A rookie in search of performance

Having been unable to carry out any prior testing at the Dijon circuit, which he had to get to know as the four days progressed, Jimmy Helias and the 31 other drivers competing with the FFSA Academy had to cope with a track surface offering constantly changing grip.

"It was difficult to find my feet in these mixed conditions," Jimmy lamented. "At Dijon, the average lap speed is over 175 km/h, so you need to feel confident. It was only over the weekend that the slick tyres really came into their own. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for the Qualifying session, which was rather hit-and-miss with wet tyres used on sections of the track that had dried out."

Good sectors, but not all at once

"I pushed right to the end of the 30-minute Qualifying session, trying to improve my times, but without being able to string my three best sectors together in the same lap. The red flags that brought the session to a halt twice didn't really help the less experienced drivers, like me, which meant I couldn't do any better than 17th."

A remarkable start to the race

Right from Race 1, Jimmy Helias showed he has the potential to challenge the leading pack. After an excellent start, he fought hard right to the end to secure 10th place with some superb overtakes. In Race 2, he again showed great fighting spirit in the early laps, but was unable to maintain such a high pace in the latter stages of the race as his tyres began to show signs of wear.

Jimmy Helias came out fighting again in Race 3 and climbed back up to 10th place. "It's important to be among the drivers who regularly score points. I know I still need to work on consistency, but the season is still long. I've only competed in two races since my Formula 4 debut, but there are plenty of positives to take from Nogaro and Dijon. I've got plenty of room for improvement."

Jimmy Helias will certainly be analysing these early performances in this highly competitive FIA-certified French F4 Championship, so he can approach the upcoming rounds in the best possible form.

About Jimmy Hélias

Born on 1st September 2008, Jimmy Hélias lives in Evreux in the Eure department of Normandy. He won the French Mini-Kart Championship and the National Karting Series in the Mini-Kart category in 2016, when he was not yet 8 years old! Since then, the promising young French driver has continued to demonstrate his talent, particularly on the international stage, with several podium finishes in both the Junior and Senior categories. His fourth-place finish in the 2024 OK World Championship remains one of his greatest achievements. A talented driver with huge potential, Jimmy is now ready and mature enough to shine in motor racing, starting with the French F4 Single-Seater Championship run by the FFSA Academy under the auspices of the FIA.