Just six points separate Belgium’s Yani Stevenheydens from Japan’s Taito Kato ahead of the final round of the French F4 Championship at Le Castellet, with Frenchman Jules Caranta still in with a fighting chance, just 17 points behind!
Once again this year, the final round of the French F4 Championship will take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, from 4th to 6th October 2024, and this seventh and final round promises to be explosive! Since the start of the season, three drivers have been playing cat-and-mouse with podiums and victories, each with four to their name. Belgian Yani Stevenheydens leads the way with 252 points and 11 podiums. The RACB-backed driver also has the most experience, as he is competing in his second season in F4. Japan’s Taito Kato, from the Honda Racing School in Suzuka, took 16 points off his rival by winning the previous round in Dijon and now has 246 points with 11 podiums as well. Jules Caranta from the Var region of France will be playing virtually at home on a circuit some hundred kilometres from where he lives. The French hopeful has accumulated 235 points and nine podiums. The gap is not insurmountable, with 70 points still to go.
While Evan Giltaire’s successor in the FFSA Academy-run championship will inevitably be one of these three drivers, there are plenty of other results at stake at the SRO Racing Festival. Chester Kieffer from Luxembourg, Rayan Caretti from Thailand and Frank Porte Ruiz from Andorra will all be aiming to win again, while Augustin Bernier will be a rival for 4th place in the Championship. The winner of the Volant Feed Racing is determined to end his season with a first success.
A member of the ADAC Formel 4 Junior Team, Germany’s Montego Maassen is coming off two successful races in Magny-Cours and Dijon, and will be keeping a close eye on Le Castellet. The top 10 places in the overall standings will be coveted. Frenchman Jules Roussel and Italian Leonardo Megna are currently ranked 9th and 10th respectively, but Irishman Alex O’Grady, Dylan Estre, Enzo Caldaras and Jason Leung have already shown that they are capable of scoring big points in the leading pack.
A new driver will join the French F4 Championship on the Paul Ricard circuit: Frenchman Aleksandr Burdo.
> Paul Ricard 2024 F4 programme
Friday 4th September: Free Practice (11:10 – 11:40) and Qualifying (16:40 – 17:05)
Saturday 5th September: Race 1 (10:05 – 10:35) and Race 2 (15:45 – 16:15)
Sunday 6th September: Race 3 (11:30 – 12:00)
> Race duration: 20 minutes + 1 lap
> Mygale single-seater, Renault turbo engine, Pirelli tyres, 100% renewable Repsol fuel.
> French F4 Championship standings (after six races)
1 Yani Stevenheydens (Belgium) 252 points
2 Taito Kato (Japan) 246 points
3 Jules Caranta (France) 235 points
4 Chester Kieffer (Luxembourg) 116 points
5 Rayan Caretti (Thailand) 109 points
6 Frank Porte Ruiz (Andorra) 99 points
7 Augustin Bernier (France) 92 points
8 Montego Maassen (Germany) 60 points
9 Jules Roussel (France) 58 points
10 Leonardo Megna (Italy) 48 points
11 Alex O’Grady (Ireland) 44 points
12 Dylan Estre (France) 40 points
13 Enzo Caldaras (France) 35 points
14 Jason Leung (Canada) 33 points
15 Arthur Dorison (France) 21 points
16 Karel Schulz (France) 20 points
17 Gabriel Doyle-Parfait (Great Britain) 19 points
18 Alexandre Munoz (France) 3 points
19 Edouard Borgna (France) 1 point
Mathilda Paatz (Germany)
Roméo Leurs (France)
Tom Le Brech (France)
Louis Schlesser (France)
Paul Roques (France)
Arjun Chheda (India)
Follow the races live on the ffsaacademy.org website and social networks.
