his journey to Formula 1. Neither party is under any illusion that this is a long-term arrangement, but in the here and now it is a perfect fit, driver and team aligned with one goal - to win the Formula 4 title.

Campbell-Pilling has been plotting a course to Formula 1 all his life, ever since his dad bought him a trials bike at the age of two and he fell in love with the notion of driving as fast as he can.

He has risen through the karting and lower formula ranks, at each step learning the ropes in season one and then winning the title in season two.

Last year he finished 10th in his first year in Formula 4 with Argenti, meaning this year - by his timescale - he needs to win the title and move on to GB3, two levels below F1.

In an F4 series full of young, ambitious drivers like himself, he had the pick of teams to drive for in 2025 but has opted for the local team to help him continue his journey.

“I’m really excited to get going with JHR, we’ve had some positive tests with them already,” Campbell-Pilling told The Yorkshire Post ahead of the opening round of the series at Donington Park this weekend.

“We’ve known Steve Hunter who owns JHR for a long time now.

“We got an offer from every team for this year, a real privilege to have options around us coming into what is an important year. But JHR is right on our doorstep, 20 minutes down the road and I’m at the HQ.

“They’ve got a state-of-the-art simulator there which is just incredible, full 180-degree wrap-around screen, motion-rig simulator. I spend an awful lot of time down there.”

Campbell-Pilling has spent time getting to know his new mechanics and engineers, and countless hours at that state-of-the-art simulator and on track testing his new car.

“We managed to top the time sheets at Oulton Park recently, so looking really strong and positive,” he said ahead of the start of the 10-round, 30-race series. “It’s hard to gauge where everyone is in pre-season testing, people might be playing games, they might be running under-weight, but we know we’re legal and our pace is genuine, and the truth will come out at Donington Park.”

Still a student, the 18-year-old will sit his final A-level exam between the Snetterton round at the end of May and the Thuxton meeting at the beginning of June.

Education remains important, but it takes a backseat to life as a motor-racing driver, with hours spent on simulators, testing and conditioning his body.

“I’m doing an awful lot more simulator work, I’ve done an awful lot of physical training over the winter, two hours of cardio in the morning, two hours of strength and conditioning in the afternoon every day, so a lot goes in behind the scenes to put myself in the best possible place,” says Campbell-Pilling of the tweaks he has made to his off-season regimen.

“That is my goal: to win this year, I’ve been pretty clear with that, it’s a two-year plan, to learn and make the mistakes in year one and then polish and perfect this year. I want to enjoy it, love every moment - but win.

“The way I look at it, as long as I can control everything I can control, I know that if I prepare myself the best I possibly can, the team prepares the best it possibly can, the execution is meticulous, then we'll be fine.”

And winning a title in a Yorkshire car will make it extra special.

To add extra significance, he will race with the Made in Sheffield mark on his JHR Developments car, one of a number of local sponsors he has enlisted, with drivers at this level required to take big finance with them to earn a seat.

“We’ve just done a great job of bringing some partners on board for this year, and can’t wait to show them what we can do,” says Campbell-Pilling. “All local Sheffield brands and companies. I love Sheffield through and through, and I’m very proud to say I’m made in Sheffield and that this year I get to wear the Made in Sheffield trademark which is just incredible.

“Sheffield is such an innovative areain every single sector - manufacture, medicine, research. There’s the AMRC, the Olympic Legacy Park.

“I hope to do them all proud.”