Owen Tangavelou

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Owen Tangavelou
Tangavelou racing in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season at the Red Bull Ring.
Nationality
  • Vietnam Vietnamese
  • France French
  • Vietnam Vietnamese racing license
BornNguyễn Owen Tangavelou
(2005-03-04) 4 March 2005 (age 20)
Clamart, Ile-de-France, France
USF Pro 2000 Championship career
Debut season2025
Racing licenceVietnamese racing license
Car number84
Former teams
Starts5 (5 entries)
Previous series
2024
2023
2022–2023
2022
2020–2021		Eurocup-3
FR Middle East Championship
FR European Championship
FR Asian Championship
French F4 Championship

Nguyễn Owen Tangavelou (born 4 March 2005) is a French-Vietnamese racing driver, who competed in the USF Pro 2000 Championship.

Born of a Flemish-Polish mother and a Vietnamese father, Tangavelou grew up in the suburb of Paris. Tangavelou began competitive kart racing at the age of 14. He debuted in the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship driving for DEForce Racing, having started the season with Velocity Racing Development.[1][2] He previously competed in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season with MP Motorsport, finishing fourth in the standings.[3]

Career

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Karting

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Tangavelou started his career at the relatively late age of fourteen in France.[4] He raced in several regional competitions before stepping up to Formula 4.

Formula 4

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2020

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In 2020 Tangavelou made his car racing debut in the French F4 Championship. Due to a lack of testing prior to the season, as well as him stating that he had "not enough experience" in racing at the time, the Vietnamese driver finished 12th in the championship with a best race result of fifth place at Le Castellet.[5]

2021

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Tangavelou remained in French F4 for 2021. The Vietnamese driver started his season out strongly with his first podium in single-seaters at the opening race in Nogaro.[6] He scored a further podium later in the season in the reversed-grid race at the Circuit Paul Ricard and finished fifth in the standings, having also set two fastest laps.[7][8][9] In the FIA standings of the championship Tangavelou also finished fifth, with a total of nine podiums, including three third places at the Hungaroring.

Formula Regional

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2022

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

Moving into 2022, Tangavelou made his debut in the Formula Regional category by racing in the final three rounds of the Formula Regional Asian Championship with Hitech Grand Prix.[10] He had a best finish of 13th in the final race, one in which he scored a rookie podium, and ended up 31st in the standings.

Owen’s main series that year would be the Formula Regional European Championship, which he would contest with G4 Racing.[11][12][13] Following the first half of the season, which yielded a best finish of 14th at Le Castellet, Tangavelou switched to the RPM team to partner Pietro Delli Guanti.[14] His results would improve almost instantly, with him getting his first points at the Hungaroring and scoring two further ninth places at the next round in Spa-Francorchamps.[15] Another point came at the Red Bull Ring, before Tangavelou scored a season-best finish of sixth place at the season finale in Mugello, thereby taking the rookie victory within that race, which elevated him to twentieth in the standings.[16]

2023

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

In 2023, Tangavelou moved to Trident for his second season in the series.[17]

Eurocup-3

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2024

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To represent his family living in Vietnam, Tangavelou decided to compete under a Vietnamese licence.[18][19] After spending two seasons in Formula Regional, he switched to the Eurocup-3 championship for the 2024 season, driving for MP Motorsport.[3] Tangavelou finished third in the Eurocup-3 Winter Series with one podium. He became the first Vietnamese driver to win in Europe, notably at the Red Bull Ring, and to achieve three pole positions at this level in Eurocup-3.

2025

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Tangavelou returned to Eurocup-3 in 2025 with Drivex for the third round in Paul Ricard, where he had a best finish of eleventh.[20] He returned the next round in Monza, moving over to Allay Racing where he once again had a best finish of 11th.[21]

USF Pro 2000 Championship

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2025

Tangavelou switched to racing in America for 2025, racing in the USF Pro 2000 Championship with Velocity Racing Development.[22] He made a strong debut, finishing fifth in the second race at St. Petersburg.[23] In early May, it was announced that he would join DEForce Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America events.[2]

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2020 French F4 Championship FFSA Academy 20 0 0 0 0 28 12th
2021 French F4 Championship FFSA Academy 20 1 0 2 2 160 5th
2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship Hitech Grand Prix 9 0 0 0 0 0 31st
Formula Regional European Championship G4 Racing 9 0 0 0 0 15 20th
RPM 9 1 0 0 0
2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP Motorsport 3 0 0 0 0 0 33rd
Formula Regional European Championship Trident 20 0 0 0 0 43 14th
2024 Eurocup-3 Winter Series MP Motorsport 2 0 0 0 1 27 3rd
Eurocup-3 15 1 3 1 3 158 4th
2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship Velocity Racing Development 5 0 0 0 0 53* 9th*
DEForce Racing
Eurocup-3 Drivex
Allay Racing

* Season still in progress.

Complete French F4 Championship results

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(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
2020 NOG
1
12 		NOG
2
13 		NOG
3
9 		MAG
1
10 		MAG
2
Ret 		MAG
3
12 		ZAN
1
Ret 		ZAN
2
9 		ZAN
3
9 		LEC1
1
10 		LEC1
2
Ret 		LEC1
3
9 		SPA
1
DNS 		SPA
2
11 		SPA
3
10 		LEC2
1
5 		LEC2
2
8 		LEC2
3
13 		LEC3
1
10 		LEC3
2
9 		LEC3
3
7 		12th 28
2021 NOG
1
2 		NOG
2
11 		NOG
3
Ret 		MAG1
1
Ret 		MAG1
2
10 		MAG1
3
4 		HUN
1
4 		HUN
2
5 		HUN
3
4 		LÉD
1
6 		LÉD
2
5 		LÉD
3
4 		MNZ
1
4 		MNZ
2
5 		MNZ
3
C 		LEC
1
7 		LEC
2
2 		LEC
3
7 		MAG2
1
5 		MAG2
2
8 		MAG2
3
5 		5th 160

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

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(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 G4 Racing MNZ
1
22 		MNZ
2
26 		IMO
1
31† 		IMO
2
16 		MCO
1
DNQ 		MCO
2
19 		LEC
1
14 		LEC
2
Ret 		ZAN
1
17 		ZAN
2
19 		20th 15
RPM HUN
1
19 		HUN
2
9 		SPA
1
9 		SPA
2
9 		RBR
1
14 		RBR
2
11 		CAT
1
17 		CAT
2
Ret 		MUG
1
DNS 		MUG
2
6
2023 Trident IMO
1
16 		IMO
2
13 		CAT
1
Ret 		CAT
2
16 		HUN
1
18 		HUN
2
13 		SPA
1
23 		SPA
2
22 		MUG
1
13 		MUG
2
8 		LEC
1
15 		LEC
2
8 		RBR
1
10 		RBR
2
6 		MNZ
1
5 		MNZ
2
8 		ZAN
1
17 		ZAN
2
17 		HOC
1
Ret 		HOC
2
5 		14th 43

† – Driver did not finish the race but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results

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(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
2023 Hyderabad Blackbirds by MP DUB1
1 		DUB1
2 		DUB1
3 		KUW1
1
 KUW1
2
 KUW1
3
 KUW2
1
 KUW2
2
 KUW2
3
 DUB2
1 		DUB2
2 		DUB2
3 		ABU
1
13 		ABU
2
17 		ABU
3
Ret 		33rd 0

Complete Eurocup-3 results

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(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 DC Points
2024 MP Motorsport SPA
1
DNS 		SPA
2
C 		RBR
1
1 		RBR
2
3 		POR
1
3 		POR
2
4 		POR
3
5 		LEC
1
5 		LEC
2
5 		ZAN
1
4 		ZAN
2
4 		ARA
1
Ret 		ARA
2
6 		JER
1
6 		JER
2
8 		CAT
1
7 		CAT
2
DSQ 		4th 158
2025 DXR RBR
1 		RBR
2 		POR
1 		POR
SR 		POR
2 		LEC
1
Ret 		LEC
SR
13 		LEC
2
11 		21st 0
Allay Racing MNZ
1
11 		MNZ
2
Ret 		ASS
1 		ASS
2 		SPA
1 		SPA
2 		JER
1 		JER
2 		CAT
1 		CAT
2

American open-wheel racing results

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USF Pro 2000 Championship

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(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 Position Points
2025 Velocity Racing Development STP
1
11 		STP
2
5 		LOU
1
19 		LOU
2
10 		LOU
3
9 		IMS
1
18 		IMS
2
15 		IMS
3
9 		IRP
 ROA
1
 ROA
2
 ROA
3
 MOH
1
 MOH
2
 TOR
1
 TOR
2
 POR
1
 POR
2
 19th 74

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ USF Pro Championships [@usfprochampionships]; (13 February 2025). "🚨 VRD Racing is thrilled to welcome driver Owen Tangavelou to the team for two rounds of the 2025 USF Pro 2000 Championship! 🇻🇳🏎️" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ a b DEForce Racing [@deforceracing]; (4 May 2025). "🚨 DRIVER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 Please welcome Owen Tangavelou 🇻🇳 to DEForce Racing in the USF Pro 2000 Championship! 🏁💥" – via Instagram.
  3. ^ a b "Owen Tangavelou inks Eurocup-3 deal with MP Motorsport". MP Motorsport. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Whatsapping with Owen Tangavelou: 'Late start to my career was real hard'". F1 Feeder Series. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  5. ^ P.W (2 April 2022). "Derrière la visière de... Owen Tangavelou". FORMULA (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  6. ^ "F4 Academy: Masson and Sutumno kick off the 2021 season with success". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  7. ^ "F4 Academy: Capietto and Vayron continue successfully". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  8. ^ "French F4 Championship standings confirm Esteban Masson's title". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Un top-5 final en conclusion d'un brillant parcours en F4". Owen Tangavelou (in French). 3 November 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Hitech confirm 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship driver line-up". Hitech Grand Prix. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  11. ^ Team, Media. "Owen Tangavelou steps up to FRECA with G4 Racing – G4 Racing". Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Owen Tangavelou joins G4 Racing for the 2022 season". Formula Regional by Alpine (in Italian). 4 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  13. ^ Hensby, Paul (8 March 2022). "F4 Stars Zagazeta and Tangavelou Join G4 Racing for 2022 FRECA Campaign". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Owen Tangavelou rebondit après son départ de G4 Racing". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  15. ^ Fasano, Emanuele (10 July 2022). "Hadrien David converts pole position to victory in the Hungaroring Race 2". Formula Regional by Alpine (in Italian). Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Minì signs the last race of the year and Fornaroli wins the rookie title". KartXpress. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  17. ^ Wood, Ida (24 January 2023). "Owen Tangavelou completes Trident's 2023 FREC line-up". Formula Scout. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  18. ^ "OWEN TANGAVELOU chính thức thi đấu dưới màu cờ Việt Nam 🇻🇳 kể từ mùa giải 2024". Instagram (in Vietnamese). Vietnamese Motorsports Association. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  19. ^ "🔈🔉🔊 🇻🇳 NGUY ỄN Owen Tangavelou 🇻🇳". Instagram (in Vietnamese). Vietnamese Motorsports Association. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  20. ^ Wood, Ida (19 June 2025). "Owen Tangavelou returns to Eurocup-3 with Drivex at Paul Ricard". Formula Scout. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  21. ^ "Feeder Series weekend preview and schedule: 04–06 July". Feeder Series. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  22. ^ Wood, Ida (18 February 2025). "Eurocup-3 race-winner Owen Tangavelou switches to USF Pro 2000". Formula Scout. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  23. ^ Wood, Ida (2 March 2025). "Garcia wins second St. Petersburg race to lead USF Pro 2000 points". Formula Scout. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
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