Third-generation racer Andy Consani is targeting a move to single-seaters in French F4 after some impressive outings in racing shootouts, especially the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy. Feeder Series talked to Consani following his first tests with the FFSA Academy at Le Mans.

By Perceval Wolff-Taffus

In early October of this year, six international karters gathered at the Circuito de Jerez for the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy with the aim of earning a fully funded seat at MP Motorsport for Spanish F4.

Among them was Andy Consani, the youngest of the group and the only one born in 2010.

The programme evaluated drivers on track through qualifying and race simulations and off track through interviews, media duties, and physical and mental assessments.

Consani proved to be the fastest by 0.340 seconds in the qualifying simulation and set the best average lap by 0.188s over fellow Frenchman Louis Iglesias in the race simulation. But when it came to the prize itself, Consani lost out to 16-year-old Ean Eyckmans from Belgium, who had finished third in the race simulations, an average of 0.310s behind Consani.

“Not to win the Richard Mille was really, really hard for me,” Consani said. “I still don’t understand. I was really satisfied with my performance in interviews, in the physical assessment, et cetera. It was very hard, but it’s giving me more fuel to prove myself. I hope to have great opportunities in the future.”

For Consani, winning the award would have reunited him with a series his family knows well. His mother, Alexandra Consani, was formerly the executive director of Finnish single-seater team Koiranen GP, which helped launch Spanish F4 and promoted its first two seasons in 2016 and 2017.

His other family members have similarly diverse careers in racing.

Consani’s grandfather, Georges Consani, was previously an amateur rally driver, and his uncle, Stéphane Consani, has competed on the international rallying and rally-raid scene. Andy’s father, Robert Consani, was also a rally driver after starting out in French FRenault 2.0 with the Filière Elf programme, now called the FFSA Academy. The 42-year-old now races in GT competition and  finished only six points shy of 19-year-old GB3 race winner Tom Lebbon in the GT4 European Series after winning the last four races.

By contrast, 14-year-old Andy said his dream “has always been F1”, and he is taking inspiration from one late family friend on his mission to get there.

“Our family was very close to Jules Bianchi,” he said. “He used to sleep at our place, he was the best friend of my uncle, he used to go on holiday with my father, et cetera. His simulator, his bicycle were at our place too. It’s because of him I’m now dreaming of F1. Alongside Ayrton Senna, Jules Bianchi is my racing hero.”

In 2018, three years after Bianchi’s death, Consani first competed in karting at eight years old. Since 2023, he has made steady progress with Sodikart, a team used to success in gearbox karting but not in direct-drive series. He finished sixth at the FIA Karting European Championship’s Val d’Argenton round and second at the WSK Euro Series’ Franciacorta round, but he said his biggest achievement came later in the year in September.

“I won one qualifying heat at the FIA world championship at [PF International] in Great Britain,” he said. “The team and the engine builder Franco Drudi from TM did an awesome job, and we were clearly amongst the fastest in dry conditions.

“The only problem was that the British drivers were experts on this track as they had multiple races at PFI during the year, while most of the drivers racing in Europe were discovering the track. And most of the weekend was rainy. It’s a very technical track and especially under the rain, you really need all the little tips at every turn to master the track.”

During his sole season in the OK category, Consani targeted a move to single-seaters in 2025 and applied for several competitions to help him get there.

Consani said he had done “a bit less than 10 testing days” before the Richard Mille programme, through which he and the other five finalists tested together at MotorLand Aragón with MP Motorsport beforehand.

Consani also won the R-ace GP shootout at the Val de Vienne circuit in September, beating reference driver Luka Sammalisto, an Italian F4 point scorer and the 2023 prize winner. The shootout prize would have been a discounted seat with the team for the 2025 Italian F4 season.

He was also one of five finalists for the Ginetta Junior Scholarship among 70 participants despite having no previous experience with the Ginetta car.

But budget remains an issue for Consani, and Feeder Series understands that he cannot afford an optimal  Italian F4 or Spanish F4 programme with testing days or a winter series prior to the main campaign. Instead, he is looking towards his home country’s F4 series.

“I’m doing everything to show that I deserve to be in F4,” he said, “but I’m hoping to bounce back in French F4 with its one-team format. We have been able to secure several very precious sponsors, but we still need a little bit of help to make sure it’s all okay for next year.

“It’s looking good, but as long as it’s not 100% sure, we’re still working on it. I really hope to be on the grid for the opening round at Nogaro.”

Consani already had the opportunity to test the series’ Mygale M21-F4 at the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit. Despite being “very surprised” at his first test, he was the fastest rookie present, beating out the likes of Hugo Herrouin or Rafael Pérard, and challenging a reference driver.

“At the end of the day, there was Alessandro Giusti [F3-bound Williams junior] driving with fresh tyres,” he said. “I had brand-new tyres and I was two tenths quicker! I know I had tyres in a little bit better condition, but still, it was really nice to end the day that way. The speed was definitely there.”

Even though he has not yet been confirmed for French F4, Consani will still move to Le Mans imminently. “In early January, I will go live in Le Mans, in the FFSA buildings, in the student residence, to study there. It will also allow me to go to their weight room and have access to the simulator once a week”.

The upcoming French F4 season will kick off at Nogaro for the traditional Coupes de Pâques, with the opening race on Easter Sunday, the 20th of April.

Header photo credit: Aaron Parales