Why Esteban Masson's French F4 title came down to a stewards' decision

Esteban Masson is a French and Canadian driver whose titles run from single-seaters to endurance racing. He won the French F4 Championship in 2021 and the Eurocup-3 title in 2023, then took the 2025 European Le Mans Series championship in LMP2 with VDS Panis Racing. Toyota has him on standby as a reserve in its Hypercar line-up.

The route from karts to the top of sportscar racing was steady rather than sudden. Each step built on a title that came before it, and the tougher lessons came in the years between.

How did Esteban Masson start racing?

He first raced karts at three, and his early titles came after his family moved to France. He collected regional and national championships in the mini-kart, Minimes and Cadets classes. In 2018 he took the National Series Karting title, and in 2019 he won the French Junior Championship.

Karting remained part of his routine as the teenage years went on. In 2020 he finished fifth in the IAME Euro Series.

His single-seater debut came in 2019, at the final round of the French F4 Championship on the Paul Ricard circuit. He finished none of his three races in the top ten, and his best was eleventh in race three. The following year he returned for the last round at Le Castellet as a guest, scoring points on the day but no championship points.

A last-lap collision in 2021 left the title in the stewards' hands, and Masson kept winning afterwards.

How was the 2021 French F4 title decided?

Masson won the 2021 French F4 Championship after a final-race collision with title rival Maceo Capietto. Capietto was disqualified from all results for that weekend, which handed the title to Masson. The season also brought wins at Nogaro, Magny-Cours, the Hungaroring, Le Castellet and Nevers.

He started the year with a win at Nogaro and followed it with two victories at Magny-Cours and one at the Hungaroring, which put him at the top of the standings. The advantage did not last. Weaker rounds at Ledenon and Monza let Capietto back in front, and he collected four podiums across those events to Masson's one.

Masson won again at Le Castellet in the penultimate round, then took the first race of the final round at Nevers. Pole position for the last race gave him a chance to settle the championship himself.

He led the race and the standings until the final lap. Capietto then lunged for the lead, and the two cars collided. Masson was out, and the title was handed to Capietto provisionally until the stewards reviewed the incident.

What did the Formula Regional and Eurocup-3 years bring?

In 2022 he stepped up to Formula Regional European level as one of the five drivers the French federation placed in its Equipe de France line-up. He joined FA Racing, the team run by Fernando Alonso, alongside Victor Bernier and Nicolas Baptiste.

The season was hard. At Zandvoort he collided with Pietro Delli Guanti into the second corner, sending the Italian into a roll, but both drivers walked away unhurt and neither received a penalty. Before Spa he switched to ART Grand Prix, replacing Mari Boya, and he finished the season 24th with his only point scored at the Hungaroring.

In 2023 he returned to the series with Sainteloc Racing during the Hungaroring weekend. A second place at Paul Ricard gave the team its first podium in the championship, and Masson finished 16th overall with three more points finishes.

That same year he moved to Eurocup-3 with Campos Racing, which was the more productive season for him.

How did Masson win the 2023 Eurocup-3 title?

Masson took the 2023 Eurocup-3 crown for Campos, having started the season slowly. A double victory at Aragon moved him up the order, then a double podium at Monza took him to the championship lead. He added a second double win at Zandvoort.

A double retirement at the Circuito de Jerez cut his lead sharply. Mari Boya then closed in with two wins and two podiums across the next two rounds, so that Masson went into the Barcelona finale just a single point ahead.

He controlled the finale and won both races, clinching the title.

When did Masson move into sportscars?

His first endurance outing came at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the closing round of the 2023 WEC season, where he drove for Kessel Racing in LMGTE Am. He finished fifth on that occasion.

For 2024 he moved to the World Endurance Championship full time, joining Akkodis ASP Team in the LMGT3 class with Jose Maria Lopez and Takeshi Kimura. It was a difficult season for the team, and Masson only scored points at Le Mans, finishing 27th in the drivers' standings.

Alongside that, he also drove a Kessel entry in ELMS with Kimura and Daniel Serra.

How did the 2024 European Le Mans Series season go?

The Kessel trio started slowly but grew stronger. They finished fourth at Imola, and at Spa Masson passed for the lead during the third hour, which set up a dominant team victory. Serra then won at Mugello with a late overtake on Lorcan Hanafin.

They were close to the LMGT3 title at the end, but on the last lap an order from the Iron Lynx squad at Portimao dropped them from first to second in the standings.

What did the 2025 European Le Mans Series title involve?

In 2025 Masson stepped up to LMP2 with VDS Panis Racing, partnering Ollie Gray and Charles Milesi. The team won at Imola and again at Spa, where Masson delivered a commanding middle stint that kept them ahead.

At Silverstone he took pole position in his first ever LMP2 qualifying appearance. Gray picked up a penalty during the race that dropped the No. 48 car to eighth in class.

The LMP2 title was secured at the Portimao finale, where the team won in dominant fashion.

What happened at Le Mans in 2025?

Masson raced for VDS Panis at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Gray and Franck Perera. He fought for the lead with the Inter Europol Competition entry during the second half of the race.

He looked set to win when a drive-through penalty for rival Nick Yelloly seemed to hand him the lead. With 15 minutes left, suspension trouble let Inter Europol back in front. Masson nursed the car home in second.

The result earned him an honourable mention in a Dailysportscar article about the year's Prototype Driver of the Year.

What did the 2026 campaign bring?

The 2026 season opened at Daytona, where Masson drove a Vasser Sullivan Racing entry in GTD and finished ninth. He then split his year between Forestier Racing by Panis in ELMS and an Akkodis ASP car in the WEC.

The ELMS season opened with a win at Barcelona, which came from a late charge past Hanley, Doohan and de Gerus in the closing stint. Le Castellet brought pole, but a technical problem ended his race while he was second.

At Le Mans with Forestier he topped qualifying and took third in class. He took another pole at Imola, then moved ahead of the United Autosports car of Ben Hanley and built a lead of close to a minute in the closing hour. A penalty for another entry lifted Forestier onto the Spa podium, and at a rain-affected Silverstone a spin by Gray cost two laps and a ninth-place finish.

At the latest update the 2026 campaign was still in progress, so the season's final standings are not yet settled.

Championship results at a glance

Where does Masson race now?

Masson is the reserve driver for Toyota Racing in the Hypercar class, which sits alongside his regular programmes. Those programmes have taken him through single-seaters, GT racing and prototype racing, and his most recent titles came in the sportscar series.