Jules Roussel to FRMET with G4 Racing

While news was still scarce regarding the future of the drivers in the 2025 F4 France class, the French flag will at least be represented in one of the winter championships. carIn this instance, Jules Roussel announced to us this Thursday that he would participate in the FRMET (Formula Regional Middle East Trophy) championship starting the weekend of January 16 to 18, in Abu Dhabi.

“I will be participating in this winter championship with G4, the Spanish team that has been participating in the FRECA for several years now,” he tells usI met the team and visited the workshops. I'm really looking forward to working with them. I haven't done any test days yet because it's difficult to secure the budget this early. We're not leaving things to the last minute, but unlike some other drivers, we haven't been able to do any testing. I've never driven anything above F4, so it will be a bit of an unknown for me, but what's certain is that we've planned things well. We'll see how it goes, but since it's a winter championship, it will mainly be for practice.

To prepare for this new adventure – his first in the higher category since his F4 victory in Macau – Jules Roussel did not deviate from his work routine before embarking on a very busy program. “My program this week is primarily focused on preparation. Even after a victory like Macau, you have to keep working. You have to prepare for the transition to the next category.” he elaborates. I mainly used the simulator. During the winter months, there are far fewer testing opportunities. It's the only way to prepare, and it's a very good way.

"Tomorrow, I'm leaving to do simulator training in Saint-Malo," He added. Next, we're off to Paris, then on to Abu Dhabi for the Middle East Championship. We'll go to Abu Dhabi twice, then to Dubai and Qatar. The goal after that will be to complete the entire FREC championship.

ALSO READ > The FREC's 2026 calendar unveiled

Gaining experience as an objective for Jules Roussel

Although at this stage it seems difficult for Jules Roussel to set a specific target in this regional championship, his mentality remains the same as the one with which he embarked on the adventure of the Macau Grand Prix. “I think it’s still very unclear. I think I’ll give the same answer as before Macau. It’s not because I’m going to give that answer that I’m going to win – not at all – but it’s an approach to take.” he analyzes. I don't know the car, I don't know the circuits, I don't know the team very well yet. However, I believe in them; anything can happen. We'll only see once the car is on the track. And even then, we'll have to see how things develop. Since it's a new car, it will also depend on how each team develops it.

Unlike the experience of a driver like Evan Giltaire before him (the Frenchman won this championship in 2025 ahead of Freddie Slater, who had since won the FRECA title), Jules Roussel remains aware that these four race weekends are primarily a dress rehearsal for the rest of the 2026 season.

"I don't think many people have even tried the new FREC in a simulator. Nobody has actually driven it. At least, not the exact version. It would need to be fully modeled, which we haven't done. We've been driving a different version." he explains in detailBut we've already seen some interesting things that worked on the old one. That could be very useful for the upcoming categories. We're looking, maybe we haven't found it yet, but we won't know until we've put the car on the track, tested it, and retested it. That's when we'll see if what we saw on the simulator is confirmed or not.

Although nothing is confirmed at this stage, the Nantes driver is already looking further ahead, with the goal of a full season in the European championship starting in April. "The next step would be to do the FREC championship, which is the main championship. The Middle East series has fewer races, so it was simpler to do, especially in terms of funding. We're also giving ourselves more time to find the budget. In the meantime, we can start developing the car with the team."

From January 16th to February 13th, the four race weekends with stops in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and then Losail will be covered on AUTOhebdo.fr