The 2026 French F4 season burst into life at Nogaro, delivering three different race winners and an early statement in the title fight. While Guillaume Bouzar emerged as the championship leader, rookies Matthéo Dauvergne and Lewis Francis claimed breakthrough victories, underlining the depth of talent on the grid.
2026 French F4: Nogoro: Qualifying: Bouzar sets the benchmark
From the outset, the margins proved incredibly tight. Although Thibaut Ramaekers dominated across practice, qualifying told a different story.
Guillaume Bouzar executed a near-perfect session, securing a double pole position with both the fastest and second-fastest laps. His ability to manage traffic and maximise tyre performance proved decisive.
Behind him, rookie Matthéo Dauvergne impressed by securing second overall, while Hugo Herrouin and Tom Dussol completed a strong French presence near the front. Meanwhile, Yuval Rosen’s 10th place granted him reverse-grid pole for race two.
However, two red flags disrupted the latter stages, preventing several drivers from improving their times.
2026 French F4: Nogoro: Race 1: Bouzar in control
Race 1 quickly turned into a showcase of control from Guillaume Bouzar. After Matthéo Dauvergne retired before the start due to a mechanical issue, Bouzar enjoyed a clear path from pole position. He maintained his lead into the first corner and steadily built a gap, managing both pace and tyre wear effectively.
Behind him, the race featured early drama. On lap two, Thibaut Ramaekers collided with Tom Dussol, triggering a safety car. Although Ramaekers initially continued strongly, officials later handed him a 20-second penalty, dropping him out of podium contention. Consequently, Hugo Herrouin secured second place, while Kota Tsuchihashi inherited third.
Further down the order, Oscar Goudchaux and Lewis Francis impressed with strong finishes, while Jimmy Hélias climbed from 15th to seventh. Additionally, Lisa Billard finished ninth overall, marking the best female result in the series’ FIA-certified era.
Race 1 Classification
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Hugo Herrouin
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Lewis Francis
- Lilian Soares
- Jimmy Hélias
- Yuval Rosen
- Lisa Billard
- Jules Avril
- Wojciech Woda
- Jade Jacquet
- Jack Iliffe
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
- Maverick McKenna
- Thomas Senecloze
- Angélina Proenca
- Shane Chandaria
- Paul Gleizes
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Sasha Beisemann
- Annabelle Brian
- Kyler Cheezum
- Autumn Fisher
- Arthur Eschalier
- Isabella Abreu
- Nicolas Pasquier
NC:
- Ginevra Panzeri
- Matthéo Dauvergne
- Tom Dussol
Women’s Race 1 Classification
- Lisa Billard
- Jade Jacquet
- Annabelle Brian
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
- Angelina Proenca
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Autumn Fisher
- Isabella Abreu
- Ginevra Panzeri – NC
2026 French F4: Race 2: Francis seizes his moment
The reverse-grid race delivered intense action from the start. Yuval Rosen led initially, holding off Lewis Francis, Lilian Soares, and Oscar Goudchaux. However, multiple safety car periods disrupted the race rhythm, including incidents involving Jules Avril, Jimmy Hélias, and others.
As the race resumed for the final laps, Lewis Francis made a decisive move at the École hairpin to take the lead. Shortly after, Lilian Soares also passed Rosen, relegating him to third. Meanwhile, chaos further back saw Guillaume Bouzar and Tom Dussol collide, forcing both into retirement and costing Bouzar valuable points.
Ultimately, Francis claimed his maiden win, while Soares secured second and Rosen completed the podium. Notably, Shane Chandaria scored his first points, highlighting the competitive depth of the field.
Race 2 Classification
- Lewis Francis
- Lilian Soares
- Yuval Rosen
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Hugo Herrouin
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Matthéo Dauvergne
- Lisa Billard
- Shane Chandaria
- Nicolas Pasquier
- Thomas Senecloze
- Maverick McKenna
- Arthur Eschalier
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Paul Gleizes
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Sofia Zanfari
- Angélina Proenca
- Annabelle Brian
- Kyler Cheezum
- Jimmy Hélias
- Sasha Beisemann
- Isabella Abreu
- Autumn Fisher (DNF)
- Héloïse Goldberg (DNF)
NC:
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Tom Dussol
- Jack Iliffe
- Jules Avril
- Wojciech Woda
- Jade Jacquet
DNS: Ginevra Panzeri
Women’s Race 2 Classification
- Lisa Billard
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
- Angelina Proenca
- Annabelle Brian
- Isabella Abreu
- Autumn Fisher – DNF
- Héloïse Goldberg – DNF
- Jade Jacquet – NC
- Ginevra Panzeri – DNS
2026 French F4: Race 3: Dauvergne claims maiden win
The final race hinged on the opening lap. Although Thibaut Ramaekers launched strongly, Guillaume Bouzar forced him wide, allowing Matthéo Dauvergne to move into contention. From there, Dauvergne maintained consistent pressure at the front.
Despite two early safety car periods, the leading trio remained largely unchallenged. However, Bouzar’s aggressive defence at the start resulted in a five-second penalty. As a result, Dauvergne inherited victory after the race, securing his first win in single-seaters. Ramaekers finished second, while Bouzar dropped to third.
Behind the leaders, Kota Tsuchihashi and Oscar Goudchaux continued their strong weekends, while Shane Chandaria added another point with a 10th-place finish.
Race 3 Classification
- Matthéo Dauvergne
- Thibaut Ramaekers
- Guillaume Bouzar
- Kota Tsuchihashi
- Oscar Goudchaux
- Hugo Herrouin
- Lilian Soares
- Lewis Francis
- Yuval Rosen
- Shane Chandaria
- Tom Dussol
- Jack Iliffe
- Jules Avril
- Thomas Senecloze
- Jimmy Hélias
- Lisa Billard
- Maverick McKenna
- Arthur Eschalier
- Annabelle Brian
- Angélina Proenca
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Sasha Beisemann
- Kyler Cheezum
- Autumn Fisher
- Isabella Abreu
- Nicolas Pasquier (DNF)
- Wojciech Woda (DNF)
- Paul Gleizes (DNF)
NC:
- Jade Jacquet
- Clara Stiebleichinger
- Sofia Zanfari
DNS: Ginevra Panzeri
Women’s Race 3 Classification
- Lisa Billard
- Annabelle Brian
- Angelina Proenca
- Héloïse Goldberg
- Autumn Fisher
- Isabella Abreu
- Jade Jacquet – NC
- Clara Stiebleichinger – NC
- Sofia Zanfari – NC
- Ginevra Panzeri – DNS
Weekend standouts and key trends
The opening round produced three different winners, immediately demonstrating the competitiveness of the 2026 grid. While Bouzar showed consistency, rookies proved they could challenge for victories straight away.
Rookie impact
Drivers such as Matthéo Dauvergne, Lewis Francis, and Oscar Goudchaux delivered standout performances. Their pace suggests that the rookie class will play a major role in the title fight.
Women’s classifications developments
Although Lisa Billard dominated on track across all three races, she remained ineligible for points. Consequently, Annabelle Brian left Nogaro as the leader of the Women’s F4 standings, narrowly ahead of Angelina Proenca and Clara Stiebleichinger.
2026 French F4 Standings after Round 1 (Nogoro)
Following an action-packed opening round at Nogaro, consistency proved decisive as drivers balanced outright pace with racecraft across three races. Below are the full standings after Event 1.
Drivers’ Championship
- Guillaume Bouzar – 43 pts
- Hugo Herrouin – 30 pts
- Matthéo Dauvergne – 28 pts
- Kota Tsuchihashi – 27 pts
- Oscar Goudchaux – 27 pts
- Lewis Francis – 24 pts
- Lilian Soares – 22 pts
- Thibaut Ramaekers – 21 pts
- Yuval Rosen – 13 pts
- Jimmy Hélias – 6 pts
- Shane Chandaria – 2 pts
- Jules Avril – 2 pts
- Wojciech Woda – 1 pt
Women’s Championship
- Annabelle Brian – 40 pts
- Angelina Proenca – 39 pts
- Clara Stiebleichinger – 35 pts
- Héloïse Goldberg – 29 pts
- Sofia Zanfari – 26 pts
- Autumn Fisher – 22 pts
- Isabella Abreu – 20 pts
Conclusion: A wide-open championship
The Nogaro opener has already set the tone for an unpredictable season. Although Guillaume Bouzar leads the standings, his advantage remains slim, and momentum continues to shift between drivers.
At the same time, the immediate success of rookies such as Dauvergne and Francis signals a changing dynamic within the championship. Therefore, as the series heads to Dijon-Prenois, the fight for the title remains wide open, with multiple contenders ready to take centre stage.
