Théophile Naël

Théophile Naël (born 27 June 2007) is a French racing driver who is the 2023 F4 Spanish champion. He is currently racing in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship for Saintéloc Racing.

Career

Karting

Naël was a successful karter in his national category, taking the crown in the 2018 French Championship, National Series Karting and in the 2020 IAME Series.

Formula 4

2022

Naël made his single-seater debut during the fourth round of the 2022 F4 Spanish Championship with Saintéloc Racing at Spa-Francorchamps, around a week after he had turned 15. Having achieved four points finishes with a high of eighth place, Naël ended 19th in the standings with 11 points.

2023

During 2023 pre-season, Naël was announced to drive in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship with Saintéloc Racing. With multiple points finishes across the season, Naël placed 11th in the standings.

His full-time campaign would lie in the 2023 F4 Spanish Championship, as he continued to drive for Saintéloc Racing. His first podium came only in the second race in Spa-Francorchamps, before taking his maiden car racing win the next round in Aragón. Naël then put on a dominant display over the next three rounds, winning the next six of nine races, propelling himself to the top of the standings. Another win the next round in Circuit Ricardo Tormo put him at the brink of the title. Despite a complete sweep by rival Christian Ho during the season finale in Barcelona, Naël's massive points lead allowed him to seal the title during the first race. He described his title win as "unbelievable" as he won against long-standing rivals Campos Racing and MP Motorsport. He achieved eight wins, five poles and fourteen podiums whilst harnessing 314 points, 23 ahead of rival Ho.

Formula Regional

Naël stepped up to the Formula Regional European Championship for 2024, continuing his relationship with Saintéloc Racing. Before that, he competed in the pre-season Formula Regional Middle East Championship with the team. He took his first Formula Regional during the second round at Yas Marina and a further podium. Ending the season with a third place, Naël was 11th in the standings.

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Racing career summary

^* Season still in progress.

Complete F4 Spanish Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete F4 UAE Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

• Official website
• Théophile Naël career summary at DriverDB.com