Evan Giltaire is pursuing a new challenge in Japan in Super Formula Lights.

The B-Max Racing team has officially announced its lineup for the 2026 season of the Japanese Super Formula Lights championship. Among the two drivers signed to aim for a fourth consecutive drivers' title, after three crowns won since 2023, is Evan Giltaire.

The Frenchman will race under the number 1 and represent the Japanese team as part of a cooperation agreement with ART Grand Prix, the team he competed with this season in Formula Regional. This unprecedented move between Europe and Japan will allow the driver from the Oise region to experience the series while maintaining a technical connection with his previous environment. Meanwhile, Kotaro Niihara, promoted from F4, will drive the number 50 car in the colors of the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP). Rintaro Sato, who previously competed in French F4, will join the sister team B-Max Engineering for the first half of the season.

A logical decision after a mixed season in FRECA

The announcement follows up on statements made by the French driver last autumn. He was absent from the post-season tests of Formula 3Evan Giltaire then acknowledged that his chances of securing a seat in 2026 had become "virtually nil" without additional financial support or backing from a program linked to the Formula 1Having secured the Formula Regional Middle East title at the start of 2025, the Frenchman entered the Formula Regional European Championship that same year with high ambitions. While he finished fifth in the standings with one victory, his second European campaign did not fully live up to his expectations.

Victorious from the opening round, the second race at Misano, as he had been in 2024 at Hockenheim, he nevertheless went through a more difficult period in the middle of the season, marked by incidents at Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort where he finished 13th and 16th respectively, as well as by setup choices that didn't always pay off. Despite this, he ended the season on a positive note, stringing together two fourth-place finishes and then three consecutive podiums. With nearly 60% of ART Grand Prix's championship points, Evan Giltaire was the team's main source of results, without, however, securing the coveted Formula 3 promotion.

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Convincing tests in Super Formula Lights

His move to Japan was no accident. At the end of 2025, he had participated in tests in Super Formula Lights, already with B-Max, and had shown himself to be particularly fast, keeping the attention of the reigning champion team.

The championship is the direct stepping stone to Super Formula, which today constitutes one of the most credible alternative pathways to the very highest level in carSeveral pilots have built solid careers in Japan or used this experience as a springboard to other international programs. This was the case, for example, of Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson, who both finished second in the championship, in 2017 and 2023. More recently, Ayumu Iwasa, who raced in Formula 2 and holds the position of reserve driver for both of the F1 teams in the fold Red Bull, won the 2025 championship. On his social media, Evan Giltaire enthusiastically announced his commitment: "Very happy to announce that I will be driving for the B-Max Racing Team in Super Formula Light in 2026. I will be wearing number 1 for this season. I can't wait to start this exciting adventure."

At 19, the Frenchman is therefore taking a gamble on an Asian detour to relaunch his career. In a saturated and ultra-competitive European context, Super Formula Lights could offer him a favorable environment to take the next step and, ultimately, open up other opportunities at the highest level, following in the footsteps of another French example who subsequently reached Formula 1, Pierre Gasly.