With 32 drivers from 15 different countries entered, the FFSA Academy French F4 Championship has set a new participation record. As is tradition, the season will kick off at the Easter Races on the Paul Armagnac circuit in Nogaro, from 4th to 6th April.
Since its inception in 1993, when it was still known as “Formule Campus”, French Formula 4 has enjoyed unwavering success. The exceptional field of 32 drivers once again confirms the appeal of this championship, which is a global benchmark in the identification and development of young motorsport talent.
Following in the footsteps of Gasly and Hadjar
Over the years, the FIA-certified French F4 Championship has seen the emergence of numerous drivers who have gone on to become professionals. Among them are Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar, now F1 drivers. High-quality circuits, controlled costs and maximum sporting fairness remain the cornerstones of the series, allowing young talents to express themselves fully. The single-seaters are maintained and prepared by mechanics trained at the FFSA Academy.
Launch of a French Women’s F4 Championship
In addition to the expected 32 single-seaters on the starting grid at Nogaro, the 2026 edition breaks another record: geographical diversity. No fewer than 15 nations are represented. Women’s motorsport is also reaching new heights with 10 female drivers at Nogaro: Lisa Billard, Annabelle Brian, Héloïse Goldberg, Jade Jacquet, Angelina Proenca and Sofia Zanfari, who had already raced in 2025, as well as newcomers Isabella Abreu, Clara Stiebleichinger, Ginevra Panzeri and Autumn Fisher.
This success has prompted the FFSA Academy to create the FIA-certified French Women’s F4 Championship in 2026. Having secured places in the F1 Academy thanks to their brilliant performances in F4 last season, Lisa Billard and Jade Jacquet will not be competing in the full French Championship. They will not be able to score points in the Women’s Championship, but will be fighting for the podium reserved specifically for them in each race.
Promising talents to watch
Ten drivers will be embarking on their second season in Formula 4 with the aim of challenging for the top spots. Alongside the six female drivers mentioned earlier, Guillaume Bouzar, Hugo Herrouin, Nicolas Pasquier and Thomas Senecloze will be setting out with high hopes.
The 2025 FIA Karting World Champion in the OK class has chosen the French F4 Championship to take the next step in his career – the Belgian driver Thibaut Ramaekers, supported by the RACB.
The partnership with the Honda Racing Suzuka School continues this season with the participation of Japan’s Kota Tsuchihashi. The Feed Racing driving school, founded by Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Lemarié, is renewing its involvement with the FFSA Academy by bringing in the winner of its prestigious scholarship. In 2026, Israel’s Yuval Rozen will benefit from this opportunity.
Among the drivers to watch are also Jules Avril and Jimmy Helias, former French Karting Champions with a solid track record. Other competitors, such as Lewis Francis, Oscar Goudchaux, Tom Dussol, Lilian Soares, Wojciech Woda and Jack Iliffe, have already excelled at the highest level of international karting in Europe. They hope to quickly make their mark in single-seaters.
Avril, Goudchaux and Soares also come from the FFSA Academy French Junior Karting Championship, as does Paul Gleizes, who will be the youngest driver entered at just 15 years old, having celebrated his birthday a few days before the season opener in the Gers. Several other participants also arrive with promising profiles, and the first round at Nogaro will provide a much-anticipated first glimpse of the pecking order. The race to succeed Alex Munoz promises to be more exciting and fiercely contested than ever.
> List of entrants
4 – CHEEZUM Kyler (USA)
5 – STIEBLEICHINGER Clara (Austria) *
7 – ESCHALIER Arthur (France)
8 – HELIAS Jimmy (France)
9 – ROSEN Yuval (Israel)
10 – SOARES Lilian (France)
11 – ABREU Isabella (Cuba) *
12 – GOLDBERG Héloïse (France) *
13 – FRANCIS Lewis (Australia)
14 – BILLARD Lisa (France) *
17 – MCKENNA Maverick (USA)
19 – BOUZAR Guillaume (France)
21 – PASQUIER Nicolas (France)
23 – PROENCA Angelina (France) *
26 – ZANFARI Sofia (Morocco) *
27 – DUSSOL Tom (France)
28 – PANZERI Ginevra (Italy) *
29 – DAUVERGNE Matthéo (France)
30 – GLEIZES Paul (France)
42 – GOUDCHAUX Oscar (France)
44 – JACQUET Jade (France) *
47 – HERROUIN Hugo (France)
50 – TSUCHIHASHI Kota (Japan)
53 – SENECLOZE Thomas (France)
56 – CHANDARIA Shane (Kenya)
57 – FISHER Autumn (Canada) *
68 – WODA Wojciech (Poland)
79 – RAMAEKERS Thibaut (Belgium)
83 – BRIAN Annabelle (Netherlands) *
88 – AVRIL Jules (France)
95 – ILIFFE Jack (USA)
99 – BEISEMANN Sasha (Paraguay)
* Female drivers
> 15 nationalities represented:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Morocco, Paraguay, the Netherlands, Poland and the USA
> Nogaro 2026 Programme
Saturday 4th April: Free Practice (09:35 – 10:05) and Qualifying (14:30 – 15:00)
Sunday 5th April: Race 1 (10:45 – 11:20) and Race 2 (16:10 – 16:45)
Monday 6th April: Race 3 (14:00 – 14:30)
> 2026 Calendar
Nogaro (4th–6th April), Dijon (15th–17th May), Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (19th–21st June), Magny-Cours (31st July–2nd August), Lédenon (18th–20th September) and Paul Ricard (9th–11th October)
> Equipment
Ligier single-seater of the Mygale F4 FIA Generation 2 type, Renault 1.3L Turbo engine, Pirelli tyres. Two new sets of tyres will be allocated for the entire competition, to be used from the Qualifying sessions onwards.
> Race format
Following the 30-minute Free Practice session and the 30-minute official Qualifying session, three 30-minute races will take place, with starting grids determined as follows:
1/ Each driver’s fastest time set in Qualifying for Race 1
2/ Each driver’s fastest time set in Qualifying, with the top 10 positions reversed, for Race 2
3/ Each driver’s second-fastest time set in Qualifying for Race 3
> Points allocation
Races 1 and 3: 25 points for 1st, 18 for 2nd, 15 for 3rd, 12 for 4th, 10 for 5th, 8 for 6th, 6 for 7th, 4 for 8th, 2 for 9th and 1 for 10th
Race 2: 10 points for 1st, 8 for 2nd, 6 for 3rd, 5 for 4th, 4 for 5th, 3 for 6th, 2 for 7th and 1 for 8th
