The 17-year-old has already tested the Tatuus-Cosworth, declaring it “very fast” and is excited for what 2016 may bring.

“I wanted to join the championship for 2015 but I’ve got the chance this year so it is really exciting,” explains Wahome.

At the end of 2014, the Nairobi native tested the former Ralph Firman Racing-designed car in Spain but had to wait until this year to graduate to the championship. After a promising outing in the Formula BMW Asia Cup Series, taking three rookie wins from five races, Wahome got behind the wheel of the new Tatuus-Cosworth at Brands Hatch in November.

“It was very fast! It’s quite easy to get used to, although it’s not too easy to drive. It has a good feel to it and I got to grips with it quite quickly,” he explains. “It is definitely a good car to learn with and Brands Hatch has some really tough corners, so it was fun to see how far I could push the car and how much grip it has overall,” he continues.

Having experienced both iterations of BRDC Formula 4 car, Wahome is well placed to offer a comparison between the two.

He states: “The acceleration out of corners in the new car is way faster, you can really feel it. At Brands Hatch, as the day progressed, I felt that I could push the car to the limit quite easily. It is really good for getting you confident through the high-speed corners.”

Once he had decided BRDC Formula 4 was the place to be for 2016, Wahome explains that choosing to sign with Chris Dittmann Racing was not a hard decision: 

“They did really well last year with Tom Jackson and then with Omar Ismail. Immediately it showed how competitive they can be.” 

He continues: “After I did the test with them, I enjoyed working with them, with the mechanics and the driver coach Kieran (Vernon). They were impressed with my performance and they showed that they were interested in me so I felt like part of the team and that was quite important for me.”

Although the Kenyan teenager will be up against some more experienced rivals, and those who already know most of the circuits BRDC Formula 4 visits this year, he is still confident heading into the season.

“We will see how things are going after testing and there are a lot of competitive drivers, which makes the series even better, but as a racing driver the overall goal is still to try and get podiums and wins so that doesn’t change,” he states.

Wahome is hoping to use success in BRDC Formula 4 to further his career and achieve his ultimate goal: 

“Hopefully the end result is Formula One. If I can do well in BRDC Formula 4 this year, then hopefully I will move into Formula Three next season.”

His determination is evident as he explains why he moved from the sunny climes of Kenya to Gloucestershire: 

“The whole move to the UK was because of the racing. I go to school at Cheltenham College now and with the team’s workshop down the round it is easy to work with them and get to the tracks.”

Whatever 2016 holds for Jeremy Wahome, it is sure to be a great experience in his career development and in helping to reach his goal of becoming Kenya’s first Formula One driver.