Jade Jacquet makes history with first female win in French F4

Jade Jacquet made history at Lédenon on Saturday, becoming the first woman ever to win a race in the French F4 Championship. The 16-year-old French driver took victory in Race 2, not only claiming her first win in the series but becoming the first female driver to stand on the top step of the overall podium since the championship began in 1993.

Jacquet qualified 10th in a 30-car field on Friday, which put her on pole when the top ten were reversed for Race 2. She'd already had a frustrating start to Saturday, retiring from Race 1 after starting 10th, but a few hours later she had another opportunity — and this time she made it count.

That restart was probably the biggest test of the race. With the field bunched up behind her and Ramaekers right there, Jacquet had to do it all over again.

She did.

Jacquet nailed the restart, pulled clear once more and stayed in control through to the chequered flag. Ramaekers finished second, with Australian Lewis Francis completing the podium in third.

For Jacquet, the result is particularly significant after what has been a challenging season. She raced full-time in French F4 in 2025 before moving into F1 Academy this year with ART Grand Prix, supported by the Williams Racing Driver Academy. French F4 has remained part of her 2026 programme, giving her additional track time alongside her F1 Academy campaign.

And at Lédenon, that experience paid off.

A historic win in a landmark year for women in French F4

Jacquet’s win also comes in a season where there are more women racing in French F4 than ever before.

For 2026, the FFSA introduced a new French Women’s F4 Championship, after the number of female drivers competing in the series grew significantly. It isn’t a separate championship with different cars or races. The women are part of the same French F4 grid, racing everyone else as normal, but they also score points in a separate women’s classification based on how they finish against each other.

There is a women’s podium at each race too, and the points count towards a season-long title. So while it sits alongside the main French F4 Championship, it is still an official competition rather than just a way of keeping track of the female drivers.

There is one slightly unusual detail when it comes to Jacquet, though.

Because she is only competing in selected French F4 rounds this year alongside her F1 Academy programme, she isn’t eligible to score points in the Women’s Championship (or the main championship). The same applies to fellow F1 Academy driver Lisa Billard. They can still race, and can still appear on the women’s podium at individual rounds, but they won’t be part of the championship battle at the end of the season.

Which means Jacquet won’t be the first French Women’s F4 champion.

Instead, she has done something arguably much harder to achieve: she has become the first woman to win a French F4 race outright, beating the entire field to do it.

And whatever happens in the new women’s championship this season, that is a piece of French F4 history that belongs to her.