Chester Kieffer already in the top five on his F4 Academy debut

Over the course of two seasons, Chester Kieffer has honed his skills on the karting circuits of Belgium, France, Germany and Italy, growing in stature with each passing season as he competed in a number of high-profile international events. After conclusive tests in cars in 2023, the Luxembourg driver chose to take part in the French F4 Championship this season. The concept of this competition, founded over 30 years ago, has produced an incredible number of champions, including Stoffel Van Doorne and Pierre Gasly.

The Academy of the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) is responsible for preparing, maintaining and running the identical F4 single-seaters used by all the drivers. The car in question is a Mygale with a Renault Turbo engine and Pirelli tyres. It’s an ideal formula for training, progress and self-development. 25 drivers took part in the first round of the Easter Cup at Nogaro. Chester Kieffer was perfectly prepared for this event and was clearly one of the revelations of the meeting.

“I have the support of the Winfield driving school, with whom I worked extensively before the first meeting, in particular with my instructor Stéphane Daoudi, who has a wealth of experience,” said Chester. His weekend in south-west France began with a 10th place in Qualifying. “Honestly, I think I had the potential to do better. Just as I was on a fast lap, a red flag cut me off. When I set off again, the tyres had cooled. I attacked to get them back up to temperature, but they overheated and the handling deteriorated.”

P10 in Race 1 after recovering positions lost in the early stages of the race due to a chaotic start procedure, Chester Kieffer found himself on pole position in Race 2 according to the principle of the inverted grid for the top 10 finishers in the Qualifying session.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the most of it,” he said disappointedly. “There was a heavy downpour on the circuit and the conditions were really bad, so the race directors decided to cancel the race.”

On a track that became dry again in Race 3, the Luxembourg driver nevertheless finished in style, climbing back up to 5th position after some high-flying overtaking! “Even though there were a few setbacks during the three days of competition, this first 2024 event remains positive. I scored some big points in the Championship and showed that I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with.” The rest of the season for Chester, currently aged 17, promises to be intense and exciting…

Info Kartcom / Photo KSP – Guillaume Veuve