French F4 has one of the tightest battles in all the feeder series this year, thanks to Macéo Capietto (15) who caught up with Esteban Masson in the standings. Supported by Prema Racing, the Frenchman looks to have a bright future ahead of him. Ahead of the final round, he opens up about his season and his program next year.

By Perceval Wolff

Macéo Capietto is one of the standout rookie drivers this French F4 season. Four wins and three pole positions, but more importantly ten podiums; Capietto has been one of the most consistent drivers of the field. “It has been a pretty good season, with good progression throughout the year. I’m pretty satisfied with myself for a first season in single-seaters.”

The final round takes place at Magny-Cours, where Capietto won his first single-seaters race this season. “I like this track. But Esteban (Masson, ed.) was very quick here too. It will be perfect to see the progression of every driver compared to the first meeting at Magny-Cours.”

Capietto vs. Masson

Capietto and Masson have known each other for several years. As they already battled in the French Junior FFSA Karting Championship in 2019, Capietto finished runner-up behind his rival. But it seems their relationship has deteriorated during this season. “Well, everything was very nice during the first three rounds. But then after the Hungarian meeting, he didn’t want to talk to me anymore. I have nothing against him but he doesn’t want to talk to me so… nothing I can do about it.”

Prema

During the season, Capietto has been a very busy driver. Besides running for the title in French F4, the Frenchman also entered one Italian F4 meeting and several testing sessions with Prema, meaning he often had to switch from the Mygale M14-F4 (French F4) to the Tatuus F4-T014 (Italian F4). “I’m starting to know the Mygale really well, so it’s not really a problem coming back to this car. It’s more difficult when I have to go back to the Tatuus, it takes me two or three practice sessions before being really competitive.”

The name Capietto is not unknown in the world of feeder series. His father Guillaume Capietto has been the technical director of Prema Racing in F2 since the Italian squad entered the championship in 2016. It’s mainly because of him that Macéo wanted to become a racing driver. “I would never have thought about being a driver if I had not been in the world of motorsport thanks to my father. By being in this world since my childhood, I became passionate and I wanted to make it my job.

“My father still helps me. He gives me technical advice, he’s near the track, we watch my onboard videos together, we talk.”

But Capietto is not only a busy driver, he is also a student entering his final year of high school as he skipped two grades. “Well, my parents gave me only one condition to allow me to continue motorsport: having good results at school, to be sure that I still have something if my racing career doesn’t work. I can say that my plan B is to become a motorsport engineer like my father.”

Future

Congratulated by René Rosin himself after each win in French F4, Capietto is having ongoing discussions about his future next year with Prema Racing. “We’re looking at what we will do in 2022. My father says I’m maybe a bit too young for FRECA and that the drivers are much more experienced. So maybe Italian F4 wouldn’t be a bad idea. It will also depend on whether I win the championship or not this weekend.”

“We also have to consider that FRECA requires a different budget. I know that the French Federation (FFSA) pushes to get me in FRECA, so we will see, nothing is done for the moment. There is also the question about the winter championships. For example, if we choose to do Italian F4, we will certainly do F4 UAE before that.”

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