Written by Lorenzo Baer, Edited by Sean McKean
FIA F4 French Championship
The first of the most renowned European national championships to start its activities in 2024 was the French one. Running from March to October, with seven rounds spread across three countries, the competition once again fulfilled the category's promise of offering an unpredictable spectacle until the final moments of the tournament – and even after it was over!
French F4 has been gaining visibility for some time since its FIA certification in 2018 – proving to be one of the main springboards for FRECA.
This symbiotic relationship allowed the championship to become an interesting alternative for drivers who wish to embark on a journey to the top of international motorsport through other less common paths.
All hopes and dreams would start in Nogaro, the season opener. Afterwards, the French F4 circus continued to Lédenon, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), Nürburgring (Germany), Magny-Cours, Dijon-Prenois and, finally, Paul-Ricard. Each of these stages consisted of three races.
But as in any motorsport event, it is the drivers who bring life to the tracks and championships. So, some interesting names stood out on the list released by the FFSA for the 2024 contest.
On the French side, the great hope was Jules Caranta. The driver's young age of 15 years old hid the fact that he had reasonable experience in motorsports before the start of the French F4 season, having participated in several karting championships in recent years, up until appearances in the F4 UAE at the beginning of 2024.
Among the “foreigners,” the big attraction was the Japan’s Taito Kato. Despite being virtually unknown outside Japan, the driver has achieved interesting results over the last few years, especially in karts.
However, in 2023 the driver decided to make the jump to single-seaters, leaving an excellent impression on the Honda team's scouts during his stay at their Suzuka Racing School project, driving an HRS-F24 chassis.
Another driver who posed a threat to the French ambitions in their national tournament was Belgian Yani Stevenheydens.
A second-year driver in French F4, the Belgian could be considered the elder of the pack, at 18 years old – well above the overall average of the tournament, which was close to 16.
The championship as a whole was a back-and-forth battle between these three drivers. Caranta was the first to take the lead, after good results in Nogaro. However, it didn't take long for the Frenchman to fall to third in the overall standings of the tournament, as Kato and Stevenheydens put in good performances in the other legs of the championship.
Ultimately, the decision was left for the last race of the year, at Paul Ricard, with the Belgian having a lead of just six points over the Japanese driver in the championship.
The event was undoubtedly the most chaotic of the entire 2024 French F4 season. In the first race of the weekend, Kato would be punished for having gained an advantage over his rivals, having used the outside of the track as a way to avoid a collision with other vehicles present on the site.
Despite subsequently winning the race, a time penalty dropped Kato to second – elevating Stevenheydens to the top step.
Although race two passed without accidents, new problems arose in race three. A collision between Stevenheydens and Kato at the very first corner of the race caused a stir.
Because it did not initially result in any penalty, the Belgian had nothing to worry about, as his rival's problems meant that the title was now in the hands of the driver from the Flemish lands.
However, everything turned into a huge mess a few hours after the chequered flag, with Stevenheydens already defined as the winner of the tournament.
After evaluations, FFSA stewards decided to punish the Belgian driver due to his incident with Kato, resulting in a loss of points that would have elevated the Japanese driver to the winner of the 2024 season.
From then on, the crisis was set: Both Stevenheydens and Kato decided to appeal for their punishments over the weekend. In a legal imbroglio that dragged on for weeks, both decisions were reversed in favour of the drivers.
And, although Stevenheydens Yani managed to recover his points, they were not enough to face the new grand total of Kato, who had regained his first place in the first race at Paul Ricard.
So, finally, after a few comes and forths, the Japan’sese Taito Kato was officially crowned the winner of the 2024 French F4 season.
Due to the centraliszation of the championship in France and the strong connection between the FFSA and French manufacturers, it is not surprising that all the sport’s equipment comes from France itself.
The standard chassis for the tournament was once again the Mygale M21-F4, in use since the 2022 edition, powered by 1.3-litre Alpine Turbocharged engines.
ROKiT FIA F4 British Championship
One of the most prestigious championships in Formula 4 circus, the British F4 offered an interesting scenario in the 2024 edition.
In a tournament marked by a balance between drivers, the most recent edition was an exception to the rule, with one of the drivers on the grid standing out significantly against their his fellow competitors.
For the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), the major change planned for the season was the addition of the first foreign leg in the history of British F4 in Zandvoort. The Dutch stage would join nine others held in the British Isles, to form the official calendar for the season.
The sporting year would start at Donington Park (National Circuit), then move on to Brands Hatch (Indy Circuit), Snetterton (‘300’ Circuit), Thruxton and Silverstone (GP).
The second half of the season would start at the Zandvoort special stage, then head to Knockhill, a second stop at Donington Park (GP), then Silverstone (National), and the season finale at Brands Hatch (GP).
Each weekend consisted of three races, bringing the number of rounds contested over the course of the season to 30 – making the British F4 one of the most grueling championships in the world.
As is to be expected in a championship of this calibre, there was no shortage of impressive names on the grid, starting with the teams. Rodin, Hitech and Virtuosi – familiar to those who follow other low-formula categories such as F2 and F3 – also have their own teams in British F4, serving as maturation centers for some future prospects from these teams.
In terms of drivers, some good names deserve their credits. Chief among them was Deagen Fairclough. At just 17 years old, the driver was entering his second year as a British F4 driver, having finished a surprising third in the 2023 edition after coming from sim-racing.
The excellent result made the driver attract the attention of Hitech, who entered Fairclough in both the 2024 F4 UAE and F4 British championships.
Another interesting name in the race was Indian Kai Daryanani, who had competed in the 2023 F4 Spain, Italy, UAE and British stages, as well as the GB4 – making Kai one of the drivers with the most mileage on the grid.
The last highlight was another British driver, James Higgins. Also a returning driver, having competed in the 2023 season, in which he had achieved two victories, there were great hopes from the driver, even more so after he was brought under the aegis of Rodin for the 2024 season.
The die was cast from the first race at Donington Park, and it didn't take long for one of the pilots of the trio to start to stand out: Fairclough. The Crawley-born driver had, in the first ten races of the season, four wins, one second-placed finish and two third-placed finishes, which quickly propelled him to an isolated lead.
With the exception of Fairclough, the other favorites had serious problems maintaining consistency at the beginning of the championship, which opened the door for other drivers to demonstrate their credentials. The one who took best advantage of this opportunity was Alex Ninovic, from Rodin, who proved to be the big surprise of the tournament.
Although the Australian didn't really threaten Fairclough's march towards the British F4 title, he was the one who put up the best resistance to such an achievement. Suffice it to say that, by the end of the season, he was the second driver with most victories in the tournament, with five.
However, despite Ninovic's efforts, nothing and no one could stop Fairclough. The Hitech driver would go on to achieve an impressive run of excellent results by the end of the season, including a sequence of eight races (between Knockhill and Brands Hatch) in which the driver finished on the podium every time – with five wins and three third places.
After such results, it was difficult to take the title from the driver, who finished comfortably first in the overall standings. Notably, Fairclough surpassed the all-time win record – previously held by Jamie Caroline with 11 – with 18 victories across his two seasons.
Right behind him in the classification was Ninovic, with Fairclough's Hitech teammate, Reza Seewooruthun, completing the top-three of the championship.
Thanks to the good results of its two main drivers, Hitech had no problems securing the team’s title, its first in British F4.
It is worth noting that in addition to the overall title, another competition was also open to the drivers: that of best rookie of the year.
This award was won by Hungarian Martin Molnár, who was participating in his first single-seater tournament after spending his youth racing karts. Molnár had as his best result of the year a second place at Knockhill, finishing eighth in the overall standings of the tournament.
Like almost all other European championships in the discipline, British F4 uses the standard Tatuus equipment, through the F4-T421 chassis. All vehicles were powered by the reliable 1.4-litre Abarth 414TF engines.
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