The Spa Francorchamps circuit, a favourite with drivers and used by the biggest international championships, hosts the third round of the FIA-certified French F4 Championship from 21st to 23rd June. 25 young hopefuls are already dreaming of shining there.
With two meetings, five races and already five different winners… The 2024 Championship is off and running! Winner of Race 3 at the Lédenon event in May and supported by the Honda Racing School in Suzuka, Japan’s Taito Kato took the overall lead with a nine-point advantage over Yani Stevenheydens. The Belgian opened the proceedings with victory at Nogaro during the Easter weekend and we can expect to see him highly motivated at home. In 2023, during his first F4 season with the FFSA Academy, the Spa Francorchamps meeting didn’t go particularly well for him, and Yani Stevenheydens will be out for revenge.
Other race winners this season, Frenchman Jules Caranta and Luxembourger Chester Kieffer, will be looking to confirm their status as title contenders, as will Thailand’s Rayan Caretti, who has been extremely consistent since his debut in this highly international championship. At Lédenon, Race 2 enabled Frank Porte Ruiz to open his personal F4 victory account. Success gives you confidence and the Andorran will be looking to further increase his points tally.
A 7km circuit that encourages overtaking
Between the Raidillon de l’Eau Rouge and the Combes curves, slipstreaming plays an important role in Formula 4 and this should intensify overtaking as well as the entertainment. As a result, the Qualifying session could have less of an impact than the two previous meetings, even if we know that in single-seaters a place on the front row is favourable. It should also be remembered that the grid for Race 2 will be set in reverse order for the top 10 finishers from the Qualifying session.
The podiums at Spa Francorchamps will be coveted, and this Belgian stopover could well prove a success for promising drivers such as Augustin Bernier, who graduated top of his class from the Feed Racing driving school in 2023, or Arthur Dorison, winner of the FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the FFSA Academy French Junior Karting Championship in 2022.
Louis Schlesser, Dylan Estre and Jules Roussel all have names famous in motorsport, and they will be pursuing their ambitions to make a name for themselves. Canada’s Jason Leung and Italy’s Leonardo Megna are repeaters to keep a close eye on, while Ireland’s Alex O’Grady has already made his presence felt with a podium finish. Germany’s Montego Maassen and France’s Karel Schulz are among the drivers to have scored points at the start of the season. There will be 10 drivers looking to follow in their footsteps, including one woman, Germany’s Mathilda Paatz.
> Spa Francorchamps 2024 F4 programme (round 3 of 7)
Friday 21 June: Free Practice (11:50 – 12:20) and Qualifying (17:30 – 18:00)
Saturday 22 June: Race 1 (11:00 – 11:30) and Race 2 (16:00 – 16:30)
Sunday 23 June: Race 3 (09:15 – 09:45)
> Race duration: 20 minutes + 1 lap
> Mygale single-seater, Renault turbo engine, Pirelli tyres, 100% renewable Repsol fuel
