Back in April, GRS’ Alexander Jacoby told Feeder Series he is prepared for his debut in Spanish F4 at the round in Portimão.
By Juan Arroyo
Jacoby will enter his first ever F4 round this weekend in Portugal, having missed the season opener as he did not meet the minimum age requirement. The GRS driver turned 15 years old on May 27, and is signed for the remainder of the season with the Spanish team.
He began testing with GRS in November, and kept up an extensive programme across Spain and Portugal over the winter, before appearing in all three collective tests organised by Spanish F4 between late March and late April.
Jacoby accumulated 396 laps in total between the collective tests at Circuit Paul Ricard, Algarve, and Jarama. But gaps to his teammates in the sessions’ overall times suggest the young driver hasn’t fully come to grips with the F4 car just yet.
The American driver told Feeder Series that this season will mainly serve as a learning year, and that he would not be opposed to another season in F4 in 2025.
“I feel prepared. You know, it’s my rookie year, so I’m feeling good. I’m feeling ready,” Jacoby said.
“I would say there are not a lot of expectations in the results. Because I’m so new, I don’t have nearly as much experience as a lot of people. The expectation is for every time I sit in the car to be one step better. For me, that’s the most important thing.”
Jacoby added that he was able to develop a strong working relationship with the GRS personnel over the winter. “I think me, the team, my engineers, and my mechanics have a really good relationship. I’m close with all of them and it feels really nice. It feels like a family.”
He also spoke to the physical challenge of stepping up to single-seaters, saying: “I came in and I knew it would be physical, but especially in the neck, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. But now, there’s a lot more training. I’m training every other day in the gym and I’m going there working on all my physicality.”
In April, Jacoby joined A14 Management’s line-up – becoming the latest driver to be managed and mentored by Fernando Alonso. Besides career management from the firm, Alonso himself does simulator work with A14 drivers. “Sometimes we [go on the] simulator together and it’s really fun,” Jacoby said.
“We have not talked so much, but just from what I’ve seen, he’s an incredible driver and person. I think there’s a lot there to learn on how to be like him,” he added.
Eagle-eyed fans will have noticed that Jacoby sports the Brazilian and German flags on his left and right shoulders respectively, besides the American flag on his hip that represents his licence. They are a nod to his parents’ nationalities.
“My dad is from Germany – he was born and raised there and he lived there for most of his life – my mom was born and raised in Brazil, and I was born in the US, so I feel the necessity to represent all three countries. I think it’s important to keep my heritage behind me.”
Header photo credit: Eduard Cartaña / Fotocar13