Epping’s Ayrton Simmons is gunning for glory in the British F4 Championship this campaign, as he looks to take a step closer to achieving his dream of racing in Formula One.

The 16-year-old has switched to JHR Developments for the upcoming season having finished in seventh place last time out with Team Arden, picking up his maiden win in the series in just the second round last year.

But the Epping racer, who also secured five podium finishes last season, is targeting bigger and better things, with the 16-year-old’s sights firmly set on being crowned champion come September, after a series of successful tests with his new team.

Speaking to the Guardian Series last week, Simmons said: “Obviously I want to win it and the team want to win it. I’ve got experience and a year and a half under my belt. I know all the circuits. So I’ve got the experience and I’ve certainly got the talent. The team is working hard. We could potentially come away with winning the championship this year, which is definitely the aim.

“At the moment, there’s been no major issues and we’ve been really quick. We’ve been restricted on the amount of new tyres we’ve been using due to budget problems, but every time we’ve been on the new tyres and whenever everyone else has been on the new tyres, we’ve been in the top 3. I’m really pleased with the way things are going at the moment.”

This weekend sees Simmons return to the same Brands Hatch circuit where he tasted victory last year and he’s hoping to repeat that feat when the first race of the season kicks off on Saturday.

He said: “Me and the team are aiming for a good start. We don’t want to start off on the wrong foot. We’re aiming to come away with at least a win that weekend and that’s one of our goals.”

Long term though, the Epping racer aims to be locking horns with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, with the 16-year-old hoping to race in Formula One in the future.

He said: “That’s the aim and that’s always been the aim since I started Go-Karting. I’ve been passionate about F1 since the age of five.

“Obviously, now with all the money that’s involved to get to the top, it is quite hard for us. I haven’t started the season yet so it’s quite hard to talk about next year, but moving up next year would be a good step.”

You can watch Simmons in action when the final British F4 race of the weekend is shown on ITV4 on Sunday afternoon at 3pm.