Taito Kato becomes French F4 Champion
Paul RicardWith 12 podium finishes, including five victories, and 16 top-five finishes in 21 races, Taito Kato has enjoyed a sensational season in the French Formula 4 Championship. A member of Honda's young driver development programme, the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), Taito Kato graduated from the Honda Racing School in Suzuka in 2023 and competed in the French F4 Championship in 2024. He was impressive throughout the year, whatever the circuit, even though he was making his single-seater debut.
French F4 normally consists of 3 races per 1 event.
The starting grid for Race 1 is determined by qualifying, the starting grid for Race 2 is determined by reversing the top 10 qualifiers, and the starting grid for Race 3 is determined by the second-best qualifying time.
The seventh and final round took place on the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet and Taito Kato walked away with the Championship, aged just 16. As early as Free Practice on Thursday, the Japanese rookie found himself at the top of the order, which he confirmed by setting the fastest time in the final session on Friday morning, ideal for building confidence before official Qualifying.
"The Paul Ricard circuit is an interesting one, with fast corners and heavy braking," commented Taito. "I think I could have taken pole position, but I made a slight mistake on my best lap and was only a tenth off the pace to improve on 2nd place. On the other hand, my second lap was also very good, which secured me pole for Race 3."
In Race 1, Taito started from 2nd place. He got off to a good start and He leads through the first corner. Eventually, He had an excellent pace, he was able to increase the gap and cross the finish line as the winner with a lead of more than two seconds. However, a three-second penalty was imposed on Taito for overshooting the limits of track during a battle with a second-placed driver early in the race, dropping him back to second place. In response to this, Taito explained that he was forced to overshoot to avoid a collision. After deliberations, Taito returned to 1st position.
There was a need for reconsideration of this deliberation and the final result of the Championship was provisional. After reconsideration, He was finally declared the winner.
Because of the inverted grid, Race 2 was logically more difficult, with a start in 9th position. Contrary to his strategy for Race 3, several drivers took advantage of the opportunity to fit two new tyres, so that Taito was unable to move up beyond 5th place, albeit ahead of his two main rivals in the Championship.
It all came down to Race 3. Despite a race incident involving contact with an opponent and a crash in 9th position, it was finally Taito Kato who scored the most points in the FIA-certified French F4 Championship.
Being Champion in my first season is fantastic. Of course, I'll have to wait for the final standings to be made official, as an appeal is underway. In any case, what I've achieved this year is very important for the rest of my career. I'd like to thank Honda, my partners, my supporters in Japan and elsewhere in the world, as well as Takuma Sato who came to encourage me at Paul Ricard.
Being Champion in my first season is fantastic. Of course, I'll have to wait for the final standings to be made official, as an appeal is underway. In any case, what I've achieved this year is very important for the rest of my career. I'd like to thank Honda, my partners, my supporters in Japan and elsewhere in the world, as well as Takuma Sato who came to encourage me at Paul Ricard.
