This weekend in Le Mans, French F4 will crown its 33rd champion since the series’ inception in 1993. Despite a 27-point deficit to championship leader Alexandre Munoz, Jules Roussel still hopes to turn the tables and now sits in a better position following the track limits drama that shook up qualifying on Friday

By Perceval Wolff-Taffus

The 30-minute qualifying session on the Le Mans Bugatti Circuit Friday afternoon proved to be hectic, with more than 200 lap time deletions for the 29 French F4 drivers.

More than one hour after the chequered flag waved, the original results were completely modified, with championship leader Munoz losing his pole position despite the fact that his pole lap was clean.

For every four track limits infringements accumulated, each driver’s best lap was deleted. Having exceeded that number, the 16-year-old lost his best lap and got shuffled down to fourth, from where he will start the first and third races this weekend.

Moreover, this allowed main rival Jules Roussel to start in front of him for the most rewarding races of the weekend. Behind polesitters Louis Iglesias and Arthur Dorison – himself an outside title contender, 61 points back from Munoz – the 18-year-old son of former 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 category winner Patrice Roussel will be starting from third and second.

“I would have liked to get at least one pole position,” Roussel told Feeder Series after the final results were published. “We had the pace, we saw it during free practice, but I improved my lap times a bit too late and the tyres were not at their optimal performance anymore.”

Track limits could also be a concern during the races. In each of the 30-minute contests, drivers can afford five track limits infringements before they start accumulating penalties.

“It’s difficult to push at 100 per cent, to use the track at its maximum but also be careful of track limits. To make the most of the track is part of the qualities of a driver,” Roussel said. “I was one of the drivers who didn’t have too many infringements, so I think this could penalise the others a little more. I have to stay focused, be careful but also aggressive.”

Roussel is fighting not only for the win but also for the title, and he’s built his challenge on the consistency of his raw pace. The Frenchman has finished every qualifying session but one in the top three, with fourth place his worst finish. Counting fastest and second-fastest lap times, his qualifying average of 2.33 is the highest in the field, ahead of Munoz’s average of 3. Further, he has unqualified Munoz at each of the last three rounds.

Naturally, starting in front of his biggest rival for the championship decider confers an advantage for the races. How does that fact affect his mindset?

“To start in front of Alex or not, it doesn’t change anything for my races. I need to be more aggressive, especially in the race starts and on the opening lap. That is where I need to improve.

“I’m not worried about the racecraft. I really made progress on that this year, like in Spa-Francorchamps – to play with the tow, to defend, to brake at the best moment.”

The French F4 champion earns not only a title and 12 FIA Super Licence points but also a €100,000 scholarship to put towards their future. Roussel says he hopes to stay in single-seaters next year, but the scholarship could determine whether he pursues FRegional Europe or Eurocup-3 next year – and where exactly he lands within those series. 

“The budget is always the key factor, but there are many things to think about: the value of the championship, the price we are able to pay, the team, the preparation. It can vary a lot,” he said. “[The scholarship] could make the difference between a very good team and a midfield team. We have some contacts for the future.”

Roussel, like Munoz, has finished more than half the races this season on the podium, with two wins and six second places. But while the Occitan native has only two non-scores, Nantes-born Roussel has four, including two mechanical failures at Magny-Cours.

“People don’t look at who is crowned champion or who is not crowned. They look at the entirety of this season, and it’s more that one was champion because there were things that went well, things that didn’t go well,” Roussel said. “I had three DNFs during the year that cost me a lot of points, and people who followed the season know it.

“Is the title important? Yes and no. But of course you get more attention if you take the title.”

With 68 points up for grabs across the three races, Roussel is still firmly in contention for the title. After all, Evan Giltaire overcame a 28-point deficit to Enzo Peugeot before the 2023 season finale to take the title by four points, but whether Roussel can achieve something similar hinges on more than just his own performance.

“With a 27-point gap, I can win all the races, but Alex can finish second and still get the title,” he said. “I’m not in charge of this battle. It will mainly depend on how he will handle the pressure. It doesn’t change my target for this weekend. I want to finish on a high note and improve on the points I can improve.”

Header photo credit: Elwynn Staerker