Round 4 of the 2026 French F4 Championship took place at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August. Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP) driver Kota Tsuchihashi contested Race 1, which began at 11:40am on Saturday 1 August.

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

Located in central France, the 4.411km Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours features a balanced mix of high- and low-speed corners. The Adelaide Hairpin, which follows the long back straight, is one of the circuit’s main overtaking opportunities.

Race 1: P3 on the grid → P2

After qualifying third on Friday 31 July, Tsuchihashi started Race 1 from the second row of the grid. As the two cars ahead battled on the opening lap, he seized the opportunity, diving down the inside of one of them to move into second place.

The Safety Car was deployed when a car stopped beside the track. Racing resumed on Lap 4, but contact involving several cars further back soon brought out the Safety Car again, making for a disrupted start to the race.

At the second restart on Lap 7, Tsuchihashi drew alongside the leader around the outside in the final sector and challenged under braking. However, with the inside line covered, he was unable to complete the overtake and remained in second place.

Battles continued throughout the field in the second half of the race, before the Safety Car was deployed for a third time with five minutes remaining. Racing resumed with around one minute left, setting up a final-lap showdown.

Tsuchihashi crossed the line just 0.694 seconds behind the winner to finish second, securing his second podium of the season and his best result to date.

©KSP Reportages