F1: Red Bull expands its driver development program to French F4

Dr Helmut Marko was keen to explain the purpose of the presence of two Red Bull Junior Team drivers in French F4: “In an ongoing commitment to grow new young talent in Motorsport, the Red Bull Junior Driver Team has now expanded into the French F4 series with two exciting Japanese talents, Souta Arao and Yuto Nomura. Working with a team like FFSA Academy allows these young drivers the opportunity to show their full potential and we look forward to seeing them grow in 2022”.

This new partnership follows on from the successful long-standing relationship with the Red Bull Junior Team, as Jean-Eric Vergne and Pierre Gasly have followed this path to Formula 1. In 2021, Japan’s Ayumu Iwasa was integrated into the Red Bull Junior Team following his 2020 French F4 Championship title, at the same time as Isack Hadjar was supported by the Austrian team after his superb 2020 French F4 season.

“The FFSA Academy can be proud of the trust placed in it by a major motorsport player like Red Bull Racing,” said Christophe Lollier, the National Technical Director. “This is further proof of the value of the French F4 Championship and the training provided by the FFSA Academy. This time, the drivers selected are not judged on their results in F4, but the FFSA Academy has been chosen as the training program best able to support them as they progress to the highest level.”