Kanato Le

Kanato Le
リー海夏澄
Le in 2025
Born (2007-07-04) 4 July 2007 (age 18)
Tokyo, Japan[1]
NationalityJapan Japanese
Formula Regional European Championship career
Debut season2024
Current teamART Grand Prix
Car number9
Former teamsG4 Racing
Starts40
Wins0
Podiums1
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish14th in 2025
GB3 Championship career
Debut season2024
Current teamHillspeed
Car number19
Former teamsChris Dittmann Racing
Starts9
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums3
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish14th in 2025
Statistics up to date as of 27 October 2025.
Previous series

Kanato Le (Japanese: リー海夏澄, Hepburn: Rī Kanato; born 4 July 2007) is a Japanese racing driver who is set to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for ART Grand Prix. He previously raced in the Formula Regional European Championship for ART Grand Prix and part-time in the GB3 Championship for Hillspeed.

Le most recently competed in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship for G4 Racing, having raced in the 2023 F4 British Championship, where he placed seventh in the standings.

Career

[edit]

Karting

[edit]

Le had a consistent karting career where he finished in the top-ten in most championships he was in. His career was highlighted by winning the 2021 IAME Euro Series, and coming second in the 2021 IAME Winter Series in the X30 Junior class. He was the IAME Euro Series Junior Champion in 2021.[2]

Ginetta Junior Championship

[edit]

In 2022, Le made his foray into car racing in the 2022 Ginetta Junior Championship with Elite Motorsport, where drivers as young as 14 can start their motorsport career and hone their craft. Le was no exception, as he got two wins, one pole position and five podiums, and came seventh in the championship.[3] He was the second highest rookie, behind 2023 F4 British Championship runner-up, William Macintyre.[4]

Formula 4

[edit]

Formula 4 UAE Championship

[edit]

In late 2022, Le made his debut in the trophy round of the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship for Hitech Pulse-Eight, with fellow 2023 F4 British Championship competitors, James Piszcyk, William Macintyre and 2023 GB3 Championship driver Alex Dunne.[5] He finished fifth and second in the races.[6]

Le also drove in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship with his teammates in the trophy round, barring the exception of Dunne, who would be replaced by Red Bull Junior Team member Arvid Lindblad.[7] After coming up pointless in the first round, he scored his first points at the Kuwait Motor Town and had an inconsistent season, but came home with 22 points and finished 17th place in the championship.[8]

F4 British Championship

[edit]

Alongside his Formula 4 UAE campaign, Le was announced to be driving in the 2023 F4 British Championship with Hitech Pulse-Eight.[9] He was rejoined by Formula 4 UAE teammates Macintyre, Piszcyk and newcomer Gabriel Stilp.

Le kicked off his season with two points finishes at Donington Park, before taking his first win during the first race of the second round at Brands Hatch.[10] A podium followed at the next round in Snetterton, before securing his second win at Oulton Park.[11] He took his last podium of the series at the third-to-last round at Knockhill.[12] Le finished the championship in seventh place, with 195 points.[13]

GB3 Championship

[edit]

2024

[edit]

Le made his debut in the 2024 GB3 Championship with Chris Dittmann Racing at Spa-Francorchamps. His best result was a fifth place after making up nine positions at the third round, and he came 23rd in the drivers championship with 46 points.[8]

2025

[edit]

Le continued in GB3 in 2025 for selected rounds with Hillspeed, in line with his main FRECA campaign.[14] He took his maiden win in the series in race two at Spa-Francorchamps, a weekend where he finished on the podium for all three races.[15]

Formula Regional

[edit]

2024

[edit]

Le was announced to be a part of the R-ace GP lineup for the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship, alongside experienced drivers Tuukka Taponen, Martinius Stenshorne, Zachary David and Jesse Carrasquedo Jr.[16] He drove in the final two rounds and scored a lone point in his campaign at the second to last race at the Dubai Autodrome. Le finished 22nd in the overall standings.

Le drove in the Formula Regional European Championship for his main campaign with G4 Racing, alongside FRMEC teammate Carrasquedo, and French F4 driver Romain Andriolo.[17] He had a difficult year, with his first points finish being a third place finish in the twelfth race at Le Castellet. After that he only got two more points finishes at the final two rounds of the season. Le came 18th in the drivers' championship with 27 points, the team's highest-placed driver.[18]

2025

[edit]
Le driving at the Hungaroring during the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship

For 2025, Le signed with ART Grand Prix to compete in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship with them alongside Evan Giltaire and Taito Kato.[19] In the Middle East, he took his first win in Formula Regional during the second race of the opening round.[20] He did not finish on the podium again, but consistent points finishes saw him finish eighth overall.[18]

In the European season, after failing to score in the opening round, Le took a best finish of fourth in race two at Spa.[18]

2026

[edit]

In the winter, Le is set to compete in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy with Hitech TGR.[21]

Macau Grand Prix

[edit]

Le took part in the 2024 Macau Grand Prix with ART Grand Prix.[22] He did not finish the race due to an accident on lap 1.[23]

FIA Formula 3

[edit]

Le will step up to Formula 3 in 2026, continuing with ART Grand Prix.[24]

Karting record

[edit]

Karting career summary

[edit]
Season Series Team Position
2019 Motorsport UK Kartmasters Grand Prix - X30 Mini Fusion Motorsport 7th
IAME Asia Final - Junior AutoInc Racing 9th
British Kart Championship - X30 Mini Fusion Motorsport 18th
2020 IAME International Games - X30 Junior Fusion Motorsport 5th
Kartmasters British Grand Prix - Rotax Junior 6th
IAME Winter Cup - X30 Junior Fusion Motorsport 13th
IAME Euro Series - X30 Junior 2nd
2021 LGM Series - Junior X30 Strawberry Racing 19th
IAME International Games - X30 Junior 5th
British Kart Championship - X30 Junior 9th
IAME Warriors Final - X30 Junior 11th
IAME Euro Series - X30 Junior 1st
IAME Winter Cup - X30 Junior Fusion Motorsport 2nd

Racing record

[edit]

Racing career summary

[edit]
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2022 Ginetta Junior Championship Elite Motorsport 25 2 1 0 5 374 7th
Formula 4 UAE Championship - Trophy Round Hitech Pulse-Eight 2 0 0 0 1 NC
2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship Hitech Pulse-Eight 15 0 0 0 0 22 17th
F4 British Championship 30 2 0 4 4 195 7th
2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship R-ace GP 6 0 0 0 0 1 22nd
Formula Regional European Championship G4 Racing 20 0 0 0 1 27 18th
GB3 Championship Chris Dittmann Racing 3 0 0 0 0 46 23rd
Macau Grand Prix ART Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 DNF
2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship ART Grand Prix 15 1 0 1 1 119 8th
Formula Regional European Championship 20 0 0 0 0 30 14th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 11th
GB3 Championship Hillspeed 9 1 1 0 3 145 14th
2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship ART Grand Prix 0 0 0 0 0 0 TBD
Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Hitech TGR

* Season still in progress.

Complete Ginetta Junior Championship results

[edit]

(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 22 23 24 25 DC Points
2022 Elite Motorsport DON
1

7
DON
2

7
DON
3

8
BHI
1

1
BHI
2

15
BHI
3

9
THR1
1

Ret
THR1
2

Ret
CRO
1

8
CRO
2

4
KNO
1

9
KNO
2

13
KNO
3

11
SNE
1

9
SNE
2

1
SNE
3

5
THR2
1

17
THR2
2

7
THR2
3

12
SIL
1

2
SIL
2

5
SIL
3

3
BHGP
1

Ret
BHGP
2

7
BHGP
3

3
7th 380

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

[edit]

(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 Pos Points
2023 Hitech Pulse-Eight DUB1
1

13
DUB1
2

16
DUB1
3

14
KMT1
1

7
KMT1
2

Ret
KMT1
3

9
KMT2
1

8
KMT2
2

22
KMT2
3

17
DUB2
1

7
DUB2
2

8
DUB2
3

11
YMC
1

12
YMC
2

15
YMC
3

29
17th 22

Complete F4 British Championship results

[edit]

(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 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 DC Points
2023 Hitech Pulse-Eight DPN
1

9
DPN
2

47
DPN
3

16
BHI
1

1
BHI
2

114
BHI
3

8
SNE
1

C
SNE
2

128
SNE
3

2
THR
1

6
THR
2

510
THR
3

21
OUL
1

1
OUL
2

147
OUL
3

20
SIL
1

15
SIL
2

17
SIL
3

6
CRO
1

9
CRO
2

14
CRO
3

6
KNO
1

15
KNO
2

104
KNO
3

3
DPGP
1

8
DPGP
2

8
DPGP
3

13
DPGP
4

9
BHGP
1

5
BHGP
2

81
BHGP
3

12
7th 195

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results

[edit]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 DC Points
2024 R-ace GP YMC1
1
YMC1
2
YMC1
3
YMC2
1
YMC2
2
YMC2
3
DUB1
1
DUB1
2
DUB1
3
YMC3
1

19
YMC3
2

Ret
YMC3
3

Ret
DUB2
1

11
DUB2
2

10
DUB2
3

13
22nd 1
2025 ART Grand Prix YMC1
1

9
YMC1
2

1
YMC1
3

13
YMC2
1

14
YMC2
2

9
YMC2
3

7
DUB
1

6
DUB
2

10
DUB
3

Ret
YMC3
1

4
YMC3
2

4
YMC3
3

15
LUS
1

5
LUS
2

8
LUS
3

5
8th 119

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

[edit]

(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
2024 G4 Racing HOC
1

19
HOC
2

Ret
SPA
1

20
SPA
2

20
ZAN
1

12
ZAN
2

15
HUN
1

16
HUN
2

16
MUG
1

17
MUG
2

19
LEC
1

17
LEC
2

3
IMO
1

16
IMO
2

Ret
RBR
1

19
RBR
2

15
CAT
1

14
CAT
2

5
MNZ
1

16
MNZ
2

9
18th 27
2025 ART Grand Prix MIS
1

11
MIS
2

16
SPA
1

9
SPA
2

4
ZAN
1

12
ZAN
2

12
HUN
1

11
HUN
2

6
LEC
1

Ret
LEC
2

11
IMO
1

9
IMO
2

19
RBR
1

18
RBR
2

16
CAT
1

10
CAT
2

10
HOC
1

10
HOC
2

9
MNZ
1

14
MNZ
2

19
14th 30

Complete GB3 Championship results

[edit]

(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 22 23 24 DC Points
2024 Chris Dittmann Racing OUL
1

OUL
2

OUL
3

SIL1
1

SIL1
2

SIL1
3

SPA
1

12
SPA
2

6
SPA
3

59
HUN
1

HUN
2

HUN
3

ZAN
1

ZAN
2

ZAN
3

SIL2
1

SIL2
2

SIL2
3

DON
1

DON
2

DON
3

BRH
1

BRH
2

BRH
3

23rd 46
2025 Hillspeed SIL1
1

13
SIL1
2

9
SIL1
3

85
ZAN
1

ZAN
2

ZAN
3

SPA
1

3
SPA
2

1
SPA
3

210
HUN
1

HUN
2

HUN
3

SIL2
1

SIL2
2

SIL2
3

BRH
1

17
BRH
2

8
BRH
3

7
DON
1

DON
2

DON
3

MNZ
1

MNZ
2

MNZ
3

14th 145

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

[edit]
Year Team Car Qualifying Quali Race Main Race
2024 France ART Grand Prix Tatuus F3 T-318 27th 19th DNF
2025 France ART Grand Prix Tatuus F3 T-318 22nd 15th 11th

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

[edit]

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

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 DC Points
2026 ART Grand Prix MEL
SPR

MEL
FEA

BHR
SPR

BHR
FEA

MON
SPR

MON
FEA

CAT
SPR

CAT
FEA

RBR
SPR

RBR
FEA

SIL
SPR

SIL
FEA

SPA
SPR

SPA
FEA

HUN
SPR

HUN
FEA

MNZ
SPR

MNZ
FEA

MAD
SPR

MAD
FEA

TBD TBD

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2018 APG 第4戦 Mini MAX 9/2". EIKO co ltd (in Japanese). 2 September 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  2. ^ "IAME Euro Series 2021 - X30 Junior 2020". DriverDB. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Ginetta Junior 2022 Standings". DriverDB. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  4. ^ Wood, Ida (8 November 2022). "Hitech GP adds Ginetta Junior racer Kanato Le to British F4 line-up". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Hitech confirm Kanato Le for the 2023 ROKiT British F4 and FIA F4 UAE Championship". Hitech GP. 7 November 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  6. ^ Wood, Ida (10 January 2023). "Rookies to watch: 2023 Formula 4 UAE". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Your season guide to the 2023 F4 UAE Championship". Feeder Series. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b Wood, Ida (28 May 2024). "FRegional racer and F4 race-winner Kanato Le to make GB3 debut at Spa". Formula Scout. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Kanato Le confirms 2023 Rokit British F4 seat with Hitech GP". F4 British Championship. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ Waring, Bethonie (6 May 2023). "Kanato Le takes first British F4 win in Brands Hatch race split into two". Formula Scout. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  11. ^ Waring, Bethonie (17 June 2023). "Kanato Le wins British F4's red flag-interrupted Oulton Park opener". Formula Scout. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  12. ^ Waring, Bethonie (13 August 2023). "Gowda takes lights-to-flag Knockhill British F4 win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  13. ^ "F4 British Championship 2023 Standings". DriverDB. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Hillspeed's Three-Car Silverstone GB3 Entry Completed By Japan's Yamakoshi". Hillspeed. 23 April 2025. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  15. ^ Whitfield, Steve (31 May 2025). "Le recovers from slow start at Spa to take maiden GB3 win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Formula Regional Middle East Championship Talent Showcase set for 2024 Season - FR Middle East Championship Certified by FIA". en.fregionalme.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  17. ^ "G4 Racing signs rising star Kanato Le for FRECA 2024 Championship". G4 Racing. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Brusa, Francesca (12 June 2025). "FR Middle East race winner Le: Victory in FR Europe 'definitely achievable'". Feeder Series. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Kanato Le Joins ART Grand Prix for 2025 Season in FRMEC and FRECA". 16 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  20. ^ Wood, Ida (19 January 2025). "Kanato Le opens FRegional victory account with Yas Marina success". Formula Scout. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  21. ^ Wood, Ida (28 November 2025). "David, Le and Manson join 2026 FRegional Oceania grid". Formula Scout. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  22. ^ Wood, Ida (15 October 2024). "Daryanani, Le and Wharton sign up for Macau GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  23. ^ Wood, Ida (17 November 2024). "Ugochukwu takes FRegional World Cup by winning the Macau GP". Formula Scout. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  24. ^ "ART Grand Prix confirm Kanato Le for the 2026 season". FIA_Formula 3® - The Official F3® Website. 7 October 2025. Retrieved 7 October 2025.
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