In Conversation with Rowan Campbell-Pilling

17-year-old racing driver Rowan Campbell-Pilling, from Sheffield, is a rising star of British Motorsport and he aims to compete at the pinnacle of racing. He is a part of the Motorsport UK Academy and drives for the Argenti team. Rowan has recently made his much-awaited debut in British Formula 4 single seaters. This is seen as the first step of the ladder towards Formula 1.

Rowan joins the British F4 grid off the back of a successful karting career. Competing in both the Daniel Ricciardo Series (DRS) and iame x30 classes, He was crowned champion in 2021 in DRS and won more titles across the iame x30 championships, in junior classes. In senior karting, he took wins in both categories before moving on to his debut year in single seaters. We caught up with him at Donington.

What got you into racing?

I’m really lucky to live close to the Peak District so as a family, growing up, we were always outside. At two-years-old my Dad got me into trial bikes and a family friend of ours had an indoor track in Pontefract that we went to all the time.

I started racing around small tracks and going over objects, I loved it and soon two wheels became four as I started karting at five. It was this age that my parents got my first bambino kart and up until my 16th birthday, I progressed through the cadet, junior and senior levels.

I’ve just never really stopped and then, all of a sudden, the world of motorsport opened up. From 15/16 years old, I was one of only 40 young drivers in the country testing F4 and GB4. Now, of course, I’m in my first F4 season.

What was your biggest achievement in karting?

It’s hard to pick just one. I’m so proud of everything and I’ve been able to win several titles and many races in junior and senior karting. But, having said that, it has to be winning the Daniel Ricciardo Series in 2021.
I was just 14, making me the youngest ever winner of the series. That’s something I’m really proud of from my career before F4 – plus that hard work is one of the reasons I’m where I am now.

How has karting prepared you for the jump to single seater racing and your career in F4 now?

Karting gives you the fundamentals of racing. You learn so many skills which translate into your race craft. You cannot get into an F4 car without karting really – it’s the route everyone takes to get to the top.

What made you want to go into the ROKiT British F4 Certified by the FIA championship this year?

I felt it was the natural progression from karting. It made sense that after being in senior karting and being lucky enough to test F4 and GB4 cars over the past couple of years, that I would progress to F4.

So many amazing drivers progress through the championship up to F1 so, to me, it was an easy choice to make to go into F4 this year.

I feel very honoured to be a part of the Argenti team.

Why Argenti?

After testing with a number of different teams, Argenti felt like the perfect fit and I’m really thankful to be supported by such a great team at Argenti.
They have helped me adapt to the F4 car quickly to maximise my potential. We’re in a good place, both me and my teammate Cui, and we’ve come so far in terms of development and driving in only a matter of months.

What are your aims this season in ROKiT British F4?

The ultimate goal with this season is to learn, learn, and learn. Last year I was testing in F4, this year I’m driving in the championship and learning as much as possible from the process. I want to be ready to take as many trophies as I can next year.

Despite concentrating on learning and gaining as much valuable experience as I can, I’m over the moon to have gotten so many trophies already. I'd love to win the rookie cup this season - I’m third right now in the standings so there’s still potential to do that.

What are your aims going forward?

My ambition has been for a long time to get to the top of F1. Now that I’m in F4 I can see those dreams of mine have real potential. We’re going to keep working hard – starting with the next season of F4 and then keep on pushing forward from there.

What about school?

I’m still attending my Sixth form lessons and studying for my A-Levels. I’m a very practical person so I’m taking Design and Technology and Art at the moment. I have one more year to go. It was always important to me – and of course my parents – to make sure I had my education in place before anything else.

What are your hobbies?

As an F4 driver, racing pretty much takes over. When I’m not on track, I’m either thinking about it or training for it. Therefore, I’m usually at the gym, but I also like to play a few rounds of golf in my spare time.

What charity work do you do?

I’m an ambassador, soon to be Children’s Champion, for The Children’s Hospital Charity. I was born round the corner from the hospital and was then admitted, at only two months old, for a serious chest infection. My family and I know how important their care and support are so being able to support them with fundraising and awareness means a lot.

In 2023, I became an ambassador and in that first year raised almost £10,000 for them. I’m aiming to have raised over £25,000 in total within the next couple of months.