Everything was to be discovered for Saintéloc Racing last weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. The few preparatory test sessions could not replace the truth of the race, in the pack against rivals who are far more experienced in the discipline.

With the major theme being learning the category, the car and the Championship, Théophile Naël didn't wait very long to sign promising lap times in Free Practice, climbing into the top 10 from the first session. A promising position which should not however overshadow the objective of the weekend. Théophile added a first touch of performance to this. Twice 14th in Qualifying, the driver of the Tatuus n°6 could have aimed at a good result in Race 1 on Saturday, but a slight collision forced him to go back to the pits to change the front end. The first significant moment came on Sunday morning, when he finished 12th, less than two seconds from the points, and 3rd in the Rookies. An incident during the safety car period a few hours later in Race 3 prevented Théophile confirming this performance. The Frenchman escaped unscathed from the mishap and his overall result was positive.

Théophile Naël: "It's been a while since I last raced in a pack, my last race being in karting at the beginning of December. So it was nice to find this atmosphere again and I quickly got back into the swing of things. I had to, because the opposition are not doing anyone any favours. We were fast all weekend in the race, but we missed our Qualifying a little bit. That's what cost us a better result. But I have gained experience in several areas."

With his previous experience in Italy and Germany and a good knowledge of the Tatuus F4, Ethan Ischer had to familiarise himself with the team environment and a new series. Although the Swiss driver was not able to show his strengths in Qualifying, he was twice able to climb up the hierarchy in Race 1 and Race 3, gaining several positions in the middle of the fight in the pack, until he reached 17th position twice. The last race unfortunately ended in a collision at the last chicane, but without serious damage for the Swiss driver.

Ethan Ischer: "It was a great pleasure to be able to work with the Saintéloc Racing team, and I had some great battles. At the beginning of the meeting, I found it difficult to adapt to the tyres, which are different to the Pirelli tyres I am used to, especially when it comes to warming up. Then I started to understand how they work, so it got better. That will be the subject of this weekend. Then I missed my Qualifying, which made the rest of the weekend more difficult. It's a pity, because we had excellent speed in the race."

Saintéloc Racing will return to Spanish F4 racing in the autumn (3rd-4th September) at the Motorland circuit in Aragon. It will be another opportunity for the whole team to discover and learn.

Spa-Francorchamps results

Théophile Naël (Tatuus F4-T421 #6)
Q1: P14
Q2: P14
R1: P24 - P9 Rookie
R2: P12 - P3 Rookie
R3: Retirement

Ethan Ischer (Tatuus F4-T421 #27)
Q1: P28
Q2: P29
R1: P17
R2: P26
R3: P17