Victor Bernier

Victor Bernier (born 26 June 2004) is a French racing driver who currently drives for Martinet by Alméras in the Porsche Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup France series. Prior to that, the Frenchman won the French F4 Junior title in 2019 and scored podiums in the Formula Regional European Championship.

Victor Bernier
Bernier at the Hockenheimring in 2021
Nationality	French
Born	(2004-06-26) 26 June 2004 (age 20) Saint-André-des-Eaux, France
Porsche Supercup career
Current team	Martinet by Alméras
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Car number	17
Starts	7 (7 entries)
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	19th in 2024
Previous series
2023 2022–23 2020–2021 2020–2021 2019	TTE Formula Renault Cup FRECA ADAC Formula 4 Italian F4 Championship French F4 Championship

Early career

Karting

Bernier began karting competitively in 2013, and won a number of national championships before becoming the Junior Karting World Champion in 2018, ahead of Gabriele Minì and Gabriel Bortoleto.^[1] He received a Volant d'Or award from the French Federation of Automobile Sport as a reward for his karting exploits.^[2]

Formula 4

Bernier's car for the 2019 French F4 Championship

Bernier made his car racing debut in 2019, competing in the French F4 series at the age of 14, meaning that he became one of the series' junior drivers along with Isack Hadjar and Paul-Adrien Pallot.^[3] His season started out modestly, as he would only score three top ten finishes in the first two rounds at Nogaro and Pau, however he would take the first podium of his single-seater career at the following event at Spa. Bernier's results improved steadily from there, as he was able to finish in the top five and on the podium more consistently, which ultimately culminated in a win at the final round of the season. He finished the season fourth in the FFSA Academy points standings and took a dominant title in the Juniors' championship.^[4]

For the 2020 season Bernier moved to R-ace GP to contest the ADAC Formula 4 Championship, where he would partner Kirill Smal.^[5] He scored two victories, both in the reversed-grid races at the Hockenheimring and Lausitzring respectively, and finished fifth in the championship, ahead of his teammate. In addition, Bernier took part in the third round of that year's Italian F4 series, scoring a single point.^[6] Bernier remained in ADAC F4 the following year, this time driving with compatriots Sami Meguetounif and Marcus Amand.^[7][8][9] Bernier generally beat his teammates over the race weekends and took a sole win in Hockenheim after the original winner Ollie Bearman had received a penalty for causing a collision.^[10][11] He ended his final season in Formula 4 with four podiums and a fourth place in the overall results.^[12]

Bernier racing in the 2021 ADAC Formula 4 Championship at the Red Bull Ring.

Formula Regional

Bernier racing in the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship at the Red Bull Ring.

In 2022 Bernier progressed to the Formula Regional level, racing in the Formula Regional European Championship for FA Racing alongside French F4 champion Esteban Masson and Colombian Nicolás Baptiste.^[13] He struggled to score points throughout the campaign, only taking a lone ninth place until the final round at Mugello. There, Bernier finished second on Saturday, thus propelling himself to 17th in the standings.^[14][15][16]

Bernier racing in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship at the Red Bull Ring.

Remaining in FRECA for 2023, Bernier switched to MP Motorsport.^[17][18] Though points finishes were easier to come by, the Frenchman, his team, and teammate Sami Meguetounif were rocked by the passing of fellow MP driver Dilano van 't Hoff at Spa-Francorchamps, which resulted in the team's withdrawal for the subsequent round.^[19] After their return, Bernier managed to score points on three further occasions, results which included a second place at Monza he inherited after two drivers ahead were penalised.^[20] This placed him 15th at season's end, six positions below Meguetounif.^[21]

Sportscar career

Bernier made his sportscar debut in 2024, driving in the Porsche Cup category alongside Pierre Martinet and Gérard Tremblay during the opening round of the Ultimate Cup Series. He then joined Martinet's eponymous team in a double campaign of the Porsche Carrera Cup France and Porsche Supercup series.^[22][23] The latter campaign proved to be underwhelming, as Bernier only finished inside the top 15 on three occasions. He missed the penultimate round before having a notable error on the final lap of the Monza season finale, crashing into the side of rookie class title contender Kas Haverkort after rejoining sharply from the Roggia chicane.^[24] Bernier ended the campaign 19th in the points standings, losing out to teammate Mathys Jaubert.^[25]

Personal life

Bernier completed his studies whilst living together with his former F4 teammate Sami Meguetounif.^[26]

On arrival to FA Racing, the team set up by two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, Bernier stated that Alonso had always been an example to him.^[27]

Bernier's younger brother Augustin is also a racing driver, who became the French Karting Champion in the OK-Junior class in 2021.^[28]

Racing record

Racing career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2019	French F4 Championship	FFSA Academy	21	1	0	1	6	154	4th
2020	ADAC Formula 4 Championship	R-ace GP	21	2	0	3	6	225	5th
	Italian F4 Championship		3	0	0	0	0	1	28th
2021	ADAC Formula 4 Championship	R-ace GP	18	1	0	2	4	167	4th
	Italian F4 Championship		6	0	0	0	0	30	13th
2022	Formula Regional European Championship	FA Racing by MP	19	0	0	0	1	20	17th
2023	Formula Regional European Championship	MP Motorsport	18	0	0	0	1	42	15th
	TTE Formula Renault Cup	Event 4 You	2	1	1	2	2	0	NC†
2024	Ultimate Cup Series Endurance GT-Touring Challenge - Porsche Cup	Martinet by Alméras	1	0	0	1	0	10	5th
		GP Racing Team
	Porsche Supercup	Martinet by Alméras	7	0	0	0	0	11	19th
	Porsche Carrera Cup France		12	0	0	0	1	113	6th

* Season still in progress.

Complete French F4 Juniors' Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Pos	Points
2019	NOG 1 2	NOG 2 1	NOG 3 1	PAU 1 Ret	PAU 2 Ret	PAU 3 1	SPA 1 2	SPA 2 2	SPA 3 3	LÉD 1 1	LÉD 2 2	LÉD 3 2	HUN 1 1	HUN 2 1	HUN 3 1	MAG 1 1	MAG 2 1	MAG 3 3	LEC 1 1	LEC 2 1	LEC 3 1	1st	330.5

Complete French F4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Pos	Points
2019	NOG 1 9	NOG 2 6	NOG 3 12	PAU 1 Ret	PAU 2 Ret	PAU 3 8	SPA 1 3	SPA 2 7	SPA 3 12	LÉD 1 4	LÉD 2 10	LÉD 3 4	HUN 1 4	HUN 2 3	HUN 3 3	MAG 1 4	MAG 2 4	MAG 3 15	LEC 1 2	LEC 2 3	LEC 3 1	4th	154

Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Pos	Points
2020	R-ace GP	LAU1 1 7	LAU1 2 4	LAU1 3 2	NÜR1 1 4	NÜR1 2 9	NÜR1 3 7	HOC 1 Ret	HOC 2 5	HOC 3 1	NÜR2 1 7	NÜR2 2 11	NÜR2 3 11	RBR 1 2	RBR 2 5	RBR 3 3	LAU2 1 2	LAU2 2 5	LAU2 3 1	OSC 1 4	OSC 2 6	OSC 3 4	5th	225
2021	R-ace GP	RBR 1 6	RBR 2 8	RBR 3 13	ZAN 1 6	ZAN 2 4	ZAN 3 5	HOC1 1 6	HOC1 2 9	HOC1 3 5	SAC 1 4	SAC 2 3	SAC 3 9	HOC2 1 1	HOC2 2 3	HOC2 3 9	NÜR 1 6	NÜR 2 7	NÜR 3 2				4th	167

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	DC	Points
2022	FA Racing by MP	MNZ 1 14	MNZ 2 17	IMO 1 NC	IMO 2 32†	MCO 1 DNQ	MCO 2 17	LEC 1 23	LEC 2 Ret	ZAN 1 9	ZAN 2 13	HUN 1 18	HUN 2 Ret	SPA 1 15	SPA 2 17	RBR 1 26	RBR 2 13	CAT 1 Ret	CAT 2 Ret	MUG 1 2	MUG 2 15	17th	20
2023	MP Motorsport	IMO 1 12	IMO 2 4	CAT 1 12	CAT 2 15	HUN 1 17	HUN 2 20	SPA 1 9	SPA 2 15	MUG 1	MUG 2	LEC 1 7	LEC 2 17	RBR 1 15	RBR 2 11	MNZ 1 2	MNZ 2 19	ZAN 1 Ret	ZAN 2 16	HOC 1 15	HOC 2 8	15th	42

Complete Porsche Carrera Cup France results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos	Points
2024	Martinet by Alméras	CAT 1 5	CAT 2 5	LEC 1 DSQ	LEC 2 2	SPA 1 9	SPA 2 7	DIJ 1	DIJ 2	MUG 1	MUG 2	ALG 1	ALG 2	6th*	62*

^*Season still in progress.

Complete Porsche Supercup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Pos.	Points
2024	Martinet by Alméras	IMO 11	MON 14	RBR 24†	SIL 17	HUN 15	SPA 19	ZAN	MNZ 26	19th	11

^* Season still in progress.

References

1. González, Marc (23 September 2018). "Victor Bernier dominates Junior World Champs Final". FormulaRapida.net. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
2. "Saint-André des Eaux. 14 ans et champion du monde de karting". Saint-Nazaire (in French). 18 December 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
3. "Finalement, ce sera de la F4 pour Victor Bernier (Finally, it will be F4 for Victor Bernier)". kartmag.fr (in French). 20 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
4. Barbé, Stéphane (20 December 2019). "La jeune garde française montante de la Formule 4". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2022.
5. Wood, Elliot (29 February 2020). "French F4 Junior champ Victor Bernier to ADAC F4 with R-ace GP". FormulaScout. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
6. Wood, Elliot (29 February 2020). "French F4 Junior champ Victor Bernier to ADAC F4 with R-ace GP". FormulaScout. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
7. "Auto. F4 : Victor Bernier se lance à l'assaut du titre en Allemagne". Ouest-France (in French). 15 April 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
8. Wood, Elliot (12 March 2021). "Victor Bernier and R-ace GP combine again for ADAC F4 title attack". Formula Scout.
9. "The eighth edition of Italian F.4 Championship starts at Le Castellet with 37 cars on track". Italian F.4 Championship Powered by Abarth. 12 May 2021.
10. "Bernier claims his first win of the season in ADAC Formula 4 | ADAC Formel 4". www.adac-motorsport.de. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
11. "Automobile. Formule 4 : le jeune Andréanais Victor Bernier s'impose à Hockenheim". Ouest-France (in French). 5 November 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
12. Satis, Jérémy (5 December 2021). "L'heure du rebond pour Victor Bernier". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2022.
13. "Victor Bernier joins FA Racing line-up for Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine". Formula Regional by Alpine (in Italian). 22 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
14. Gascoigne, Roger (22 October 2022). "Aron dominates but Beganovic seals FREC title at Mugello". Formula Scout. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
15. Wolff, Perceval (25 October 2022). "FRECA showdown: 4 takeaways from the final round at Mugello". Feeder Series. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
16. "Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine Standings 2022 | Motorsport Stats". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
17. "Bernier joins MP Motorsport for sophomore FRECA campaign". mpmotorsport.com. MP Motorsport. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
18. Wolff, Perceval (17 April 2023). "Your season guide to the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine". Feeder Series. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
19. "MP Motorsport withdraw from FRECA race after van 't Hoff death". RacingNews365. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
20. Wood, Ida (16 September 2023). "Giusti gets a third FREC win after Antonelli and Amand are penalised". Formula Scout. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
21. Magazine, Speedsport. "Formula Regional European Championship - 2023: Point standings". www.speedsport-magazine.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
22. @martinet_by_almeras (22 March 2024). "Nous sommes très fiers de vous annoncer la collaboration entre @victorbernierofficial et le team @martinet_by_almeras pour cette saison 2024" (in French). Retrieved 23 March 2024 – via Instagram.
23. Hub, Porsche Motorsport. "Introducing team Martinet by Alméras in the Porsche Supercup 2024 | Porsche Motorsport Hub". motorsports.porsche.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
24. Hub, Porsche Motorsport. "Report of the Porsche Supercup finale in Monza, Round 8/2024 | Porsche Motorsport Hub". motorsports.porsche.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
25. "Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Standings 2024 | Motorsport Stats". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
26. Sami Meguetounif — Road to F1, retrieved 30 October 2021
27. Viala, Tom (22 March 2022). "Victor Bernier rejoint FA Racing en FRECA cette saison". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2022.
28. "Augustin Bernier, champion de France de karting". agglo-carene.fr. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Victor Bernier career summary at DriverDB.com