French F4: Ginevra Panzeri shines in Dijon with double top-10
- RACERS
- 1 minute ago
- 9 min read
Ginevra Panzeri enjoyed by far the strongest weekend of her Formula 4 career at Circuit Dijon-Prenois, claiming two Female Trophy victories and securing sensational overall finishes of sixth and seventh in the second round of the 2026 FFSA French F4 Championship.
Ginevra Panzeri enjoyed by far the strongest weekend of her Formula 4 career at Circuit Dijon-Prenois, claiming two Female Trophy victories and securing sensational overall finishes of sixth and seventh in the second round of the 2026 FFSA French F4 Championship.
The Italian racer demonstrated remarkable pace throughout the weekend, emerging among the frontrunners in only her second weekend in the series. After qualifying inside the overall top ten for the first time, Panzeri converted her speed into brilliant race performances, scoring the championship points despite previously missing most of the opening round at Nogaro due to injury.
The Dijon weekend also highlighted the depth of female talent currently competing in French F4, with ten women contesting the championship, bringing the female participation to one of the highest anywhere in global junior single-seater racing.
Alongside Panzeri, Lisa Billard, Jade Jacquet, Angelina Proenca, Sofia Zanfari, Annabelle Brian, Heloise Goldberg, Clara Stiebleichinger, Autumn Fisher and Isabella Abreu featured across the three races, producing numerous recovery drives, close battles and promising moments throughout the weekend.
The second round of the FFSA French F4 Championship took place at the fast and technical Circuit Dijon-Prenois after the season opener at Nogaro in April. The female contingent featured a particularly strong and diverse line-up: Lisa Billard and Jade Jacquet returned to the series as wildcard entries alongside their F1 Academy campaigns in order to maximize track time and experience.
Ginevra Panzeri arrived after making significant progress while balancing a dual program with Italian F4; Angelina Proenca, Sofia Zanfari, Annabelle Brian and Heloise Goldberg all continued their sophomore campaigns and showed strong improvements; Austrian rookie Clara Stiebleichinger continued her first full season in single-seaters after making her initial F4 appearances in Indian F4, already displaying pace close to the points positions.
Autumn Fisher also returned to French F4 following a promising British F4 appearance at Brands Hatch and the announcement that she would become the next F1 Academy Wild Card entrant in Montreal. Meanwhile, Cuban driver Isabella Abreu continued her steep learning curve in European competitions after making her F4 debut at Nogaro, steadily improving on unfamiliar circuits and in changing conditions.
Qualifying took place in difficult wet but rapidly improving conditions. Early in the session, Lisa Billard briefly climbed into the top six, while Jade Jacquet also impressed by running close to the top ten after the first timed laps. However Panzeri quickly emerged as one of the fastest female drivers, moving into third place overall with a 1:29.9 lap, while Billard followed in fourth with ten minutes remaining. Clara Stiebleichinger also impressed by running inside the top ten as lap times continued to tumble.
A red flag interrupted the session with nine minutes to go after Rosen went off the circuit. At that stage Panzeri was fifth overall, Billard sixth and Stiebleichinger tenth.
Once the session resumed, conditions continued to improve dramatically. Another brief red flag followed shortly afterward, but several drivers managed improvements before the interruption. Billard was ninth while Proenca climbed to 19th. In the final minutes, Panzeri delivered a major improvement to secure ninth overall with a 1:27.994 lap, marking her first top-ten qualifying result. Stiebleichinger also produced an excellent late lap to take 15th with a 1:28.531.
Billard ultimately qualified 19th with a 1:28.644, narrowly ahead of Proenca’s 1:28.674. Sofia Zanfari made a strong late improvement to claim 21st with a 1:28.748, while Jacquet qualified 22nd in 1:28.898 ahead of Autumn Fisher in 1:29.508. Heloise Goldberg also made a significant step forward in 25th with a 1:29.802, while Annabelle Brian endured a difficult qualifying session in 27th. Isabella Abreu faced another challenging situation as she continued learning on only her second F4 weekend, qualifying 32nd.
Race 1 on Saturday morning immediately offered opportunities for the female drivers, with Panzeri starting ninth and Stiebleichinger 15th. Billard lined up 19th ahead of Proenca, Zanfari, Jacquet, Fisher, Goldberg, Brian and Abreu.
At the start, several cars stalled but all drivers managed to avoid trouble. Chandaria stalled from 14th, while Panzeri made an excellent launch to move into eighth. Billard also made a superb getaway and climbed to 16th immediately, with Proenca rising to 17th and Jacquet to 19th. Annabelle Brian produced one of the best starts in the field, surging from the back into 23rd ahead of Zanfari and Goldberg. Clara Stiebleichinger unfortunately lost ground and dropped to 29th behind Fisher after receiving contact, while Abreu initially moved ahead of Chandaria before settling into 32nd.
Lewis Francis recovered past Panzeri for eighth by the end of lap one, while Billard overtook Beisemann for 15th. Contact between Dauvergne and Tsuchihashi eliminated both drivers and brought out the safety car.
During the neutralization, Panzeri held a strong ninth place overall inside the top ten. Billard continued charging forward into 14th after passing Woda, while Jacquet climbed to 18th. Proenca slipped behind Cheezum but maintained 20th, and Brian’s impressive recovery continued in 21st.
The restart proved chaotic. Goudchaux went off into the gravel at Turn 1 and Lisa Billard was unfortunately sent into the tyre barriers. Panzeri meanwhile climbed to eighth, Jacquet rose to 14th, and Brian overtook Proenca for 17th. Zanfari and Goldberg held 21st and 22nd respectively, while the safety car followed soon afterward.
At the second restart with ten minutes remaining, Panzeri again executed an excellent restart and stayed close to the cars ahead. Francis received a drive-through penalty for overtaking before the line, promoting Panzeri to seventh. Brian attacked aggressively but ran through the gravel and dropped back, though she managed to continue.
Jacquet continued her strong race in 13th, while Proenca ran 18th ahead of Zanfari. Then came one of the highlight moments of the weekend as Panzeri overtook Eschalier to climb into sixth overall. The Italian immediately displayed exceptional pace, setting a 1:18.6 before improving to a 1:17.9, pulling away from the cars behind.
Further back, Clara Stiebleichinger mounted an impressive comeback, climbing to 22nd and then 21st with competitive 1:17.8 lap times. Goldberg battled the recovering Senecloze, while Brian continued her recovery by overtaking Fisher. Abreu also steadily improved her pace, reducing her lap times from the 1:23 range into the 1:21s.
Jacquet overtook Woda for 12th in another strong performance from the Williams-backed F1 Academy driver. Zanfari continued attacking Proenca, while Stiebleichinger gained further positions into 19th. Panzeri meanwhile improved again with a 1:17.7, though Eschalier remained within half a second in the closing laps.
At the checkered flag, Ginevra Panzeri completed a sensational drive to sixth overall - a career-best finish - while also winning the Female Trophy in Race 1. Jade Jacquet secured second in the Female Trophy with 12th overall, narrowly missing the points positions. Proenca finished 17th to complete the Female Trophy podium, just ahead of Stiebleichinger, who overtook Zanfari on the final lap to claim 18th after an excellent recovery drive. Goldberg crossed the line 24th just 0.028 seconds ahead of Brian after a fierce late battle, while Fisher took 26th. Abreu completed another clean race in 28th.
Race 2 featured the reverse-grid format, placing Panzeri on the front row for the first time in her career after her stunning Race 1 performance. Stiebleichinger again started 15th with realistic top-ten ambitions after her earlier recovery pace. Billard lined up 19th ahead of Proenca, Zanfari, Jacquet, Fisher, Goldberg, Brian and Abreu.
Panzeri did not enjoy the easiest launch and, despite braking late into Turn 2, lost second position to Iliffe before settling into third. Clara Stiebleichinger again suffered a difficult start and fell from 15th to 19th. Billard moved into 18th, while Jacquet passed Proenca for 20th. Zanfari dropped to 25th, Goldberg to 28th, Brian to 29th and Abreu to 31st after Fisher struggled off the line.
At the front, however, Panzeri immediately showed she had the pace to fight among the leaders and matched the frontrunners’ lap times. Billard overtook Beisemann for 17th, while Jacquet passed Stiebleichinger for 19th. Zanfari also moved forward by overtaking Senecloze for 24th.
Autumn Fisher was unfortunately forced to pit with damage after contact but managed to rejoin one lap down.
Panzeri remained close to Iliffe in the opening stages, but Ramaekers soon charged through the field and passed Avril before closing rapidly on the Italian. On lap six, Ramaekers overtook Panzeri for third; she attempted to fight back under braking but eventually had to concede, and Avril also slipped through one lap later, relegating Ginevra to fifth.
Billard and Jacquet continued battling closely in the midfield as the two F1 Academy drivers remained separated by only a few positions. Stiebleichinger slipped to 21st while Proenca and Zanfari battled in the same train of cars. Brian overtook Goldberg for 28th.
Ahead, Tom Dussol overtook Panzeri for fifth on lap nine, though the Italian continued searching for rhythm. Proenca meanwhile dropped to 25th, while Brian looked ready to capitalize before briefly losing out to Rosen. Goldberg also slipped to 29th, while Abreu focused on consistency and continued improving her lap times.
Billard steadily improved her pace into the low 1:18s and climbed to 16th while pressuring Woda. Stiebleichinger and Zanfari became involved in a fierce battle that also included Tsuchihashi after the Japanese driver charged from the back of the field.
As the race entered its final stages, Hugo Herrouin closed rapidly on Panzeri and overtook her for seventh on lap 14. Bouzar also moved ahead, though Panzeri later regained seventh after Dussol encountered technical problems and pitted. Jacquet recovered positions and reeled Billard back in for second in the Female Trophy standings.
Panzeri then stabilized her pace and built a small buffer behind her. Goldberg spun but managed to continue, while Brian overtook Proenca for 26th. Stiebleichinger fought her way into the top twenty after passing Chandaria late in the race.
At the checkered flag, Panzeri completed another remarkable performance with seventh overall and her second consecutive Female Trophy victory.
Lisa Billard finished 16th and second in the Female Trophy. Jacquet eventually dropped to 19th, while heartbreak struck Stiebleichinger on the final lap when she was hit and suffered a puncture which tumbled her down the order. Zanfari finished 20th and fourth among the female drivers, with Brian 23rd after another strong recovery drive. Proenca crossed the line 25th, Stiebleichinger was eventually classified 27th after her late puncture, Goldberg 28th and Abreu 29th after another clean and steadily improving race. Fisher finished 30th.
The Race 3 grid, based on second-best qualifying laps, again created major opportunities for several female drivers. Most notably, Clara Stiebleichinger lined up fourth overall on the second row in only her second French F4 weekend and just a handful of F4 races into her career. Angelina Proenca also secured a top-ten starting position in tenth, while Panzeri started 15th after her two standout results on Saturday. Billard lined up 16th ahead of Fisher, Zanfari, Jacquet, Goldberg, Brian and Abreu.
Unfortunately for Stiebleichinger, her race unraveled immediately. After a difficult opening lap, she pitted at the end of lap one with a technical issue, ending what had looked like a huge opportunity.
Proenca lost a couple of positions at the start but still held 12th and remained the leading female driver, while Billard climbed to 15th and Panzeri settled into 18th. A safety car neutralization followed, after Senecloze crashed into the barriers.
Jacquet ran 21st, Fisher 22nd, Zanfari 24th, Brian 27th after gaining three places, Goldberg 29th and Abreu 30th after moving forward two positions.
Another accident between Rosen and Dauvergne soon triggered a second neutralization. Before the caution, Proenca had climbed back to 11th, while Billard slipped to 17th with Panzeri directly behind. Jacquet meanwhile encountered difficulties and dropped to 28th, while Brian had already gained five additional positions before the restart.
Once racing resumed with twelve minutes remaining, the field erupted into intense battles and contact. Proenca found herself right in the middle of the fight for the top ten before being shuffled back to 13th. Billard, however, began charging again and moved into 15th while attacking Beisemann and rapidly closing on Proenca in the Female Trophy battle.
Panzeri continued battling in 17th while attacking Cheezum. Autumn Fisher fought back by passing Zanfari for 19th while chasing Brian, who then overtook Panzeri for 17th after an extraordinary charge through the field from the back. Zanfari also fought aggressively, overtaking both Eschalier and Fisher to reclaim a top-20 position, while Jacquet joined the same battle pack.
Billard finally overtook Beisemann on lap 11 and immediately began hunting Proenca, gaining valuable tenths. Meanwhile, despite her earlier engine issue, Stiebleichinger rejoined several laps down and eventually demonstrated good pace in the 1:17 range, clearly competitive enough for a top-ten finish.
Zanfari later overtook Panzeri for 19th, while Brian passed Beisemann for 16th and began chasing Cheezum, the final car separating her from the Female Trophy leaders.
On lap 14, Billard completed a decisive move on Proenca for 13th overall and, crucially, the Female Trophy lead. Zanfari then suffered heartbreak when a technical issue forced her to stop at Turn 9 after a very competitive run.
Fisher overtook Panzeri for 19th, and Jacquet immediately followed through one lap later. Brian continued her spectacular recovery by overtaking Cheezum on lap 17 for 15th and closing rapidly on Proenca.
At the finish, Lisa Billard claimed the Female Trophy victory in Race 3 with an excellent 13th overall after pulling clear in the final laps. Proenca finished 14th while successfully holding off Brian, whose incredible charge from the back resulted in 15th overall after gaining fifteen positions. Fisher completed a strong recovery in 19th ahead of Jacquet in 20th, while Panzeri finished 21st after her two exceptional earlier results. Goldberg took 22nd, while Abreu recorded one of her best laps of the weekend with a 1:20.6 and completed another clean and encouraging race in 24th.
Ginevra Panzeri leaves Dijon as the only female driver to finish in the overall top 10 - a remarkable achievement after the strongest weekend of her Formula 4 career. The FFSA French F4 Championship now heads to Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium for the next round on 19–21 June.
