F2, FRECA… Where are our French at mid-season?

Formula 2

• Theo Pourchaire (ART Grand Prix, 1^er in the championship, 168 points)

The third year finally seems to be the right one for the Grassois. Often too fair and irregular during his first experiences, Théo Pourchaire displays a completely different face in 2023. That of a young driver who has finally found this regularity that we have been asking of him for a long time. Leader of the championship, the Tricolore displays a good line of statistics with 9 podiums including 1 victory in 20 races. He is also very consistent in qualifying with a pole position and 8 additional Top 5s in 10 rounds. Performances which finally seem to put him in a good position to fight for the title, he who is 12 lengths ahead of Frederik Vesti with three meetings remaining and still dreams of F1.

• Victor Martins (ART Grand Prix, 5^e in the championship, 120 points)

The protégé of theAlpine Academy fully deserves its provisional title of best rookie of the season. Newcomer after his coronation in F3 last year, Victor Martins successfully transitioned to F2. Although he was guilty of some errors which cost him dearly and which he fully acknowledges, Victor Martins knew how to take his time to find his cruising speed. After a period of bad luck at the start of the campaign, the Ile-de-France native accumulated good results, as evidenced by his first victory in the category during the Main Race at Silverstone in July but also his series of 12 races in a row in the points, the best in the current time.

• Isack Hadjar (Hitech GP, 15^e in the championship, 39 points)

The person who discovers the ranking of the season will be very surprised to see Isack Hadjar so poorly ranked. However, it is indeed 15^e. This poor position can be explained by several things. This year, Hitech GP is far from the level it was able to display in the past. There were many errors, especially in the pits, which did not help the member of the Red Bull Junior Team. However, the main person concerned also committed some of his own, thus slowing down his progress over the year. But not everything has to be thrown away, on the contrary. When he was able to find himself in front, the Ile-de-France native was able to perform as well as in Monaco when he was solidly leading the Sprint Race before his mechanics failed him. A second season in 2024 should allow him to confirm the hopes placed in him.

• Clément Novalak (Trident, 19^e in the championship, 2 points)

Clément Novalak's second year is not going at all as planned. Back at Trident (he had driven for the team in F3 in 2021) after a first campaign with MP Motorsport, the Avignonnais still cannot take off. Not having the best equipment available, the person concerned is also not often there. There was a glimmer of hope after his podium finish at the Sprint in Austria but he was ultimately disqualified. Apart from that, he only finished in the points. It was during the Sprint Race in Azerbaijan when there was a huge pile-up which benefited him.

From left to right, Théo Pourchaire, Isack Hadjar, Clément Novalak and Victor Martins. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

FRESH

• Macéo Capietto (RPM, 7^e in the championship, 61 points)

By leaving Monolite Racing for RPM, Macéo Capietto clearly gained from the change. From rarely fighting for points, the Frenchman has become accustomed to finishing in the Top 10 as he has finished there 10 times in 12 races. The former F4 France resident even scored his first podium in FRECA during Race 2 in Hungary. So many good results which allow him to be at the top of the ranking and which make him the best Habs from an accounting point of view. Confirmation that he is progressing in the right direction.

• Sami Meguetounif (MP Motorsport, 10^e in the championship, 43 points)

After a first year of learning, the Marseillais is much more energetic in this 2023 season. Helped by his successful winter preparation in the Middle East (2 podiums including 1 victory and 2 pole positions), Sami Meguetounif has established himself as the spearhead of MP Motorsport. He is the one who obtained the best results and it would not be surprising to see him fight for the big points in the restart. In any case, this is the impression left by the Castelle round in July before the break when he took his second podium in the exercise.

• Alessandro Giusti (G4 Racing, 11^e in the championship, 42 points)

The last F4 France champion did not miss his transition to FRECA. Opposed to a much more experienced teammate (Michael Belov), Sandro established himself as the boss of the team on the track. Although he experienced a difficult period with a series of 7 races outside the Top 10, Alessandro Giusti was able to complete the first part of the season with a pole position and a victory at Le Castellet, his first in the category, demonstrating that he definitely has the ability to play up front. With Kas Haverkort (VAR), he is the only driver to win in the race in 2023 apart from the R-ace GP and Prema drivers. Enough to be optimistic for the second part.

Alessandro Giusti during his victory at Le Castellet last July. © Niels Broekema/Dutch Photo Agency.

• Victor Bernier (MP Motorsport, 15^e in the championship, 20 points)

Victor Bernier had a hard time confirming the good signs seen at the end of last year when he regularly fought in the Top 10 under the colors of FA Racing. This second experience in FRECA is far from his expectations as he hoped to move forward as a repeater. Left out of the battle for the top positions, the Andréanais will have to pull out all the stops during the last 4 rounds to hope to continue his progress and claim a move up to Formula 3 in 2024.

• Owen Tangavelou (Trident, 21^e in the championship, 8 points)

Often present in the Top 10 during the 2^e part of the season last year when he joined RPM, Owen Tangavelou is not experiencing the same success this season. Arriving at Trident, he is experiencing a fairly sluggish 2023 campaign. Far from his expectations in qualifying and in the race, he only scored 8 small points for only two finishes in the Top 10. The last four rounds will be very important to save his season and thus find good opportunities to his future.

• Marcus Amand (ART Grand Prix, 23^e in the championship, 4 points)

After two difficult seasons in F4 Germany and Italy, the Franco-Finnish decided to take the plunge towards FRECA. Within an experienced team like ART Grand Prix, Marcus Amand hoped to take a step forward in his career but we are very far from it at the moment. The one who joined the Sauber Academy is quite discreet, without any real fanfare. Repeating a year appears to be the best solution at the moment for those who will celebrate their 18th birthday next year.

Eurocup-3

• Esteban Masson (Campos, 1^er in the championship, 151 points)

The 2021 F4 France champion is winning his bet. Without a real opportunity to complete a second year in FRECA, Esteban Masson decided to try his luck in Eurocup-3, the new championship which wants to compete with the European Regional Formula. For the moment, everything is going well for the Campos driver who is in the lead thanks to his 6 podiums including 4 victories in 8 races. A title in the category would allow him to take another step towards F3, the next goal of his career.

Esteban Masson is well on his way to winning the title. ©Eurocup-3

GB3 Championship

• Arthur Rogeon (Chris Dittmann Racing, 23^e in the championship, 71 points)

For his first steps in car, the Frenchman preferred to skip the F4 box to go directly to the GB3 Championship, British F3. A learning the hard way against drivers who sometimes have a season under their belts, or even two for some. Although he is vegetating at the bottom of the rankings, Arthur Rogeon showed some good things in this first part of the year during which he was able to climb the box twice. It would not be surprising to see him do it again next year before claiming a move to FIA F3.

F4 France

In our national championship, there are two drivers who stand out: the rookie Evan Giltaire and the repeater Enzo Peugeot . Together they signed 9 of the 15 victories of the 2023 season and are heading straight towards a two-way fight until the end of the year. For the moment, it's the new kid who holds the rope. Arrived straight from karting, Evan Giltaire did not need time to adapt. He was able to quickly find a place among the 26 drivers and quickly made Enzo Peugeot understand that he was going to have to count on him in the battle for the title. With two meetings remaining at the end of the year, Giltaire is leading the way ahead of Peugeot, which is 7 lengths behind him. Enough to plan for a final, tight and lively sprint!

Enzo Peugeot (left) and Evan Giltaire never let go of each other. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

F4 Spain

Another championship in which France is well represented. Entered in the last 4 rounds in 2022 for the debut of Saintéloc Racing in single-seaters, Théophile Naël has established himself as one of the big names in the Spanish division this year. Still under the colors of the Saint-Etienne team, the Habs are today at the top of the ranking thanks in particular to two last high-level meetings during which they signed 5 podiums in 6 races including 3 victories. Everything seems to indicate that he will be one of the serious contenders for the final coronation.

Enzo Déligny, for his part, continues to adapt to the world of single-seaters. Having just come out of karting, the member of the Red Bull Junior Team has made his transition quite well. After an encouraging start, notably during the Aragón round (three podiums in as many races for one victory), Enzo experienced a bit of bad luck during the last one in Navarra where he was doubly forced to retire. Everything is still possible for him in the title race since he has demonstrated that he is capable of playing at the forefront when he has the opportunity.

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