The summer holidays have started for most Europeans, but not yet for the Euroformula Open contenders, who will have one more round to contest before taking some time off. After inaugurating the new premises at the Hungaroring a fortnight ago, the series is ready for the other traditional summer rendez-vous at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
The fast and technical 5,842-km track near Toulon is one of the most appreciated by formula drivers, and there is a lot of expectation to see how the new Tom's-powered Dallara 324 will perform on a power track such as this. As always, high temperatures can be expected, adding an important variable to be taken into consideration.
French fans and holiday-makers who will flock to see the action, and also to enjoy the Saturday evening’s rooftop party organized by the circuit, could not expect a more exciting fight at the top of the standings.
The last round in Hungary witnessed a change of leader and yielded a very open situation at the half-season mark, with the French round opening the second part of the season.
By taking his second win of the year, Michael Shin has taken the lead in the standings, with 198 points. The Korean of Team Motopark has proven extremely consistent so far, as proven by the five second positions collected, and seems to have raised his game.
His main rival and teammate, Yevan David, led the championship in the first half, strong of his four wins, but a challenging weekend in Hungary, where he suffered some engine problems, has put him in the position of the chaser. Still, the gap is minimal, 4 points, and the games are completely open.
The third contender remains Tymek Kucharczyk, thirty points from the top and with three successes under his belt. The Polish driver of BVM Racing is certainly among the fastest on track, but still needs to improve his consistency. No doubt, though, that he remains a strong candidate for the title.
Getting closer to the leading trio is Jose Garfias. The Mexican of Team Motopark has now broken the ice, with two wins in the last two rounds, and needs to be taken into consideration as a potential winner at every round.
So is the best-placed of the Nielsen Racing drivers, Edward Pearson, who has one win to his credit and has proven the competitiveness of the British squad, which is debuting this year in the series.
At Team Motopark, Rubens Barrichello will be eager to open his 2025 wins count, while Diego de la Torre, the other Mexican driver of the squad, and US racer Everett Stack have shown tremendous progress in recent rounds.
So are the other two drivers of Nielsen Racing, American Shawn Rashid and Briton Finn Green.
There will be a newcomer in France, filling the second set at BVM Racing: it will be Preston Lambert, the 17-year-old Californian who joins from the Eurocup, having raced previously in the Spanish F.4 and the Pro USA 4 series. He will be the third American on the grid in France.
Rejoining the field will also be Paolo Brajnik, the evergreen racer of NV Racing, always ready to challenge his younger rivals.
At the Paul Ricard, the entertaining race programme also includes the International GT Open and the GT Cup Europe, as well as the FRECA and the E4 Championship.