The first half of Jesse Carrasquedo's 2021 racing season was marked by active participation in the major events of the OK category, which represents the highest international level in karting for motorsport hopefuls. In total, the 14-year-old Mexican raced in 12 events and was frequently in the spotlight. His progress was steady and he was able to gain a lot of experience, as was the case during the FIA Karting European Championship which ended in Spain on the Zuera circuit.

With a total of 101 drivers from all over the world, high-performance karts from highly professional teams, and F1 teams represented by their driver academies, the European OK Championship is now a must for young racers. In the Parolin Motorsport team, Jesse Carrasquedo benefits from an ideal working environment to acquire the skills needed to become a complete competitor. The Mexican recently got his first taste of the benefits of this training during his F4 debut in the Danish Championship, where he has already managed to win a race despite his tender age!

A disrupted and disruptive timed session

The European Championship ended in Spain from 22nd to 25th July. "We prepared optimally for this event by racing in the Champions of the Future series the week before at this circuit in Zuera," commented Jesse. "This time we encountered even more extreme heat conditions, with the thermometer sometimes passing 40 degrees! So it was not easy to set up the equipment, but I managed to improve as the Free Practice sessions went on. On Friday morning I set the 7th fastest time in my group and I hoped to qualify in the top 30 to have a chance of reaching the Final on Sunday."

Unfortunately, an incident occurred with another driver during the Qualifying session and Jesse found himself relegated to 52nd position. "In every heat I had to start from the back of the pack, hoping to work my way up. Fortunately, I was quite competitive with my Parolin-TM Racing package, especially when I compared my performance with my more experienced teammates. In one heat I was able to move up eight places and even nine in the next. But the other two heats were more competitive and there were a few setbacks in the pack. I couldn't move up enough to have the possibility of qualifying."

Further tests in both karting and F4 are planned in the coming weeks for Jesse Carrasquedo, who will have made further progress during this FIA European Karting Championship.