F4 – the second-last round in Barcelona!
The French F4 Championship will pitch its tent at the Barcelona-Catalonia circuit between 29th September and 1st October for the second-last round of the 2017 season. The young drivers from the FFSA Academy will race on Catalonian soil before the final event on the Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet in France.
FFSA
The young drivers in the French F4 Championship on their last outing on European soil have more pleasures in store for them. In the sixth round (29th September-1st October) of the 2017 season they will be competing on the famous Barcelona-Catalonia circuit which, among other events, hosts the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix every year. The track is among the most prestigious in the world and since its inauguration more than 25 years ago it has undergone very few changes that have not altered its DNA. It consists of long straights and a variety of corners and seems to be a circuit that is an obligatory passage for all drivers: those racing there in F4 this weekend are no exception.
Leading the pack are Arthur Rougier and Victor Martins. Both drivers will have the same aim: namely, to score victories to consolidate their positions. Charles Milesi who is third overall after the last round on the Magny-Cours circuit will arrive in Spain determined to continue in the same vein. Pierre-Alexandre Jean next up in the top 5 set pole position last year in Barcelona and will try and repeat this excellent performance. South African Stuart White, from whom there’s more to come, cannot be discounted either.
Christian Muñoz in sixth place overall has what it takes to put the cat among the pigeons in Spain. The Colombian driver scored a podium finish at Monza and he will try to repeat this feat in Barcelona. His immediate pursuers Florian Venturi and Marvin Klein are hoping to hold onto their positions in the leading group by scoring good results this weekend. Behind, the places are hotly-contested and the gaps are very small. Hugo Chevalier and Jean-Baptiste Mela, ninth and tenth respectively, could show their rivals a clean pair of heels on this track on which they already raced last year.
Javier Gonzalez and Thomas Drouet are just shy of the top 10 and their natural fighting spirit should spur them on to snatch a few points. The two Belgians, Amaury Cordeel and Ugo de Wilde, will continue their learning curve on a circuit which they will revisit in the years to come.
After their promising debut Pierre-Louis Chovet and Noah Watt will be racing on the Spanish track in their second meeting this season. They will be able to get to grips with the layout with a practice session on Thursday. Adam Eteki, a kart driver, will make his debut this weekend in F4 in preparation for the 2018 season.
Field: French F4 Championship
N° 2: Hugo Chevalier
N°3: Stuart White
N°4: Jean-Baptiste Mela
N°5: Pierre-Alexandre Jean
N°6: Charles Milesi
N°7: Thomas Drouet
N°8: Javier Gonzalez
N°9: Noah Watt
N°10: Pierre-Louis Chovet
N°11: Amaury Cordeel
N°13: Marvin Klein
N°15: Adam Eteki
N°27: Ugo de Wilde
N°29: Victor Martins
N°49: Florian Venturi
N°87: Arthur Rougier
N°92: Christian Muñoz
General classification: 2017 French F4 Championship
Arthur Rougier: 219 points
Victor Martins: 191 points
Charles Milesi: 118 points
Pierre-Alexandre Jean: 110 points
Stuart White: 104 points
Christian Muñoz: 93 points
Florian Venturi: 90 points
Marvin Klein: 82 points
Hugo Chevalier: 75 points
Jean-Baptiste Mela: 74 points
Javier Gonzalez: 72 points
Casper Roes Andersen: 58 points
Thomas Drouet: 25 points
Aldo Festante: 11 points
Amaury Cordeel: 2 points
Ugo de Wilde: 1 point
Timetable – Barcelona
Friday 29th September 2017
09:00 Free practice and 13:55 Qualifying
Saturday 30th September 2017
10:55 Race 1 and 16:05 Race 2
Sunday 1st October 2017
10:20 Race 3