Théophile Guy Yannick Naël (born 27 June 2007) is a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

racing driver who is currently competing with

Van Amersfoort Racing Van Amersfoort Racing (; VAR) is an auto racing team based in the Netherlands. The team competes in FIA Formula 2, FIA Formula 3, Formula Regional European, and Italian F4. Notable former drivers for the team include nine Formula One drivers ...

in the

2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship The 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship is a motor racing championship for Formula 3 cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship is the sixteenth season of Formula 3 racing and the seventh season run u ...

. He is also the 2023 F4 Spanish champion.

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 The 2022 F4 Spanish Championship was the seventh season of the Spanish F4 Championship. It was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, based in Spain. It was ...

with

Saintéloc Racing Saintéloc Racing is a French motorsport team. It mainly operates in rallying and sports car racing series. Current series include the European Rally Championship, World Rally Championship-2 and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. The ...

Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, ho ...

, 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 The 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship was the seventh season of the Formula 4 UAE Championship, a motor racing series for the United Arab Emirates regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, and organised and promoted by the Emirates Motors ...

with

. 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 The 2023 F4 Spanish Championship was the eighth season of the F4 Spanish Championship. It was a multi-event motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, based in Spain. It was ...

, as he continued to drive for Saintéloc Racing. His first podium came only in the second race in

, before taking his maiden car racing win the next round in

Aragón Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, a ...

. 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 Circuit Ricardo Tormo, also known as ''Circuit de Valencia'' is a motorsport race track located in Cheste (Valencian Community, Spain) and built in 1999. The track is named after Spanish, two-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Gr ...

put him at the brink of the title. Despite a complete sweep by rival

Christian Ho Christian Ho Zong Sean ( zh, t=何宗憲, s=何宗宪, p=Hé Zōngxiàn; born 31 October 2006) is a Singaporeans, Singaporean-South Korea, Korean racing driver who is currently competing in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship for DAMS Lucas Oil. ...

during the season finale in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, 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 Campos Racing (formerly Adrián Campos Motorsport and Campos Grand Prix) is a Spanish motor racing team based in Alzira, Valencia, founded by former Formula One driver Adrián Campos in 1997. The team has been successful in Formula Three, GP2 S ...

and

MP Motorsport MP Motorsport is a Dutch auto racing team currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, FIA Formula 3 Championship, Eurocup-3, Spanish Formula 4 Championship and the newly established F1 Academy in 2023. The team has also participated in ...

. He achieved eight wins, five poles and fourteen podiums whilst harnessing 314 points, 23 ahead of rival Ho.

Formula Regional

2024

Naël stepped up to the

Formula Regional European Championship The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) is a FIA-certified Formula Regional, regional European Formula Three, Formula 3 racing series. On 12 October 2018, it was announced that the Italian autosport regulator Automobile Club ...

for 2024, continuing his relationship with

. Before that, he competed in the pre-season

Formula Regional Middle East Championship The Formula Regional Middle East Championship is an FIA-certified Formula Regional racing series, started in 2023. This championship races in the Emirati venues from the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship and Kuwait Motor Town. The promo ...

with the team. He took his first Formula Regional win during the second round at Yas Marina and a further podium. Ending the season with a third place, Naël was 11th in the standings. In his main campaign, Naël had a sluggish first half of the season with only three points finishes. However, his breakthrough came at the

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...

where he won the second race from third on the grid. He ended the season strongly with two fourth places in

Monza Monza (, ; ; , locally ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the Lambro, River Lambro, a tributary of the Po (river), River Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the province of Mo ...

, in which he even took his first pole in the final race. Naël ended his first FRECA campaign ninth in the standings with 81 points. He also partook in the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...

with Saintéloc. He finished 14th in the main race, but was later disqualified as his team crew had illegally started the car again when his car had stalled.

2025

Naël returned to Formula Regional during the winter, contesting the first three rounds of the

with

. He would get one podium in each round and finished the championship in 7th with 125 points.

FIA Formula 3 Championship

In October 2024, Naël participated in the first round of

FIA Formula 3 The FIA Formula 3 Championship (FIA F3) is a third-tier international single-seater racing championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship launched in 2019 as a feeder series for the FIA Formu ...

post-season testing at

Jerez Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campi� ...

, with

. On November 28, 2024 Naël was confirmed as part of Van Amersfoort Racing's lineup for the 2025 season.

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 Formula 4 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)

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) Season still in progress.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Naël, Théophile Living people French racing drivers Spanish F4 Championship drivers UAE F4 Championship drivers Formula Regional European Championship drivers Saintéloc Racing drivers Sportspeople from Saint-Étienne 2007 births Formula Regional Middle East Championship drivers FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers Van Amersfoort Racing drivers 21st-century French sportsmen