Race 3
French F4 2026
Round 1
Tsuchihashi finishes P4 in Race 3 and leaves opening round fourth in the standings
Circuit de NogaroOn Monday 6 April, Race 3 of the French F4 season opener was held at Circuit de Nogaro.
Race 3: P4 start → P4 finish
Race 3 on Monday afternoon was held in dry conditions at 27°C. Starting fourth, Tsuchihashi saw an early Safety Car after a midfield car stopped. After the restart, the top four gradually broke away. Tsuchihashi remained close to the top three through the early and middle stages, searching for an opportunity to overtake. However, no clear chance emerged, and he held fourth to the finish, scoring 12 points.
He collected 27 points across the opening round to sit fourth in the standings. Round 2 will take place at Dijon-Prenois from 15–17 May, where Tsuchihashi is expected to build on his podium-contending pace.
Kota TSUCHIHASHI
50
FFSA Academy Qualifying included a few small mistakes, but overall I showed consistent pace, which meant I started from P6 for Race 1 and P5 for both Race 2 and Race 3.
In Race 1, I was a bit nervous at the start as it was my first race, but I gained positions off the line and then maintained a steady pace to finish P4. With a penalty applied to the car ahead, I was ultimately promoted to P3.
In Race 2, starting from P5 on the reverse grid, I had a good opportunity to fight towards the front. However, I mistakenly thought there was an engine issue on the grid and shut the engine down, which forced me to return to the pit lane and start from the back. There was an option to retire during the race to save tyres, but I chose to prioritise experience and completed the race, finishing P16.
In Race 3, with significantly higher temperatures, I focused on tyre management throughout the race. With two Safety Car periods, I feel there was some room to push the pace earlier, but in the end I finished P4.
Scoring P3 in my first French F4 weekend and gaining experience in close battles was a very valuable outcome. At the same time, the areas I need to improve have become clear, so I will continue working on these ahead of the next round at Dijon from 15–17 May. Thank you for your continued support.
Qualifying included a few small mistakes, but overall I showed consistent pace, which meant I started from P6 for Race 1 and P5 for both Race 2 and Race 3.
In Race 1, I was a bit nervous at the start as it was my first race, but I gained positions off the line and then maintained a steady pace to finish P4. With a penalty applied to the car ahead, I was ultimately promoted to P3.
In Race 2, starting from P5 on the reverse grid, I had a good opportunity to fight towards the front. However, I mistakenly thought there was an engine issue on the grid and shut the engine down, which forced me to return to the pit lane and start from the back. There was an option to retire during the race to save tyres, but I chose to prioritise experience and completed the race, finishing P16.
In Race 3, with significantly higher temperatures, I focused on tyre management throughout the race. With two Safety Car periods, I feel there was some room to push the pace earlier, but in the end I finished P4.
Scoring P3 in my first French F4 weekend and gaining experience in close battles was a very valuable outcome. At the same time, the areas I need to improve have become clear, so I will continue working on these ahead of the next round at Dijon from 15–17 May. Thank you for your continued support.
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