Owen Tangavelou

Owen Tangavelou
Tangavelou racing in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season at the Red Bull Ring.
Nationality	Vietnamese French [a]
Born	Nguyen Owen Tangavelou (2005-03-04) 4 March 2005 (age 20) Clamart, France
USF Pro 2000 Championship career
Debut season	2025
Racing licence	Vietnamese racing license
Car number	84
Former teams	DEForce Racing Velocity Racing Development
Starts	5 (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

Nguyen Owen Tangavelou (born 4 March 2005) is a French-Vietnamese racing driver who last competed in the USF Pro 2000 Championship and Eurocup-3.

Born of a Flemish-Polish mother and a Vietnamese father, Tangavelou grew up in the suburbs of Paris. Tangavelou began competitive kart racing at the age of 14 and stepped up to single-seaters a year later. He competed in French F4 and Formula Regional for two years each, before winning on his Eurocup-3 debut in 2024 for MP Motorsport. ^[2] He moved to the United States in 2025, racing in USF Pro 2000 for Velocity Racing Development and later DEForce Racing. ^{[3] [4]}

Career

Karting

Tangavelou started his career at the relatively late age of fourteen in France. ^[5] He raced in several regional competitions before stepping up to Formula 4.

Formula 4

2020

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. ^[6]

2021

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. ^[7] 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. ^{[8] [9] [10]} 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

2022

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. ^[11] 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. ^{[12] [13] [14]} 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. ^[15] 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. ^[16] 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. ^[17]

2023

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. ^[18]

Eurocup-3

2024

To represent his family living in Vietnam, Tangavelou decided to compete under a Vietnamese licence. ^{[19] [20]} After spending two seasons in Formula Regional, he switched to the Eurocup-3 championship for the 2024 season, driving for MP Motorsport. ^[2] 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

Tangavelou returned to Eurocup-3 in 2025 with Drivex for the third round in Paul Ricard, where he had a best finish of eleventh. ^[21] He returned the next round in Monza, moving over to Allay Racing where he once again had a best finish of 11th. ^[22]

USF Pro 2000

Tangavelou switched to racing in America for 2025, racing in the USF Pro 2000 Championship with Velocity Racing Development. ^[23] He made a strong debut, finishing fifth in the second race at St. Petersburg. ^[24] In early May, it was announced that he would join DEForce Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America events. ^[4]

Racing record

Racing career summary

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	0	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	0	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	74	19th
		DEForce Racing	3	0	0	0	0
	Eurocup-3	Drivex
		Allay Racing

* Season still in progress.

Complete French F4 Championship results

(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

(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

(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

(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

USF Pro 2000 Championship

(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.

Notes

1. Tangavelou competed under a French racing licence until 2023. He currently represents Vietnam. ^[1]

References

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

External links

• Owen Tangavelou career summary at DriverDB.com