Considered one of the best French kart drivers of his generation, Andy Consani has just made his debut in the FIA-certified French F4 Championship. The youngest driver on the grid made his first-ever start from pole position after a perfectly controlled Qualifying session in difficult rainy conditions. For Andy, the Easter Cup at Nogaro also included a first podium finish, this time on a dry track. It's clear that in 2025, we'll have to watch out for the hopeful chosen by Mercedes-AMG F1 to be part of its development programme for young drivers.
From karting to cars, a logical progression
Andy Consani made his karting debut in 2018 at the age of eight. In the French top 10 the following year, he quickly moved up to an international level. In 2023, he finished 9th out of 123 entries in the World Junior Championship. In 2024, he climbed another rung up the ladder to take on the world's best in the highly competitive OK category, in which the driver from Bouches-du-Rhône put in a string of top-level performances. His results, as well as his personality, his approach to motor sport and his progression curve, enabled him to be selected as one of the few drivers chosen to experience the adventure of the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy at the end of the season. This fruitful experience in Formula 4 convinced him to make his debut in a single-seater from 2025.
A new star in the Mercedes universe
In March 2025, another promising announcement confirmed the young driver's promising potential: Andy Consani joined the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team's junior programme. The French F4 Championship, with its reputation for training and spotting many of today's champions, proved to be the best choice for nurturing Andy's budding talent and he began this new challenge with the determination that characterises him within the FFSA Academy.
First race, first pole position, first podium!
The Nogaro Easter Cup kicked off with a successful first day of private testing on Friday in the sunshine of south-west France. The following day, it rained in the Gers. Andy Consani made the most of the track's difficult grip conditions and climbed to the top of the timesheets, becoming probably the youngest poleman in FIA French F4.
Drawing on his experience of top-level karting events, Andy Consani remained calm when the lights went out in Race 1, contested on slicks, and got off to a perfect start to take the lead in the first few corners. An incident in the pack forced the safety car to return to the track. A few minutes later, the young driver managed the restart perfectly and retained the lead.
"The end of the race was more difficult, with two rivals overtaking me, but I remained concentrated right to the end to secure 3rd place on the podium, which is still a good result in view of this really tough Championship," commented the 15-year-old driver. "The rain returned in the afternoon for Race 2. The principle of the inverted grid relegated me to 10th position. There was a lot of spray and the track was very slippery. I got off to an excellent start, but unfortunately, I made a small mistake, which cost me a lot of places because the field was so tight when the safety car appeared. It's a shame, because when I climbed from 24th to 10th place, I was one of the fastest drivers on the track."
A season that's only just begun
Race 3 also left Andy with a few regrets. ‘As the laps went by, the car became more and more oversteer, with a very unstable rear end, perhaps due to contact in the first few corners, which actually earned me a penalty. I was on the verge of attacking for 3rd place at the start of the race, but then I downshifted and lost the chance to increase my points tally. After this first race, I'm ranked 7th out of 30. At Nogaro, I demonstrated my competitiveness in both dry and wet conditions and I'm determined to move up the order at the next round.’
See you in May on the Dijon-Prenois circuit...
2025 French F4 Championship calendar
19th-21st April - Nogaro *
9th-11th May - Dijon
20th-22nd June - Spa Francorchamps (Belgium)
1st-3rd August - Magny-Cours
12th-14th September - Lédenon
25th-27th September - Le Mans
* Already raced.