GP Explorer

Last updated
GP Explorer
GP EXPLORER - LOGO.svg
Venue Circuit Bugatti
Location Flag of France.svg Le Mans, France
47°57′00″N00°12′27″E / 47.95000°N 0.20750°E / 47.95000; 0.20750
Corporate sponsor Air Up
First race8 October 2022
Last race5 October 2025
Laps15 laps

GP Explorer was an annual Formula 4 car competition organized by French content creator Lucas "Squeezie" Hauchard with support from FFSA Academy, [1] bringing together internet personalities across the globe to race against each other. Primarily featuring French content creators, the competition later grew to include other personalities worldwide. The competition used chassis from Mygale prepped by Alpine and Oreca with de-tuned Renault engines. [2] [3]

Contents

All three editions of GP Explorer were held at the Circuit Bugatti at Le Mans, France, the first of which was held on 8 October 2022. Broadcast live on Twitch, it was the highest-viewed French stream on the platform at the time, reaching a peak of over one million viewers and an average of 400,000 viewers. [4]

Event history

Circuit Bugatti plays host to GP Explorer. Luftaufnahme vom Bugatti Circuit cropped.jpg
Circuit Bugatti plays host to GP Explorer.

During the ZEvent charity in 2020, [5] Squeezie pledged to host a real-life Formula Renault tournament if the charity's live stream met a donation goal of €100,000. Two years later on 5 April 2022 during one of his Twitch live streams, Squeezie revealed GP Explorer, a race for French content creators competing in Formula 4 machinery around Circuit Bugatti at Le Mans, France. [6] The inaugural race began on 8 October 2022, [7] bringing together 22 French content creators, divided into eleven teams. [8] [9] [10] Participants trained for several months, with some obtaining racing licenses. [11]

The second race in 2023 featured French music artists alongside content creators, including SCH, Soso Maness and Kekra. [12]

The third race in 2025 was the last and most diverse GP Explorer event, dubbed "The Last Race", which featured an added sprint race, a revised points system, live broadcasting of team radio, international streams, and creator drivers from outside of France, including the United States, Spain, Canada, and Switzerland. [13]

Results by year

2022

Sylvain Levy of Vilebrequin  [ fr ] won the race from second on the grid, ahead of Pierre-Olivier "Depielo" Valette and Étienne "Étienne Moustache" Jouneau. The trophies were handed out by Jamel Debbouze, Bigflo & Oli, and Matthieu Vaxivière.[ citation needed ]

During qualifying, Jordan "Joyca" Rondelli suffered a major accident at the exit of the Dunlop curve. His team's mechanics managed to repair the car and the videographer was able to start the race. Joyca described his hit, saying, "I got there, in the big Dunlop of death, there's a wall that's a little scary, well, I took it." [14] The event, broadcast live on Twitch, gathered just over one million concurrent viewers, becoming the most viewed French stream and one of the top 10 most viewed streams on the platform. [15] 40,000 spectators were present at the race. [8]

Pos.No.PersonalityTeamLapsTime/RetiredGrid
116 Flag of France.svg Sylvain Levy NordVPN Vilebrequin  [ fr ]1527:32.0002
264 Flag of France.svg Depielo Oscaro 15+0.2481
399 Flag of France.svg Étienne Moustache World of Tanks 15+5.1003
494 Flag of France.svg LeBouseuh PUBG Mobile 15+23.0798
514 Flag of France.svg Squeezie MWII Racing Team 15+26.3296
630 Flag of France.svg Valouzz Oscaro 15+42.28014
715 Flag of France.svg Djilsi Alpine 14+1 lap15
86 Flag of France.svg Manon Lanza Alpine 14+1 lap10
911 Flag of France.svg Bibi Black Adam 14+1 lap11
1031 Flag of France.svg DobbyFruitz14+1 lap9
117 Flag of France.svg Gotaga MWII Racing Team 14+1 lap16
1226 Flag of France.svg ThéoBabacRhinoshield14+1 lap17
1327 Flag of France.svg Kaatsup PUBG Mobile 14+1 lap13
1449 Flag of France.svg Amixem World of Tanks 14+1 lap20
153 Flag of France.svg Seb la FriteIgraal14+1 lap18
1612 Flag of France.svg Domingo Cupra Team PAX14+1 lap21
1724 Flag of France.svg Prime Black Adam 13+1 lap4
188 Flag of France.svg SofyanIgraal13+2 laps19
1913 Flag of France.svg DeujnaFruitz13+2 laps22
2029 Flag of France.svg JoycaRhinoshield13+2 laps12
Ret21 Flag of France.svg Xari Cupra Team PAX12Collision7
Ret10 Flag of France.svg Pierre Chabrier NordVPN Vilebrequin  [ fr ]12Collision5

2023

Pierre-Olivier "Depielo" Valette won the second edition of GP Explorer from pole position, ahead of Sylvain Levy and Étienne "Étienne Moustache" Jouneau. 60,000 spectators were present at the race, and the event's live stream garnered over one million concurrent viewers for the second year in a row. [16] [17]

French YouTuber Manon Lanza  [ fr ] was subject to misogyny and sexual harassment by viewers online following a collision between herself and Maxime Biaggi on lap 2 of the race. These comments were quickly condemned by the organizers of GP Explorer and fellow content creator drivers in the event. Lanza was stretchered out of her car and taken to hospital for evaluation. [18]

Pos.No.PersonalityTeamLapsTime/RetiredGrid
164 Flag of France.svg Depielo Racers by Alpine 1538:41.9981
21 Flag of France.svg Sylvain Levy NordVPN Vilebrequin  [ fr ]15+4.8243
343 Flag of France.svg Étienne MoustacheWargaming.net15+6.8362
494 Flag of France.svg LeBouseuh Overwatch 2 15+18.9234
516 Flag of France.svg Ana On Air Mouv' 15+37.8735
610 Flag of France.svg Pierre Chabrier NordVPN Vilebrequin  [ fr ]15+38.6567
714 Flag of France.svg Squeezie Gentle Mates15+40.1809
849 Flag of France.svg AmixemWargaming.net15+41.3638
913 Flag of France.svg Soso Maness Samsung 15+50.51110
1027 Flag of France.svg Kaatsup Overwatch 2 15+54.30912
117 Flag of France.svg GotagaGentle Mates15+59.08616
1238 Flag of France.svg Mister V Subway 15+1:08.31215
1323 Flag of France.svg Theodort Alpine 15+1:20.37314
1415 Flag of France.svg Djilsi Alpine 15+1:26.42517
153 Flag of France.svg Seb la FriteRhinoshield15+1:32.33218
1698 Flag of France.svg Theo Juice Subway 15+1:35.40019
1728 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Baghera Jones Cupra 15+1:50.51820
1831 Flag of France.svg MaghlaRhinoshield14+1 lap23
1966 Flag of France.svg Horty Cupra 13+2 laps24
Ret8 Flag of France.svg Billy Crunchyroll 14-21
Ret92 Flag of France.svg Kekra Crunchyroll 10-22
Ret19 Flag of France.svg SCH Samsung 8-13
Ret97 Flag of France.svg Maxime Biaggi Mouv' 2Collision6
Ret11 Flag of France.svg Manon Lanza Racers by Alpine 2Collision11

2025

The third GP Explorer event was the final year of competition. [13] The 2025 edition garnered the largest audience in the competition's history, being broadcast to 1.4 million viewers on Twitch, 1.22 million viewers on live television via France 2, [19] and drawing 200,000 live spectators across three days at Circuit Bugatti, peaking at 80,000 on Sunday. [20] [21]

International broadcasts were featured for the first time, including English language streams hosted by Pokimane and Hasan Piker who were both present at the event. [22]

For the first time in the competition, a sprint format was used. Spanish streamer Karchez won both races. [23] [24] The trophies were presented by Charles Milesi, Victor Martins, and Sébastien Loeb. [25]

The four personalities who finished in the top four places in the previous two editions (Depielo, Sylvain Lévy, Etienne Moustache and LeBouseuh) competed in the ‘Race of Legends’, a 12-lap race in Ligier JS P4 cars (the equivalent of Formula 4 for endurance cars). Etienne Moustache ultimately emerged victorious. [26]

Sprint race

Pos.No.PersonalityTeamLapsTime/RetiredGrid
121 Flag of Spain.svg Karchez Cupra 8-1
297 Flag of France.svg Maxime Biaggi Lego Racing Team 8+4.6815
314 Flag of France.svg Squeezie Netflix 8+5.5583
477 Flag of France.svg Houdi Durex 8+8.4678
52 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CocotteeErborian8+10.2499
615 Flag of France.svg Djilsi Lego Racing Team 8+11.70314
77 Flag of France.svg Gotaga Lofi Girl Gentle Mates8+14.32419
823 Flag of France.svg ThéodortAndros Be Nuts!8+15.84616
94 Flag of France.svg Nikof Lofi Girl Gentle Mates8+19.86918
1017 Flag of Spain.svg Ander Cupra 8+20.63022
1148 Flag of France.svg Lea Élui Sol de Janeiro 8+25.28817
123 Flag of France.svg Anyme Durex 8+28.38423
1328 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Baghera JonesErborian8+35.77724
1442 Flag of the United States.svg Ludwig Ahgren The Crew Motorfest 8+36.0287
1592 Flag of France.svg PLK Subway 8+36.2186
1616 Flag of France.svg Ana On Air Alpine 8+37.5844
1731 Flag of France.svg Maghla Sol de Janeiro 8+42.82120
1838 Flag of France.svg Mister V Subway 8+45.95810
1951 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Reeves The Crew Motorfest 8+54.82412
2019 Flag of France.svg SCH Samsung 8+1:00.96911
2110 Flag of France.svg AmineMaTue Netflix 8+1:02.09113
2256 Flag of France.svg MaastuAndros Be Nuts!7+1 lap21
Ret27 Flag of France.svg Kaatsup Alpine 6Accident2
Ret99 Flag of France.svg Billy Samsung 2Accident15
Source: [25]

Feature race

Pos.No.nationalityTeamLapsTime/RetiredGrid
121 Flag of Spain.svg Karchez Cupra 16-1
227 Flag of France.svg Kaatsup Alpine 16+10.6424
397 Flag of France.svg Maxime Biaggi Lego Racing Team 16+11.32910
492 Flag of France.svg PLK Subway 16+12.6825
577 Flag of France.svg Houdi Durex 16+13.4217
617 Flag of Spain.svg Ander Cupra 16+17.8572
77 Flag of France.svg Gotaga Lofi Girl Gentle Mates16+23.0056
815 Flag of France.svg Djilsi Lego Racing Team 16+23.15413
942 Flag of the United States.svg Ludwig Ahgren The Crew Motorfest 16+51.6748
1016 Flag of France.svg Ana On Air Alpine 16+56.69314
1119 Flag of France.svg SCH Samsung 16+56.98711
124 Flag of France.svg Nikof Lofi Girl Gentle Mates16+1:04.78915
1338 Flag of France.svg Mister V Subway 16+1:23.33816
1451 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Reeves The Crew Motorfest 16+1:23.57012
152 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CocotteeErborian16+1:24.03820
1656 Flag of France.svg MaastuAndros Be Nuts!16+1:35.59218
1710 Flag of France.svg AmineMaTue Netflix 16+1:36.92222
183 Flag of France.svg Anyme Durex 16+3:49.39819
1928 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Baghera JonesErborian16+4:09.59617
2048 Flag of France.svg Lea Élui Sol de Janeiro 16+6:29.66724
2199 Flag of France.svg Billy Samsung 16+8:33.30423
2231 Flag of France.svg Maghla Sol de Janeiro 16+9:25.69121
2314 Flag of France.svg Squeezie Netflix 15Accident9
Ret23 Flag of France.svg ThéodortAndros Be Nuts!2Accident3
Source: [27]

References

  1. "YouTuber Squeezie is aiming to democratise motor sport with a ground-breaking project". Kartcom. 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  2. "Alpine takes centre stage in the maiden Grand Prix Explorer". Newsroom Alpine. 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  3. Hodicq, Alexandre (2025-10-05). "GP Explorer 3: que vaut vraiment le chrono de Karchez par rapport aux pilotes pros de Formule 4?". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  4. "Squeezie bat le record de vues sur une chaîne Twitch francophone avec son GP Explorer". BFM TV (in French). 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  5. "Grand Prix Explorer: tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur l'événement organisé par le streamer Squeezie". Le Télégramme (in French). 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  6. "Squeezie compte bien concurrencer la F1 ce week-end". Le HuffPost (in French). 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  7. "GP Explorer: 22 des plus grands streamers français dans une course de Formule 4". 20 minutes (in French). 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  8. 1 2 Birken, Maxime (2022-10-08). "Squeezie compte bien concurrencer la F1 ce week-end". Le HuffPost (in French). Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  9. Pierret, Benjamin (2022-10-08). "Squeezie au Mans pour son Grand Prix automobile, avec 21 autres stars d'Internet". BFM TV (in French). Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  10. "GP Explorer: le youtubeur Squeezie organise une course de F4 sur le circuit Bugatti du Mans". CNews (in French). 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  11. "Esport - Jeux vidéo: Squeezie organise un Grand Prix de Formule 4 entre youtubeurs". L'Équipe (in French). 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  12. "Dates, pilotes, surprises: ce que l'on sait du GP Explorer 2, la course de Formule 4 de Squeezie". BFMTV (in French). 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  13. 1 2 "GP Explorer 3 - The Grand Finale Is Coming". Kartcom. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  14. Lavenant, Gwenaëlle (8 October 2022). "GP Explorer au Mans: après le crash de Joyca, les internautes émus". Ouest France (in French). Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  15. Le Lay, Clément; Nédelec, Guillaume (2022-10-08). "GP Explorer au Mans. Devant plus d'un million de spectateurs, Sylvain Levy s'impose au Bugatti". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 2022-10-08.
  16. "GP Explorer 2 : les 60 000 billets vendus en 30 minutes, certains se revendent déjà à prix d'or". Sud Ouest (in French). 2023-05-26. ISSN   1760-6454 . Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  17. "Grand Prix Explorer 2 sur Twitch : record d'audience en France". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  18. ""Force à Manon": les pilotes du GP Explorer soutiennent Manon Lanza face au sexisme en ligne". BFMTV (in French). 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  19. "French YouTuber Squeezie's Gp Explorer Motor-Racing Event Draws Record 1.4M Spectators For Twitch". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  20. "Streaming stars' Le Mans race scores Twitch viewer record". RFI. 2025-10-06. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  21. Harbinson, Darragh (2025-10-06). "Gentle Mates co-founder Squeezie runs 80,000-attended racing event". Esports News UK. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  22. Harbinson, Darragh (2025-10-06). "Gentle Mates co-founder Squeezie runs 80,000-attended racing event". Esports News UK. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  23. Ostermann, Flo (2025-10-04). "GP Explorer 3 : Résultats et classement course sprint". Dicodusport (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  24. "Le grand favori Karchez remporte le GP Explorer 3 devant Kaatsup et Maxime Biaggi, Squeezie finit en larmes". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  25. 1 2 Squeezie - Rediffusions (2025-10-04). GP Explorer 3 : Journée du Samedi - Rediffusion Squeezie du 04/10 . Retrieved 2025-10-05 via YouTube.
  26. Chambenoit, Mathieu (2025-10-05). "GP Explorer 3 – The Last Race : ce qu'il ne fallait pas manquer de la journée du dimanche". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  27. Squeezie - Rediffusions (2025-10-05). GP Explorer 3 : Journée du Dimanche - Rediffusion Squeezie du 05/10 . Retrieved 2025-10-07 via YouTube.