As Formula 1 readies up for the European leg of the 2024 season, two of the Williams Driver Academy spent their weekend enjoying the heatwave that swept the continent.

Alessandro Giusti and Sara Matsui were in racing action at Hockenheim and Valencia, respectively, getting more valuable driving experience under their belts.

Read below to see how our junior driver duo fared in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) season opener and Round 2 of the Champions of the Future series.

The 2024 season of FRECA began in familiar surroundings for our French Academy hopeful as Alessandro took on the scene of the 2023 finale, the Hockenheimring.

After a frustrating point-less round last October, Alessandro battled to a P8 finish in Race 1 after a P7 start to kick off the 2024 season with a top-10 finish.

Our 17-year-old Frenchman dropped to P10 in the opening laps before advancing as a rival retired and making a post-safety car overtake on compatriot Enzo Deligny.

Sadly, that progress couldn't continue in Race 2 as three separate safety car slowdowns prevented the 33 drivers from having many green flag laps, leaving Alessandro in P14 by the chequered flag

Claim Now

Edition 1: 'History in the Making' Collectible 

Williams Racing Collectibles+

Round 2 of the Champions of the Future Academy series headed to the Spanish venue of Chiva karting in Valencia.

In a weekend of advancing the order, Sara turned in a P9 and P10 finish in Saturday's Race 1 and Sunday's Race 2.

Sara'a Sunday afternoon was particularly busy for our Japanese prospect, with her battling from a P19 start and ending the 17-lap race just seven seconds behind the leader in P10.

After two of six rounds, Sara has 78 points and sits in the upper positions of the championship in P10 of 37 competitors ahead of Round 3 in late July at Italy's Franciacorta.

The Academy action will come thick and fast for the Academy as summer approaches and the European season gets into full swing.

Look out for our F2 and F3 contingent supporting Alex and Logan at the Emilia Romagna GP this weekend in the first half of the doubleheader with Monaco.

Williams

Alessandro’s motorsport career has already demonstrated his skill as a driver, showing impressive results through karting and single-seaters. The 17-year-old from Bièvres, France, has risen through the ranks of national and international karting, graduating to cars for the 2021 French Formula 4 Championship. 

In his rookie season, Alessandro won the French F4 Junior title and came sixth overall in the championship. Throughout the season, he achieved two race wins and a pole position.

Building on this experience in the following year, he went on to secure two wins and six consecutive poles in the final three rounds of the 2022 season, becoming overall series champion. As he progressed, he became a master of qualifying in the final three rounds, scoring six out of a possible six pole positions.

2023 saw Alessandro progress into the Formula Regional European Championship with G4 Racing where he stood on the podium four times, three of which were race wins. In January 2024, it was announced that he would be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy where he will have access to the full spectrum of academy support.

In 2024, Alessandro will race for a second season in the Formula Regional European Championship with ART Grand Prix.

More from Alessandro Giusti

Alessandro Giusti

Sara Matsui is an exciting talent emerging from the Japanese karting scene who joins the Williams Racing Driver Academy in 2024. At only 13-years-old, Sara has shown her potential across numerous national and international karting series and has already been recognised as a 2022 Girls on Track Rising Stars Finalist.

First taking to the track as a six-year-old, Sara has risen through the ranks in karting including the JAF Kart Championship FP-Jr, the JAF Local Kart Championship FS-125/X30 Division, and the GPR Karting Junior class where she scored two podiums.

Sara made her international debut in 2023, impressing in the OK-N Junior Champions of the Future Academy Program, finishing seventh out of 24 global competitors.


In 2024, Sara will compete in her first full season in Europe, driving in the OKJ class with Kart Republic. She will also race in the 2024 Junior Champions of the Future Academy supported by F1 Academy.

More from Sara Matsui

Sara Matsui

Two members of the Williams Racing Driver Academy were in action last week, here’s how they fared

Academy Report: Alessandro’s first Williams weekend

Two members of the Williams Racing Driver Academy were in action last week, here’s how they fared

Formula Regional

Karting

Related Tags: