After tackling the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans for their opening round of the season, the French Formula 4 championship resumes around the legendary street circuit of Pau. The 23 drivers will be going all-out to claim a victory that will remain a highlight for the rest of their career.
The 2014 French F4 Championship season has already shown that racing is going to be close, with Australian Joseph Mawson leaving Le Mans with the championship lead after taking two of the three victories on offer, as well as a third place in the other race.
However Mawson did not have it all his own way, with Frenchmen Bryan Elpitiya, Dorian Boccolacci and Amaury Richard, Anglo-Swiss driver Felix Hirsiger, and Russians Vladimir Atoev and Denis Bulatov amongst the drivers showing well in Le Mans. Other drivers, such as Valentin Moineault and Reuben Kressner showed promise in Le Mans but ultimately the results did not come, so they will be hoping their luck is better at Pau.
For Swiss driver Paul Hokfelt Jr, qualifying at Le Mans was a huge disappointment. A spin on a damp track saw him start last for both the first and third races, but stunning comebacks through the field during the races showed how fast he really was, and he ultimately finished in the points in all three races. At Pau he will be hoping to start closer to the front, especially as the street circuit offers much less opportunity to overtake than in Le Mans.
The series has many promising youngsters hoping to make the first step up the ladder of single seater motor racing, and Pau will give them all a big challenge, with the joy of having their name inscribed on the roll all of winners of the legendary event the ultimate goal for all of them.
There will be three races this weekend as per usual, with a 30-minute qualifying session determining the grids for race one and three. A drivers second best time in qualifying will determine the grid for race one, while the classification of that first race determining the grid for race two, with the top ten drivers reversed. The grid for the third race will be determined by a driver’s fastest time in qualifying.