F4 Academy: Macéo Capietto strikes back in Race 3 in Budapest

The duel between Macéo Capietto and Masson continued throughout the meeting at the Hungaroring, where Capietto beat his rival from the start to win for the second time in the 2021 French F4 Championship. Swiss driver Cabanelas won the Junior class.

The feared stormy showers did not invade the skies over Budapest and the academicians were once again able to enjoy warm and sunny weather. The Pirelli tyres fitted to the FFSA Academy’s Mygale-Renault Sport single-seaters were put to the test, but the young drivers of the French F4 Championship were able to cope with this additional difficulty during the 23 minutes of an exciting race from start to finish.

Second Hungarian podium for Inthraphuvasak

At the front, the start played an important role in the final ranking and the podium. On the outside of the front row, Macéo Capietto made a perfect start. “I must admit that I had the best start of my career,” confirmed Macéo. “When I got to the first corner I already had a lead and I immediately tried to give myself a bit of breathing space compared to Esteban. I continued on a fast pace, without taking many risks. My tyres stayed effective until the end.” The fastest lap in the race set by the winner of the day confirmed his level of performance. “This meeting at the Hungaroring allowed me to achieve a good score in terms of points, which is positive for the rest of the season.”

Winner the day before, Esteban Masson took the points for 2nd place, resisting the Thai Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak faultlessly, who repeated his performance of Race 1 by mounting the third step of the podium. After the spectacular collision in Race 2, the FFSA Academy mechanics were able to repair Masson’s single-seater in time, and he remains a solid leader in the French F4 Championship with a 40-point lead over Macéo Capietto and 44 over Hugh Barter, who will regret his modest Qualifying session. Winner of the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy this winter, the Australian nevertheless finished on a positive note by moving up from 14th to 7th place in Race 3.

Fourth Junior win for Cabanelas

Owen Tangavelou, a podium contender, was caught out by Inthraphuvasak on the first lap and was never able to find an opening afterwards despite a clear race and excellent lap times. Now 5th in the Championship, Owen also had to watch out for the return of Gaël Julien, who confirms his rise to prominence with each passing race. Gaël overtook Swiss driver Dario Cabanelas at the start, before getting the better of Alessandro Giusti to complete the day’s top five. Giusti had to settle for 9th place in the last part of the race, which is synonymous with 2nd place in the Junior class.

Cabanelas didn’t give up after his difficult start and showed a lot of fighting spirit to recover the lost places. His efforts were rewarded with a 6th place overall and another victory in the Junior class. The neck and neck battle in this category with Alessandro Giusti continues!

The promising Elliott Vayron, who started 15th and finished 8th, can congratulate himself on his great debut in single-seater competition. Noah Andy completed the top 10 of the day in front of two Juniors who keep getting closer to their elders: Pierre-Alexandre Provost and Enzo Geraci. Excellent in Minikart and Cadet karting, Enzo Richer has been almost completely out of competition for almost four years. He was delighted to discover the FFSA Academy and its high-level FIA F4 Championship. There was disappointment for Angelina Favario and Daniel Ligier, who ended up behind following an incident at the start of the race.

Race 3 standings

1 Macéo Capietto (France) on 13 laps
2 Esteban Masson (France) at 2″714
3 Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (Thailand) at 5″267
4 Owen Tangavelou (France) at 5″792
5 Gaël Julien (France) at 6″185
6 Dario Cabanelas (Switzerland) at 12″391, 1st Junior
7 Hugh Barter (Australia) at 14″337
8 Elliott Vayron (France) at 19″088
9 Alessandro Giusti (France) at 20″616, 2nd Junior
10 Noah Andy (France) at 20″712
11 Pierre-Alexandre Provost (France) at 20″920, 3rd Junior
12 Enzo Geraci (France) at 21″357, 4th Junior
13 Enzo Richer (France) at 29″214
14 Angélina Favario (France) at 1 lap
15 Daniel Ligier (France) at 1 lap
Fastest lap: Capietto in 1’47″291 (avg. 146,9 km/h)

French Championship standings after Budapest

1 Esteban Masson (France) 148 pts
2 Macéo Capietto (France) 108 pts
3 Hugh Barter (Australia) 104 pts
4 Daniel Ligier (France) 78 pts
5 Owen Tangavelou (France) 68 pts
6 Gaël Julien (France) 66 pts
7 Alessandro Giusti (France) 62 pts, 1st Junior
8 Dario Cabanelas (Switzerland) 59 pts, 2nd Junior
9 Aiden Neate (United Kingdom) 30 pts, 3rd Junior
10 Noah Andy (France) 25 pts
11 Thanapongpan Sutumno (Thailand) 22 pts
12 Enzo Geraci (France) 15 pts, 4th Junior
13 Pierre-Alexandre Provost (France) 5 pts, 5th Junior
14 Adam Szydlowski (Poland) 4 pts
15eq Angélina Favario (France)
15eq Vignesh Kadarabad (India)

FFSA Academy Press Release / Photo © KSP – Guillaume Veuve