Last Wednesday in Magny-Cours, 16-year-old French driver Augustin Bernier was crowned as the 2023 winner of the FEED Racing competition started by Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Lemarié. By winning, FRECA driver Victor Bernier’s little brother received an all-paid drive in the 2024 French F4 Championship. Feeder Series talked to him just after his win.

By Perceval Wolff

Magny-Cours, 27 September, 7:03 PM local time. Augustin Bernier drove under the chequered flag for the final time of the day. After already eliminating Alex O’Grady, the Frenchman was facing Sam Balota, a Belgian driver who had already participated in a final to get an all-paid French F4 season last year, in the RACB Road to F4 programme.

After crowning Marijn Kremers in 2019, current Porsche rising star Robert de Haan in 2021 and French F4 race-winner Kevin Foster in 2022, FEED Racing has established itself as an opportunity for talented young drivers, especially those who don’t have the budget, to step up to French F4. The driving academy started by 1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Lemarié gives a free season in French F4 to the fastest driver of each year’s competition.

Of the 53 drivers from 14 different nationalities who entered FEED Racing this year, only six of them qualified for the final at the Magny-Cours F1 Circuit. 

A close competition

“I knew that by entering FEED Racing, there would be a very competitive level,” Bernier said to Feeder Series. 

“In one of the free practice sessions before the final, I was the fastest and the last one, Enzo Caldaras, was only at four tenths… I knew that would be a very tight final.”

Before qualifying for the final, Bernier had dominated his first training course in July. The 2021 FFSA Junior Karting champion was quickly tipped as one of the main favourites for this year’s competition. But the karting champion came close to an elimination in the semi-finals.

“The semi-finals were really bad for me. I didn’t have much pressure but maybe a bit too much overconfidence. The first run in the fresh tyres was catastrophic. I don’t know how, but I managed to pull three good laps in the second run in worn tyres, and I qualified for only one tenth of a second. That was a good lesson for the final, not to think too much of the win, not be overconfident.”

During the final, the 17-year-old Balota also impressed, constantly being classified in the top three. 

“In used tyres, Sam was really quick, it was complicated to beat him,” Bernier said. “But in new tyres, I was able to extract more of the tyre potential. I knew the first duals were in worn tyres and that the final duel between the two best would be in new tyres, so after the White Final [qualifying session], after being the fastest in that session, I knew I wouldn’t be opposed to Sam before the final dual. It was very tense.”

Over the moon about the win

Half a second faster than Balota in fresh tyres, Bernier was crowned as the newest FEED Racing winner, guaranteeing him a free drive in the 2024 French F4 season. But the former karting champion realise this at first.

“When I crossed the line, I was happy of myself, but in my in-lap, I was trying to do some signs to the people near the track or in the grandstands to ask them if I was first. I asked Kevin Foster at the Nürburgring turn, but he didn’t move so he had probably not seen me. Then at the Imola turn, I saw Enzo Peugeot and the other coaches in a car, going back to the paddock…I was getting really stressed!

“Eventually, I saw my father in the grandstands at the final chicane. And I see him waving his arms, running everywhere…I directly understood. I was so, so happy, everything was so crazy in my head at that moment.

“I went to FEED without any objective. Of course, I wanted to win, but I was not expecting anything. I hadn’t done any competition for two years, I didn’t know what was my level. It was a super opportunity, an incredible quality for a price that is so low…To win FEED…I’m over the moon. Not only for the money, but also for the coaching that I will get from Patrick Lemarié, from Jacques Villeneuve, from all the FEED family next year.”

All options open for 2025

2022’s FEED Racing winner Kevin Foster is currently sitting in third in the French F4 standings. Does this put any pressure on Bernier? 

“Not at all, I would even say it reassures me on the level of FEED Racing! That means I can maybe do the same, it motivates me. Anyway, I don’t have any specific goals for next year. Of course, I want to fight in front, but we will know more after the pre-season tests. I haven’t tested the new-generation F4 car for the moment.”

The 2021 French FFSA Junior Karting champion will be competing with several drivers, including Arthur Dorison and Pacôme Weisenburger, who both won the same competition in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

“I hadn’t thought about it! That’s funny we all make our single-seaters debut in the same year, for sure. I believe all three of us went to PB Kart, sometimes with the same mechanics, because I know them quite well even though they are one year younger than me. I know that in French F4, I will fight against drivers I know for years and years.”

Before the opening round of the season in  Nogaro, Bernier will not compete in any races. 

“For the moment, there is not much planned for the coming months. But as FEED will finance the F4 season, we will be able to use our budget for some tests. Without FEED, it would have been very hard to get the budget for a full season.

“After French F4, I am open to everything. Anyway, everything will depend on my results. We all know how hard it is to go to F1, you have to be signed by an academy, by someone… that’s how it works. After F4, FRECA would already be a dream for me, I wasn’t supposed to be there already. And after this, endurance, GT, single-seaters, I’m open to everything!”

The opening round of the French F4 season will take place at Nogaro from 31 March to 1 April 2024. In the meantime, FEED Racing has opened its registrations for its 2024 competition.

Header photo credit: FEED Racing