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Few new teams manage to make an impact against the powerhouses of junior single-seater racing, but CL Motorsport jumped straight into Formula Regional Europe in 2025 and finished seventh in the standings. This year, they sit fifth, with three podiums to their name. Feeder Series spoke to the team to understand how CL Motorsport went from an idea to race winners in one of the toughest championships in the ladder. By Archie Harper In late 2022, Chinese father and son Jack and David Li founded CL Motorsport intending to launch an F4 car testing programme. Three years later, they had completed their expansion to become a full-fledged FRegional entry. David, who took on the role of team manager, raced in karting before realising he was ‘not the best talent on the field’, which prompted him to pivot ‘in a different direction’. That direction was the beginning of CL Motorsport. “Building up a team doesn’t really rely on how good you drive the car, but it’s more or less how you understand the sport,” Li explained to Feeder Series. That understanding of management drove the Li duo to set up CL Motorsport in 2022. Their long-standing relationship with Aston Martin junior and current FREC MP Motorsport driver Chi Zhenrui played a role in the team’s genesis. “We’re just very close families,” Li said of their relationship with Chi. “We knew Newman from the beginning and we moved to Europe because of him, to do go-kart and everything, but at the end of the day he is doing his career.” The Lis eventually landed in Italy – the home of three other current FREC teams and the F4 series in which Chi would race in years later. It was a move that presented the perfect conditions for what David had dreamt up. “We knew for a fact that with single-seaters, you have to be based in Europe,” he said. “You need to start from Europe, and out of all the places of interest, because we were in Italy for way too long [and] my dad was there for a very long time, we knew that building a team here – like Prema, like Trident, like RPM, they’re all here – for us, starting from Italy is not a bad option.” The newly formed CL Motorsport was based in Desenzano del Garda, home to the historical Circuito del Garda road races. After years of testing and preparation, an exciting opportunity arose. “It was [the] end of 2024. We were testing more for Formula 4 with Newman, but at the end he needed to pursue the Formula 4 career with Prema, which was one of the best decisions you could make in this category. “So we were, let’s say, finding a new direction, and then the opportunity came to move into FRECA. We took the entry and we basically started from there,” Li recalled. “It was September [2024] for sure. We started speaking about it, had a few meetings, and then we were just like, ‘Yeah, we need to do it,’ because at the end of the day, for a racing team, we need to be part of a championship, and I think FRECA is a really high starting point already.” The team took over the entry of MP Motorsport, who exited the series for the 2025 season, as well as the Dutch squad’s own cars. CL fielded six different drivers across the season and scored points on five occasions. Though they finished ahead of three other teams, the season highlighted the need for established personnel to come on board and help with the organisation’s rapid growth. “We just had to basically build up from the relationships that we had with some individuals in this industry already,” Li said. “Obviously we were knowing a few people when Newman was moving on to the Formula category, and basically it just kind of started from there. “It was a difficult part for us as well, because at the end of the day I’m Chinese. I’m not really familiar with the industry from the beginning and not many people know us that well.” Undeniably one of the most eye-catching aspects of CL’s success is the fact that the Lis are Chinese in a continent where team leaders from outside Europe are rare Li, however, feels it is overstated. “Honestly, the ‘Chinese-owned’ or ‘Chinese background’ is simply because I’m Chinese. That’s it. I mean, if you look at the team, everybody’s European.” One such core figure is Stefano Alessi, a former race engineer for Trident with experience in FRegional Europe, F3 and F2. Alessi, having worked in the United States of America and across Europe, was contacted by one of his former drivers from the 2000s who was working with CL. With the team based in his home country of Italy, Alessi agreed to be put in touch with David Li. “I was looking for him because I was tired of doing Formula 2 after a long time from 2005 to 2024,” Alessi revealed. “I had a chat with him and I find what people to meet, [was it] a good project, and so on, and we start to have a conversation to see if our goal is the same,” Alessi told Feeder Series. “So I found serious people behind this project, and then we started together. Starting from doing some tests in Formula 4, and then the team is growing up. “Young people [are] coming. Someone with experience, someone without. We are looking forward.” Alessi took on the role of technical director within the team, meaning virtually all engineering and setup decisions are down to him. For Alessi, the team’s rapid rise and maiden victory at the start of this season is indicative of the growth the team has seen since he was hired – but also a milestone on a journey that is far from over. “Because we have experience and we are thinking we are not bad in the technical side,” he said of their first win. “Soon there are more tools coming. Some tools already come to work with the car like simulation, simulator at home, all these kind of things. But we miss many other tools that we have to make by ourselves. “Because motorsport is not a science. It’s a science in terms of the mathematical side but you have to make your tools yourself. We are missing this part – we are improving our experience.” Reno Francot, the driver who delivered CL their maiden victory, took a further podium in that opening round in Spielberg and another the following round at Zandvoort. The Dutchman, who had been ensnared in a title battle for the first half of this season, has become detached from the top four but remains fifth on 90 points with two rounds to go. His tally, along with teammate Jules Roussel’s nine points for sixth place and fastest lap in race three at Monza, leaves the squad fifth in the standings this season. That places them ahead of five other well-established teams, including two of their Italian rivals, Trident and RPM. Francot raced in six different series last season, including FR Europe on one occasion, and became the driver who completed the most mileage last season. This year, however, he has focused on one series, choosing CL for his first full campaign in FR Europe. “Together with my management, we always make a plan after the season to see what’s the best option. In the end, we got a great offer from CL, which I’m really thankful of because without them, I don’t think I’d be able to drive on this grid,” Francot told Feeder Series. “I think it paid off, considering we got a really good starting [round] in Red Bull Ring, winning the race and getting a podium.” With Li’s background as a karter, the ethos at CL leans heavily towards the youth and energy of the drivers themselves. “It’s a really friendly environment. Everyone can speak to each other, make jokes,” Francot said. “It’s always fun in the truck. You feel that it’s a good vibe and that’s something I really like because if it’s too competitive, you know, you don’t really speak to each other – it’s toxic. “I don’t really like that environment. But I feel really really good in the team. Everyone’s friendly, everyone’s making jokes, it’s just like one big family really. “And everyone has the same goal as well. Everyone wants to win, and also, everyone sees that everyone is doing everything they can to get us up there.” Francot admitted he did not know exactly what to expect coming into the team, but it seems any fears were quickly dispensed with. “Since they’re a new team, you don’t know if they’re any good! I did a test with them and the way they worked, I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, it’s really good,’” he said. “The team itself, like the structure, is really good. But my expectations were like top 10 in the championship, then I’d be happy – also considering it’s hard to judge based on the previous years. “But then to win the first round – I mean, it set my expectations higher. To be a top runner, if not even go for the championship, like have a crack – why not?” While he admits the championship is ‘starting to slip a bit out of [his] hands’, Francot’s season has been undeniably remarkable for a driver contesting his first season in the series with a team in only its second season of competitive motorsport. To arrive at the first round and take victory was a euphoric moment for both. “Winning in this championship was definitely a good achievement,” Li said. “[It’s] not the easiest championship to win [in], obviously. I hope there’s more to come, definitely. Definitely we celebrated a bit for that! “But then, two days later, we were like, ‘Okay, let’s focus on the next one!’” “That feeling was amazing,” Francot said. “We already knew we had the pace from quali. We saw already in the free practice, honestly, we were up there.” “To come away with a podium in race two and a race win in race three was just… it gave me chills! If you think about it… it’s everyone’s first race weekend, new car, new everything.” The only downside was that his post-victory celebrations were shortened. “I had to rush to the airport because I had a flight to catch. We barely made it by like 10 minutes!” he recalled. “We made some pictures and we also celebrated a bit in Zandvoort after that – the vibes were good.” To keep those good vibes going, David Li himself has formulated a clear ethos to which he wants his team to adhere. “For me, it’s a difference between on track and back in the workshop,” he said. “In the workshop we’re a huge family. Everybody’s taking care of each other, and this is a really good moment, [a] really good atmosphere to have in the team. “But obviously, on track, when you have to perform, the team needs to perform like a motorsport team. There needs to be some rules that need to be strictly followed. “But I agree 100 per cent with this idea that the team, at the end of the day, needs to stay as a family.” As for Li’s overall outlook? “In motorsport, there’s always something better,” he said “There’s nothing that’s perfect. There’s always something that we can improve and, at this stage of time, we are just trying to do the best that we can. “Try to refine all the details. At the end, it’s coming off of the details. If you look at the championship, everything is super, super close, so we’re trying our best to work on the drivers, making sure they’re well prepared for the weekend, getting them motivated throughout the weekend as well. “Many things just to improve the team, step by step, because we struggled a bit also in Monza and Spa. But we keep looking forward, trying to do our best at all times.” Header photo credit: FIA Formula Regional European Championship Make a one-time donation Make a monthly donation Make a yearly donation Choose an amount Or enter a custom amount Your contribution is appreciated. Your contribution is appreciated. Your contribution is appreciated.