The second round of the 2026 FIA-certified French F4 Championship delivered another dramatic weekend as the field travelled to Dijon-Prenois after an exciting opening round in Nogoro. The Burgundy circuit challenged the 32 FFSA Academy drivers with changing weather in Qualifying, dry race conditions, safety car interruptions, close battles, and major shifts in the championship picture.
Guillaume Bouzar arrived as the Championship leader and left with a much stronger grip on the standings. After taking double pole in Qualifying, he converted both front-row starts into victories in Race 1 and Race 3. Although Thibaut Ramaekers struck back with victory in the reverse-grid Race 2, Bouzar scored the most points across the weekend and extended his advantage at the top of the 2026 French F4 Championship.
2026 French F4: Dijon-Prenois: Qualifying: Bouzar masters changing conditions
Friday’s Qualifying session quickly became one of the most important moments of the weekend. Rain hit the Dijon-Prenois circuit before the session, forcing FFSA Academy mechanics to fit wet tyres. The 32 drivers started on a soaked track, but the racing line dried quickly as the session progressed.
The conditions created a tense finish. Red flags interrupted the session, while track evolution meant the best times arrived in the final minutes. Drivers had to manage tyre temperature, traffic, visibility, and track position, all while judging how much grip the circuit offered lap by lap.
Bouzar handled the pressure best. He clocked a 1:27.041 to secure pole position for Race 1, while his second-best lap also gave him pole for Race 3. His ability to maximise both key laps gave him a major advantage before the racing even began.
Lilian Soares secured second place in Qualifying, delivering a strong performance near his home region. Arthur Eschalier emerged as the surprise of the session in third, ahead of Thibaut Ramaekers, Tom Dussol, Hugo Herrouin, Jack Iliffe, Jules Avril, Ginevra Panzeri, and Oscar Goudchaux.
Panzeri made an immediate impression after missing the Nogaro opener. She qualified ninth overall and topped the women’s order, while Goudchaux’s 10th place gave him pole for the reverse-grid Race 2.
Matthéo Dauvergne endured a far more difficult session. After winning at Nogaro, he dropped to the back of the order and faced a demanding recovery job across all three races.
2026 French F4: Dijon-Prenois: Race 1: Bouzar controls the field
Bouzar made the most of pole position in Race 1. He launched cleanly, led into the opening corners, and controlled the race from the front. Two safety car periods interrupted the rhythm, but he handled both restarts with confidence and kept his rivals out of reach.
Behind him, Lilian Soares, Hugo Herrouin, and Thibaut Ramaekers produced one of the race’s best battles. Eschalier lost ground after starting third, which opened the door for the chasing group. Herrouin attacked late and passed both Soares and Ramaekers to finish second, while Ramaekers completed the podium.
Jack Iliffe finished fifth and continued his strong start to the weekend. Panzeri then delivered one of the standout drives of the race, climbing to sixth overall and winning the women’s classification. Jules Avril, Maverick McKenna, and Jimmy Hélias completed the top 10.
Further back, Oscar Goudchaux retired while fighting for sixth. Lisa Billard, Kota Tsuchihashi, and Dauvergne also failed to reach the finish after early trouble, adding another twist to the 2026 French F4 Championship fight.
Race 1 Classification
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Hugo Herrouin
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Lilian Soares
- Jack Iliffe
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Arthur Eschalier
- Jules Avril
- Maverick McKenna
- Jimmy Hélias
- Nicolas Pasquier
- Jade Jacquet
- Tom Dussol
- Kyler Cheezum
- Yuval Rosen
- Sasha Beisemann
- Angelina Proenca
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
- Shane Chandaria
- Wojciech Woda
- Paul Gleizes
- Thomas Senecloze
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Annabelle Brian
- Autumn Fisher
- Lewis Francis
- Isabella Abreu
NC:
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Lisa Billard
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Matthéo Dauvergne
Women’s Race 1 Classification
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Jade Jacquet
- Angelina Proenca
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Annabelle Brian
- Autumn Fisher
- Isabella Abreu
- Lisa Billard – NC
2026 French F4: Dijon-Prenois: Race 2: Ramaekers charges to maiden victory
Race 2 placed Goudchaux on pole through the reverse-grid format, with Panzeri alongside him. Goudchaux led the early fight, but Iliffe and Ramaekers quickly put him under pressure.
Iliffe took the lead and held it for five laps. However, Ramaekers carried stronger pace, made the decisive move, and then controlled the remainder of the race. He also set the fastest lap, sealing a superb first French F4 victory.
Iliffe secured second place and celebrated his first podium in the championship. Avril completed the podium with a confident drive, while Goudchaux finished fourth. Herrouin and Bouzar followed in fifth and sixth, giving both title contenders valuable points in a race where damage limitation mattered.
Panzeri again impressed, finishing seventh overall and taking another women’s race win. Nicolas Pasquier claimed the final point in eighth after getting ahead of Soares on the final lap. Lewis Francis completed the top 10, while Dauvergne recovered from 29th to 12th with strong pace.
Dussol endured more frustration. He ran fifth at mid-distance but retired before the finish. Unlike Race 1, Race 2 ran without any major incident that required the safety car.
Race 2 Classification
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Jack Iliffe
- Jules Avril
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Hugo Herrouin
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Nicolas Pasquier
- Lilian Soares
- Lewis Francis
- Arthur Eschalier
- Matthéo Dauvergne
- Maverick McKenna
- Jimmy Hélias
- Wojciech Woda
- Lisa Billard
- Sasha Beisemann
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Jade Jacquet
- Sofia Zanfari
- Thomas Senecloze
- Yuval Rosen
- Annabelle Brian
- Shane Chandaria
- Angelina Proenca
- Paul Gleizes
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Isabella Abreu
- Autumn Fisher
NC:
- Tom Dussol
- Kyler Cheezum
Women’s Race 2 Classification
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Lisa Billard
- Jade Jacquet
- Sofia Zanfari
- Annabelle Brian
- Angelina Proenca
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Isabella Abreu
- Autumn Fisher
2026 French F4: Dijon-Prenois: Race 3: Bouzar completes the double
Bouzar returned to pole for Race 3 and repeated his Race 1 performance. He made a clean start, controlled two safety car restarts, and led every lap. He also set the fastest lap, completing a commanding Sunday drive.
Soares stayed close and pushed Bouzar throughout the race, but he never found a way into the lead. Behind them, Iliffe and Dussol fought hard for the final podium place. Iliffe eventually held third by just 0.331 seconds, while Dussol took fourth and finally earned a strong result after a difficult run since Nogaro.
Shane Chandaria produced one of the best drives of the race. He climbed from 12th to fifth and scored important points. Avril finished sixth to round off a productive weekend, while Ramaekers surged from deep in the pack to seventh after gaining 15 places. Nicolas Pasquier, Maverick McKenna, and Jimmy Hélias completed the points-paying positions.
Several drivers missed major opportunities. Clara Stiebleichinger, Herrouin, and Francis all started from promising positions, but none converted them into the results they needed. Herrouin and Francis finished one lap down, while Stiebleichinger came home 28th.
Lisa Billard won the women’s classification from 13th overall, ahead of Angelina Proenca and Annabelle Brian. Proenca’s second place in class mattered most for the championship, as she left Dijon as the new leader of the women’s standings.
Race 3 Classification
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Lilian Soares
- Jack Iliffe
- Tom Dussol
- Shane Chandaria
- Jules Avril
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Nicolas Pasquier
- Maverick McKenna
- Jimmy Hélias
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Lisa Billard
- Angelina Proenca
- Annabelle Brian
- Arthur Eschalier
- Kyler Cheezum
- Sasha Beisemann
- Autumn Fisher
- Jade Jacquet
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Wojciech Woda
- Isabella Abreu
- Lewis Francis
- Hugo Herrouin
- Paul Gleizes
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
NC: Matthéo Dauvergne, Yuval Rosen, Thomas Senecloze.
Women’s Race 3 Classification
- Lisa Billard
- Angelina Proenca
- Annabelle Brian
- Autumn Fisher
- Jade Jacquet
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Isabella Abreu
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
Weekend standouts and key trends
Bouzar dominated the weekend. He took two pole positions, two victories, two fastest laps, and sixth place in the reverse-grid race. That haul moved him to 99 points and gave him a 46-point advantage over Soares.
Soares also delivered one of the strongest weekends of the field. He qualified second, finished fourth in Race 1, ninth in Race 2, and second in Race 3. His consistency moved him to second in the standings.
Ramaekers reinforced his title credentials with a Race 1 podium, a Race 2 victory, and a major recovery in Race 3. He now sits level with Herrouin on 52 points, just one point behind Soares.
Iliffe enjoyed a breakthrough round. The American scored podiums in Race 2 and Race 3, moving to fifth in the standings on 33 points. Avril also strengthened his campaign with two strong finishes, including a Race 2 podium.
Panzeri made a major impact on her return, winning the women’s classification in both Race 1 and Race 2. Billard then answered with victory in Race 3, while Proenca used consistency to take control of the Women’s F4 Championship.
2026 French F4 Standings after Round 2: Dijon-Prenois
Following a decisive weekend at Dijon-Prenois, Bouzar has strengthened his championship lead, while Soares, Herrouin and Ramaekers now lead the chase behind him.
Drivers’ Championship
- Guillaume Bouzar – 99 pts
- Lilian Soares – 53 pts
- Hugo Herrouin – 52 pts
- Thibaut Ramaekers – 52 pts
- Jack Iliffe – 33 pts
- Oscar Goudchaux – 32 pts
- Matthéo Dauvergne – 28 pts
- Kota Tsuchihashi – 27 pts
- Lewis Francis – 24 pts
- Jules Avril – 22 pts
- Yuval Rosen – 13 pts
- Shane Chandaria – 12 pts
- Tom Dussol – 12 pts
- Jimmy Hélias – 9 pts
- Arthur Eschalier – 8 pts
- Nicolas Pasquier – 7 pts
- Maverick McKenna – 6 pts
- Wojciech Woda – 1 pt
Women’s Championship
- Angelina Proenca – 95 pts
- Annabelle Brian – 76 pts
- Clara Stiebleichinger – 68 pts
- Héloïse Goldberg – 60 pts
- Isabella Abreu – 42 pts
- Sofia Zanfari – 26 pts
- Autumn Fisher – 22 pts
Conclusion: Bouzar builds a commanding lead
Dijon-Prenois gave the 2026 French F4 season its first clear championship marker. Bouzar entered the weekend with a narrow advantage, but he left with a dominant lead after controlling Qualifying, Race 1, and Race 3.
However, the chasing group still showed serious strength. Soares delivered consistency, Ramaekers claimed his first victory, Iliffe broke through with two podiums, and Avril continued to build momentum. In the Women’s Championship, Proenca used a consistent weekend to move ahead, while Panzeri and Billard showed race-winning pace on track.
As the 2026 French F4 Championship heads towards Spa-Francorchamps, Bouzar has established himself as the driver to beat. Yet Dijon also proved that the field still has enough depth, speed, and unpredictability to keep the title fight alive.
