Four podiums including one win already for Taito Kato in F4 with the FFSA Academy

After an excellent start to the season at Nogaro, where he finished on the podium in both races, Taito Kato set himself the target of victory in the second of seven rounds of the 2024 French F4 Championship at Lédenon. His mission was accomplished with panache when the Japanese driver won Race 3 after finishing 2nd in Race 1 and moving up to 5th in Race 2. Taito is now the Championship leader.

Before reaching this point, Taito Kato worked conscientiously with the FFSA Academy staff, who manage this FIA-certified Championship. As a result, he was able to set the 2nd fastest time in Free Practice and make a confident start to the Qualifying session. As is often the case in single-seaters, this session proved decisive for the rest of the competition on the difficult Lédenon circuit. "It's a very specific track with a lot of gradients, which makes it a real challenge to be fast, especially as the slightest mistake can be made very quickly and is very costly. Lédenon is also physically demanding," commented Taito.

"During Qualifying, I tried to set a good time in the first part of the session, in case the tyres were already deteriorating in the second part. But I noticed that the times were continuing to improve and I decided to attack again. I missed out on pole position for Race 1, by just 84 thousandths, but my second-best time secured me pole for Race 3."

Taito Kato held on to 2nd place at the start of Race 1, before maintaining a high pace over the following laps, but without being able to get the better of the leader. The Japanese hopeful put in another fine performance in Race 2. He started 9th on the principle of a reverse grid for the top 10 in Qualifying, and climbed back up to 5th with flying colours. In Race 3, he didn't let his chance slip away. After a faultless start from pole position, he took his first victory in the French F4 Championship after leading from start to finish. The best performer of the meeting, Taito collected a significant number of points, and he is now in 1st place in the Championship.