Yuzuki Sato has won the 2025 FIA Karting Senior Shootout, earning a transformational prize from the FIA which is set to turbocharge his racing career. By winning the Senior Shootout the 16-year-old driver from Japan, who earned his spot after winning the FIA Karting Senior Academy Trophy earlier this year, has won a transformational prize of 250,000 euros towards competing in an FIA-certified Formula 4 championship next year.
The Karting Shootout, created and funded by the FIA to identify and support the next racing stars in motor sport, assessed seven senior drivers this week across physical, mental and racing evaluations to identify the senior driver with the most promise and potential to confidently take the next step in their journey up the motor sport pyramid.
The shootout invited the senior winners of the 2025 FIA Karting championships, cups and trophies to Valencia and offered a supportive and constructive environment for the drivers to transition from karts to cars whilst also critically assessing their adaptability, intuition and willingness to learn and improve on track.
Pirelli, official partner and tyre supplier of the Senior Shootout, shares the FIA’s mission to invest in the future of the sport at a pivotal moment for the young drivers. Beyond crowning a senior winner, the Shootout was also designed to support all seven participants who displayed exceptional skill and talent to earn their spot in the event. Each driver received expert guidance, tailored support and access to specialised technical resources throughout the week to refine their racecraft, enhance their performance and lay the foundations to build a successful career in motor sport.
Following a similar itinerary to the junior drivers earlier this week, the senior drivers began their Shootout assessments on Thursday, completing simulator assessments and gym evaluation before their seat fittings and final track preparations at the Campos Racing facility. On Saturday morning, the drivers lowered themselves into the cockpit of Campos’ Tatuus T-421 Formula 4 cars for the first time, as they got to grips with car racing around the Aspar Circuit outside Valencia. Sadly, Manuel Scognamiglio had to withdraw from the competition due to injury before track testing got underway.
The six remaining drivers took their first tentative laps on Saturday, gradually building confidence and familiarity with the cars and the circuit, taking time between each run to analyse data and metrics with driver trainers tasked with assessing their ability to respond and adapt to the technical feedback. This morning, two participants, Knud Nielsen and Oscar Goudchaux, were knocked out of the competition, leaving the final four to lay down their best performances in qualifying and race simulations on fresh tyres to complete their assessment and evaluation.
The judges later convened to closely study the data from the simulator runs, their strength and agility scores from the gym, as well as their track times, cornering, handling, braking and simulated race pace to build a complete racing overview of each driver. Utilising detailed data from Campos Racing and feedback from experienced driver coaches, the judges reached a close but informed decision, announcing Sato as the Senior winner of the FIA Karting Shootout this evening.
FIA Karting Commission President, Akbar Ebrahim, said:
“Transitioning from karts to cars is a major moment in a driver’s career and Yuzuki confidently took to the track this week, quickly learning, improving and displaying the intuition, aptitude and racing instinct that indicate the making of a future champion.
“It has been a pleasure to witness the growth and development of these drivers during the FIA Karting Shootout, who all have bright racing careers in front of them. I’m proud that we have been able to provide this opportunity as part of the FIA Global Karting Plan and created a clear pathway for driver development and progression whilst strengthening the foundations of our sport.”
The 2025 FIA Karting Senior Shootout entrants were:
Nicolas Fuca (ARG)
Riccardo Ferrari (ITA)
Oscar Goudchaux (FRA)
Knud Nielsen (DEN)
Yusuki Sato (JAP)
Manuel Scognamiglio (ITA)
Wojciech Woda (POL)
The 2025 FIA Karting Shootout marked the conclusion of a thrilling season and set the stage for what promises to be a golden year for karting in 2026. Next year will feature new championships and one of the most extensive calendars to date.
The FIA Karting action begins with the start of the European Championship in April, followed by the launch of the FIA Karting Arrive & Drive Continental Championships in both Asia-Pacific and Europe. The season will draw to a conclusion with the prestigious FIA Karting World Championship (KZ) in Le Mans, the OK and OK-J World Championship in Bahrain, and the second editions of the FIA Karting Arrive and Drive World Cup and the FIA Karting Shootout.
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