Clara Stiebleichinger clinches French F4 Female Trophy title at Le Castellet
Clara Stiebleichinger secured the 2026 French F4 Female Trophy title at Le Castellet after a closely fought season finale in which the Austrian single seater rookie claimed two class victories to finish top of the standings.
Clara Stiebleichinger secured the 2026 French F4 Female Trophy title at Le Castellet after an intense season finale in which she claimed two class victories to finish top of the standings.
The Austrian rookie won the opening race female trophy class and repeated the feat in Race 2, while Jade Jacquet also delivered another strong weekend, regularly fighting near the overall top 15. Sofia Zanfari, Angelina Proenca and especially Heloise Goldberg continued to make progress in the competitive field.
The season finale at Le Castellet featured seven female drivers, continuing the French F4 Championship's position among the Formula 4 series with the strongest female representation. With the Female Trophy title still to be decided, Stiebleichinger and Brian arrived separated by a narrow margin. Ginevra Panzeri, who had enjoyed an encouraging season including a Female Trophy victory at Lédenon, was absent due to a clash with the final round of the E4 Championship at Monza.
Stiebleichinger entered the final round following a breakthrough rookie campaign. Having begun her single-seater career in Indian F4 earlier in the year, the Austrian had made rapid progress in France, claiming her maiden Female Trophy victory at Spa-Francorchamps and scoring her first overall championship point. Her performances also earned her selection for the F1 Academy Rookie Test, and she arrived at Le Castellet determined to complete her first season in formulas with the Female Trophy title.
Brian, meanwhile, came into the weekend leading the female standings after a series of encouraging performances. She secured her first overall top-ten finish of the season at Spa before adding a Female Trophy victory at Magny-Cours. Her consistent progress had put her in a strong position to challenge Stiebleichinger for the title, setting up a close fight over the three races.
Jacquet returned to the grid after making history at Lédenon, where she became the first female driver to win an outright French F4 race. The Williams F1 representative in F1 Academy had qualified inside the overall top ten at the previous round before converting reverse-grid pole into a dominant Race 2 victory. Her pace and growing confidence made her one of the drivers to watch at Le Castellet, although she was ineligible for Female Trophy championship points because of her participation in multiple programmes.
Zanfari also arrived with momentum after emerging as the highest finisher among eligible female drivers in the final race at Lédenon. The Moroccan driver had continued to improve throughout the season and had also impressed during recent F1 Academy Rookie Test outings. Proenca, meanwhile, had shown flashes of speed and regularly battled in the midfield, but a series of difficult races and misfortune had prevented her from fully capitalising on her pace.
Autumn Fisher returned after securing her first Female Trophy victory of the season at Magny-Cours, although she was also ineligible for further points after her F1 Academy wildcard appearance earlier in the year. Heloise Goldberg, in her second season in the championship, was also looking to end the campaign positively after making solid steps forward and frequently gaining positions during races.
Friday afternoon's 30-minute qualifying session began with Brian immediately establishing herself near the front of the female driver. After the first ten minutes, she had climbed to third overall with a 2:12.2, ahead of Fisher in fourth, while Zanfari also briefly featured inside the overall top ten. Stiebleichinger then set a 2:10.1 midway through the session, moving into 16th and becoming the highest-placed female driver as the times continued to fall.
The session was interrupted by a red flag when Shane Chandaria stopped at Turn 5. With 16 minutes remaining after the restart, the field returned to the track for its final qualifying attempts. Jacquet made a significant improvement, setting a 2:08.655 to finish 14th overall and secure the best qualifying position among the female drivers.
Stiebleichinger was next in 18th with a 2:09.145, while Goldberg delivered her strongest qualifying performances of the season to take 23rd with a 2:09.446. Brian followed in 24th, ahead of Proenca in 26th and Zanfari in 27th. Fisher completed the group in 30th, setting up a challenging opening race.
Jacquet started Saturday's opening race 14th, ahead of Stiebleichinger in 18th, Goldberg in 23rd, Brian in 24th, Proenca in 26th, Zanfari in 27th and Fisher in 30th. The field made a clean start through the first corners, but the order quickly began to change as drivers fought for position.
Stiebleichinger made an excellent launch, climbing to 15th and immediately establishing herself as the highest-placed female driver. Jacquet, meanwhile, dropped to 21st and had work to do to recover, while Brian moved up to 23rd. Proenca was 25th, Zanfari 26th and Goldberg 28th, with Fisher remaining at the back of the group.
Pasquier soon passed Stiebleichinger for 15th, although the Austrian continued to lead the female class. Jacquet began working her way forward, while Fisher gained positions by overtaking Barbe and Goldberg. Proenca also moved ahead of Canal, and the midfield battle intensified as the drivers settled into their race pace.
Jacquet climbed to 19th and continued to exchange positions with Senecloze, with the pair repeatedly passing one another over the following laps. Brian also made progress, moving up the order before losing ground again, while Zanfari slipped to 26th after being passed by Canal and Herriouin.
Stiebleichinger briefly fell to 17th after losing positions to Eschalier and Beisemann, allowing Jacquet to close in on the fight for the Female Trophy lead. On lap ten, Jacquet finally moved ahead of the Austrian, but Stiebleichinger fought back, keeping the contest close. Brian, meanwhile, was applying pressure to Proenca and eventually passed her for position, with Zanfari also moving ahead of the French driver.
The closing laps brought further changes. Brian produced an encouraging late charge, overtaking several cars to climb to 18th, then promoted to 16th, while Zanfari reached 20th. Proenca finished 21st, Goldberg 22nd and Fisher 24th.
Stiebleichinger, however, made the decisive move. She passed Eschalier to climb to 12th overall, while Jacquet lost ground in her battle with Senecloze. The Austrian held on to finish as the highest-placed female driver, securing her first Female Trophy victory of the weekend and taking an important step in the championship fight. Jacquet finished 16th, but was later demoted to P27 - with Brian 16th after her late recovery.
Sunday's second race began with an early safety car following an incident between Eschalier and Senecloze at Signes. Stiebleichinger completed the opening lap in 15th, while Brian moved up to 17th and Goldberg reached 18th. Zanfari was 19th, Fisher 20th and Proenca 21st, while Jacquet was caught up in an incident and dropped to 26th, although she managed to reconnect with the pack.
Racing resumed on lap three, with Zanfari immediately making progress to climb to 18th. Brian found herself leading a train of female drivers through the midfield, while Stiebleichinger looked for opportunities to gain further positions as Chandaria and Canal battled ahead.
The race was interrupted again on lap five when Proenca attempted a pass but ran out of space as the gap closed. Fisher was subsequently struck in the incident through no fault of her own and crashed out, bringing out another safety car. Zanfari also lost ground but continued briefly before stopping on lap six.
Under the neutralisation, Stiebleichinger remained 15th, ahead of Brian in 17th and Goldberg in 18th. The interruption also gave Jacquet an opportunity to close the gap to the group, recovering to 22nd before the restart with eight minutes remaining.
Brian fought closely with Hugo Herrouin for 17th, with the pair exchanging positions as the race entered its final stages. Goldberg lost ground to Iliffe, while Jacquet passed Barbe to move up to 21st. Stiebleichinger also dropped two places to Gleizes and Iliffe, bringing her into a direct fight with Jacquet.
The closing laps saw further changes in the midfield. Brian slipped to 20th before passing Goldberg, while Stiebleichinger attempted to recover the positions she had lost. Although she could not regain her earlier track position, the Austrian held on to finish 16th overall and claim her second consecutive Female Trophy victory.
Jacquet followed in 17th, with Brian finishing 18th and Goldberg 21st. The result gave Stiebleichinger a valuable advantage heading into the final race, although Brian remained in contention for the championship.
The final race of the season began with the field negotiating the opening corners cleanly, but another incident at the chicane quickly brought out the safety car after Dauvergne suffered a broken front suspension. Jacquet made a strong start to climb to 12th, while Stiebleichinger moved up to 17th and Brian reached 19th. Zanfari was 23rd, with Proenca, Fisher and Goldberg further back.
A second collision, this time involving Woda and Dussol, triggered another safety car period. Jacquet gained further ground to reach tenth, while Stiebleichinger moved to 16th and Brian to 18th. Zanfari was 20th, Proenca 22nd, Fisher 24th and Goldberg 25th as the field prepared for another restart.
With 12 minutes remaining, Jacquet initially held her position inside the overall top 12, but Iliffe and Goudchaux found a way past, dropping her back to 12th. Stiebleichinger also lost a position to Chandaria and fell to 17th, with Brian immediately behind her. Zanfari continued to fight for a place in the overall top 20, while Proenca remained in the midfield battle.
Chandaria then passed Jacquet on lap seven, but Canal's subsequent pit stop for damage promoted Stiebleichinger and Brian to 16th and 17th respectively. The pair were now fighting directly for second place in the Female Trophy classification - effectively for the win with Jacquet ineligible for points.
Brian began to look for a way past her title rival, knowing that overtaking Stiebleichinger would put her in position to claim the final race victory in the Female Trophy. The two went side by side into the chicane, where Stiebleichinger attempted to outbrake Brian but both ran deep and made contact. Brian spun and was unable to continue, bringing out another safety car.
It was a devastating end to Brian's title challenge, with the race finishing under caution. Jacquet took 13th overall, Stiebleichinger finished 16th and Zanfari secured 18th. Proenca recovered to 20th, followed by Goldberg in 22nd and Fisher in 24th following a penalty for the earlier contact.
Stiebleichinger was therefore crowned 2026 French F4 Female Trophy champion after a closely fought season, finishing with 261 points to Brian's 250. Proenca secured third in the standings with 212 points, ahead of Zanfari on 163. Isabella Abreu, who contested only the first two rounds, finished with 43 points, while Fisher ended the season on 23 after becoming ineligible for further points following her F1 Academy wildcard appearance.
The Austrian was the only female driver to score outright championship points during the season, highlighting the significance of her achievement in a competitive rookie campaign. Despite the disappointment of the final race, Brian's runner-up finish reflected a season of steady progress, including her first overall top-ten result and multiple class victories.
Jacquet, Panzeri and Billard were all ineligible for the Female Trophy points classification because of their participation in multiple racing programmes, but each enjoyed a productive French F4 campaign.
