Medias Info: Le Castellet Formula Cup

Click the images to download (photos by Pro-Photos-Sport)

She’s 16 years old; she comes straight from Karting and she’s just finished her first race in single-seaters in the Formule Renault Cup by TTE. Her aim? Move up to the W Series, the championship whose objective is to offer female drivers the best possible chance of accessing the upper echelons of motor sport thus accelerating equality between the genders. It’s high time to see a French girl in a curtain-raiser to Formula 1 Grands Prix! Alexandra Hervé is a candidate.

From karts to cars

For a young male or female driver the move from a kart to a motor car is always a very special moment in terms of discovery and calling oneself into question. By deciding to opt for single-seaters after spending seven seasons racing karts Alexandra has chosen the ideal path, the one that provides the best training to help her progress as quickly as possible both in terms of her driving skills and her sensitivity to setup changes.

The driver from Deuil-la-Barre (Paris region) had already tested the waters by trialing an F4 at the beginning of 2021 before doing another season in karting crowned with a great sixth place in the French Women’s Championship. She then began to look round for a way of breaking into single-seater racing. One of the triggers was the arrival of Lionel Robert (8 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans) in the equation who offered her his coaching services. A test programme was set up with different cars on a diverse variety of circuits. Finally, the ultimate evolution of Formula Renault 2.0 (2-litre engine, 207 bhp, 7-speed gearbox, 230 kph, 505 kg) was chosen. It has a dedicated championship in the TTE series, which seems to attract more and more promising young drivers. The Hervé David Racing team was designated to operate Alexandra’s car at the circuits.

First race

The first of the seven rounds on the 2022 calendar took place on the grand prix layout on the Paul Ricard circuit. The format of the F.R.Cup events is very well designed: two qualifying sessions and two races over two days. Doing qualifying and standing starts 14 times during the season is great practice as they are decisive phases at single-seater race meetings.

Twenty-two cars arrived for the opening round of the 2022 Formule Renault Cup by TTE season. In the three free practice sessions on Friday, Alexandra installed herself in the top 10, a very encouraging start! Due to her lack of experience she fell back a little in the first qualifying session, which she finished in 12th place. Unfortunately, the very first race in her fledgling career ended in the fourth corner when her car was harpooned by another competitor damaging the right-hand sidepod. Repairs mobilised the solidarity of the paddock and without the help of Sébastien Boulet (Zig Zag) and Laurent Lamolinairie (Lamo Racing), Alexandra wouldn’t have been able to continue her first career outing on the circuit in the South of France.

It would have been a great pity to miss Sunday as it enabled her to test her skills on a wet greasy track. It gave her precious experience even if qualifying didn’t go off to her liking. In fact, Alexandra went out on slicks while her rivals fought for pole on wet-weather tyres. Changing this decision at the end of the session didn’t bear fruit either as the track began to dry. The no. 16 Tatuus-Renault (the age of its driver) set off in 16th place in the second race. Alexandra fought her way up to cross the chequered flag in 12th place and score her first points in the process!

“I’d like to thank my team and all those who helped me to complete my first weekend as a Formula Renault driver,” said Alexandra when it was time to sum up her performance. “It’s a pity I wasn’t able to finish my first race in dry conditions, but I’ve learned a lot and I’ve identified the areas where I can progress like qualifying and coping with the evolution of grip conditions.”

The next round will take place at the Val de Vienne circuit on 8-10 April.

Alexandra would like to thank her partners Shop-Racing.com, MMA Deuil-la-Barre, LR Promotion et Hervé David Racing.