Aussie F4 Star Making Waves in Europe

In just two seasons of racing, young Japanese born Australian Hugh Barter is on the verge of completing three full seasons in the FIA French and Spanish F4.

AUTO ACTION spoke to Barter in 2020 for its Young Guns special when he was a karting prodigy on his way up; and two meteoric years on, he’s believed to be a strong chance of signing an F3 contract with Spanish team Campos.

He currently races for Campos in Spanish F4, meaning that a progression into F3 through them is likely given his results. The other common path for F4 drivers is to enter into the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA).

Even at the age of 14, Barter was fairly sure of his professional direction, with one of aims already coming to successful fruition, that of competing in the F4.

“Formula 4 is our next move over in Europe, that’s the more direct route to Formula 1,” Barter told AUTO ACTION in 2020. 

“From there, more exposure to the European teams can lead onto maybe Ferrari or Mercedes so that’s our next major move.” 

The last statement is an ambitious one, but one look at his F4 record shows the serious talent and speed that Barter has got.

Two years on from that interview, and Barter has wrapped up the 2022 French season with a 10 win, 13 podium season at Paul Ricard last weekend, finishing second overall to Frenchman Alessandro Giusti by 59 points. 

However, four of those 10 wins – which came at Spa and Ricardo Tormo in Spain – were deemed ineligible for points due to him racing at the same circuits in the Spanish F4 series. Although that has cost him the championship, the seat time was Barter’s main aim, with him completing nearly 50 races in the space of just 8 months…plus testing.

Barter lives and breathes racing, having completed nearly 50 races in two F4 series over the last 9 months.

His Spanish F4 campaign also sees him sitting second with one round to come, having had an epic battle with his close friend and Campos teammate, Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov, who went on a ballistic 9 out of 11 race winning streak, whilst Barter collected 5 podiums and two wins.

Barter won his last Spanish F4 race at the Circuito De Navarra on October third, where he helped his team to the constructors crown. 

The final round is at the Circuit de Barcelona on November 13-14, where he sits 93 points behind his teammate, and four points above Polish rival Tymoteusz Kucharczyk.

Barter won in race three on his F4 international debut racing in the FIA’s French F4 series, also registering a P4 and P7

More impressive yet, was that as a 15 year-old, Barter’s first full F4 season in 2021 in the French F4 series, also had him finishing second.

The young gun scored two wins and five podiums in that formative series, with his first win coming in Race 3 of round one, giving a sign of things to come. He would miss the title to Frenchman Esteban Masson by just 6 points that year, who has progressed to the FRECA series.

The most exciting prospect for Australian race fans is that if he does secure an F3 seat next year and skip the FRECA option, which is looking more than likely, then he will feature at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Aussie motorsport fans will then be treated to Barter in F3, Jack Doohan in F2, and McLaren’s newest signing, Oscar Piastri in the F1.

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of Auto Action.

AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.