William Beck has had a fast start to life in his rookie Formula 4–level campaign, sitting third in the AU4 Championship’s class for second-generation F4 machinery. Now, as he prepares to double up with a partial season in Japanese F4, the New Zealander sat down with Feeder Series to explain more about the moves he’s making in pursuit of capturing glory.

By Anabelle Bremner

Racing, to William Beck, is like ‘playing chess at 200 kilometres an hour’.

The Auckland native’s first season in AU4 is already proving fruitful – four podiums in three rounds have propelled him into third in the Gen2 class standings, a placement that belies how new all of this is to him.

Out at The Bend a fortnight ago, the AGI Sport driver had all the poise of a seasoned racer, but he admitted that he’s ‘on the back foot’ when it comes to experience.

“I haven’t done much racing at all,” he said. Rather than a competitive karting pathway, it was racing a Honda Integra that first gave Beck the bug. In 2025 he took on both the North Island and New Zealand Formula Ford Championships, claiming the title in the former this past March. From there, the natural next step was AU4.

“It was a big jump, but I think I’ve adapted well,” he reflected. “Everyone’s at a bit of a higher level here. It’s not just your average dads and kids having a go. We’ve actually got proper teams.”

“Formula Ford has virtually no aero. In fact, it’s like we’ve got lift instead of downforce, and of course, a whole lot less horsepower. It’s definitely been a bit of a change,” Beck acknowledged.  

In adjusting to that change, however, the 17-year-old has gained a distinct upper hand over his rivals who’ve stepped up from karts. Formula Ford cars are notoriously demanding, their lack of wings and aerodynamic aids producing incredibly close racing and fostering Beck’s sense of ‘mechanical sympathy’. 

“It teaches you how you need to control the brakes and control the throttle, and how that lines up with the car’s movement,” Beck said. “When you’re under brakes, for example, you’ve got to have a nice trail so that you keep all the weight on the nose and you don’t burst into understeer. 

“A Formula Ford is a lot more highly strung and stressed than a Formula 4, so you can’t just go out and bang the limiter all the time or be hard on the machinery. You’ve got to be nice to it.” 

That understanding of car behaviour is about to be tested again. Beck has been confirmed to join Buzz Racing for a partial season in Japanese F4’s Independent Class, making his debut this weekend. It’s a move that augments his AU4 campaign, pitting him against new competitors on unfamiliar circuits such as Fuji, Autopolis and Motegi. 

“Going into Japanese F4 is an incredible step up from AU4 on every level,” Beck said. “My expectation is that the racing will be hard but clean, and the level of competition will be miles up the road from anything I have experienced so far.” 

Beck is acutely aware of the challenge ahead, viewing the experience as a chance to “learn as much as possible’ from the highly competitive Japanese field.

It’s a mindset that will serve him well. Beck is candid about his lack of experience compared to his rivals and clear-eyed about what that really demands of him.

“I have to make sure that every single lap is productive,” he explained. “Whether it’s increasing pace, getting better at my tyres, my warm-up, braking or consistency, every lap has to be better. The reality is, I’m here to learn as much as I can, so every decision I make is with learning in mind.”

There’s a practical element to that philosophy too.

“You don’t learn anything if you’re stuffed under the barriers on lap one,” Beck said. “In terms of mental state, too, you can’t be angry. If you’re angry in a race car, you do stupid stuff. It never ends well.” 

Learning that lesson ‘the hard way’ in a Honda Integra clearly stuck – it’s a key part of what he believes sets him apart from his competition.

“I think I’m a lot more mature than a lot of people around me,” he reflected. “I just make calm, careful decisions.”

Looking further ahead, Beck sees the higher levels of F4 or FRegional championships as the natural progression once his time in AU4 and Japanese F4 comes to an end, though nothing beyond this year is yet confirmed.

The ultimate goal, unsurprisingly, is F1. Pressed on the scale of that ambition, Beck doesn’t hedge: “If it wasn’t realistic, I wouldn’t be here.”

That confident, calculated approach took him from racing Hondas to two F4 campaigns on two different continents within two years – a bold opening gambit, but one that’s paying off. 

Header photo credit: JCR Multimedia