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Kean Nakamura-Berta

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Kean Nakamura-Berta
中村 紀庵 ベルタ
Nakamura-Berta at the 2025 FIA F4 World Cup
Born (2007-11-12) 12 November 2007 (age 18)
London, England
Nationality
  • Japan Japanese
  • Slovakia Slovak
  • United Kingdom British[a]
Formula Regional European Championship career
Debut season2026
Current teamPrema
Car number51
Starts19
Wins3
Podiums8
Poles5
Fastest laps2
Best finish3rd in 2026
Previous series
Championship titles
Statistics up to date as of 17 September 2026.

Kean Nakamura-Berta (Japanese: 中村 紀庵 ベルタ, Hepburn: Nakamura Kian Beruta; born 12 November 2007), also known by his initials KNB, is a Japanese and Slovak racing driver who is set to compete under the British flag in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Trident as part of the Williams Driver Academy.

Born and raised in London to a Slovak father and Japanese mother, Nakamura-Berta began competitive kart racing aged seven. After a successful karting career—culminating in his victories at the World Championship in 2021 (OK-J) and the European Championship in 2022 (OK)—Nakamura-Berta graduated to junior formulae. A member of the Alpine Academy from 2022 until 2024 in Formula 4, he was runner-up in the 2024 UAE Championship and dominated both the Italian and E4 Championships in 2025. He won the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy in 2026, before finishing third in that year's Formula Regional European Championship.

Early life

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Nakamura-Berta was born in London to a Japanese mother and a Slovak father.[1] Nakamura-Berta lived in Japan until the age of five, when he moved back to London.[2]

Racing career

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Karting (2018–2023)

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Nakamura-Berta had a very successful karting career. He took his first European title at the IAME International final at Le Mans in 2019 in the X30 Mini Category.[3] For 2020, he joined the 60 Mini category. He came second in the WSK Euro Series, and second in the WSK Super Master Series.[4][5] In 2021, he joined the OK-Junior category, and in October, he won the Karting World Championship in the category. By the end of the season, Nakamura-Berta was competing in the OK category, and he won his first OK title at the South Garda Winter Cup.[6][7] In 2022, he won the Karting European Championship, controversially beating his Kart Republic teammate Alex Powell.[8] For 2023, Nakamura-Berta continued in OK Karting whilst making some KZ2 appearances. He came second in the OK category in Champions of the Future, and came sixth in KZ2 in the World Cup and European Championship.[9]

Formula 4 (2023–2025)

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2023: Debut in South East Asia

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At the end of 2023, Nakamura-Berta made an appearance at the final two rounds of the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship with Prema Racing.[10] He claimed two pole positions, three fastest laps and a best finish of second over the course of six races.[11]

2024: Rookie season

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Nakamura-Berta racing at the Mugello Circuit during the 2024 Italian F4 Championship

During the winter, Nakamura-Berta competed in the Formula 4 UAE Championship.[12] He opened his account by scoring his first single-seater victory during the first race in Yas Marina, before earning a double podium for the second Yas Marina round.[13] Another double podium followed in the first Dubai round, but his title hopes were hampered by a double retirement in the next round.[14] He managed to take another win and a second place in the Dubai second round, which allowed him to finish runner-up in the standings to Freddie Slater.[15]

Nakamura-Berta racing at the Red Bull Ring during the 2024 Euro 4 Championship

For his main campaign, Nakamura-Berta would be competing in both Italian F4 and Euro 4 for Prema Racing for the coming season.[16] In the first half of the season, he only took one podium during the opening round in Imola, but was able to take his first win in a damp race in Paul Ricard.[17][18] He earned three more podiums following that and placed sixth in the standings, missing out on the rookie title to Alex Powell by six points.[19] In Euro 4, Nakamura-Berta had a more successful campaign, racking up one win in Monza and ended third in the overall standings, as well as being the rookie champion.[20]

2025: Maiden titles in F4

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Nakamura-Berta returned to Middle East during the off-season, racing in the F4 Middle East Championship with Mumbai Falcons.[21] He started with a triple second place across all three rounds during the opening Yas Marina round,[22] He continued his consistent form throughout the next rounds by scoring podiums in five of the next six races, but a win continued to elude him as he was pipped by Alex Powell in the final race of the Dubai round.[23][24] However, Nakamura-Berta broke his duck by taking his first win of the year during the third Yas Marina round following a penalty for Emanuele Olivieri.[25] With a further podium in Qatar, Nakamura-Berta finished third in the standings with one win and ten podiums.[26]

Nakamura-Berta continued in Formula 4 for his main campaign in 2025, remaining with Prema Racing to contest Italian F4 and the E4 championships with them.[27]

Formula Regional (2026)

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At the start of the season, Nakamura-Berta stepped up to compete in the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy with Mumbai Falcons.[28]

For his main campaign, Nakamura-Berta remained with Prema to race in the Formula Regional European Championship.[29]

Formula Three (2027)

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Nakamura-Berta will move up to FIA Formula 3 in 2027 with Trident.[30]

Formula One

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In 2022, Nakamura-Berta became an Alpine Affiliate, and in 2023 he became a fully-fledged member of the Alpine Academy.[31][32] He was dropped from the academy at the end of 2024.[33]

In January 2026, Nakamura-Berta joined the Williams Driver Academy.[34]

Karting record

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Karting career summary

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Season Series Team Position
2018 Kartmasters British Grand Prix — Honda Cadet Project One 4th
2019 LGM Series — IAME Cadet 3rd
Kartmasters British Grand Prix — Honda Cadet Project One Racing 2nd
Kartmasters British Grand Prix — IAME Cadet Fusion Motorsport 1st
British Championships — IAME Cadet Fusion Motorsport 3rd
British Championships — Honda Cadet Project One Racing 2nd
IAME International Final — X30 Mini 1st
WSK Open Cup — 60 Mini Tony Kart Racing Team 30th
WSK Final Cup — 60 Mini
2020 WSK Champions Cup — 60 Mini Team Driver Racing Kart 33rd
WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini 2nd
WSK Euro Series — 60 Mini 2nd
WSK Open Cup — 60 Mini 13th
Champions of the Future – 60 Mini 2nd
2021 WSK Champions Cup — OK-J Forza Racing 2nd
WSK Super Master Series — OK-J 7th
WSK Euro Series — OK-J 55th
CIK-FIA European Championship — OK-J 37th
CIK-FIA World Championship — OK-J 1st
WSK Open Cup — OK-J 25th
WSK Final Cup — OK 14th
Champions of the Future — OK-J 17th
South Garda Winter Cup — OK Forza Racing 1st
2022 Champions of the Future Winter Series — OK Kart Republic Motorsport 3rd
CIK-FIA European Championship — OK 1st
CIK-FIA World Championship — OK 31st
South Garda Winter Cup — KZ2 7th
2023 WSK Super Master Series — KZ2 Prema Racing 52nd
CIK-FIA European Championship — OK 5th
CIK-FIA European Championship — KZ2 6th
CIK-FIA World Championship — OK 3rd
CIK-FIA World Cup — KZ2 6th
WSK Open Series — KZ2 7th
Source:[35][36]

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2023 Formula 4 South East Asia Championship Prema Racing 6 0 2 2 1 48 6th
2024 Formula 4 UAE Championship Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 15 2 2 3 7 168 2nd
Italian F4 Championship Prema Racing 21 1 0 0 5 170 6th
Euro 4 Championship 9 1 1 1 3 97 3rd
2025 F4 Middle East Championship Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 15 1 0 2 10 273 3rd
Italian F4 Championship Prema Racing 20 9 9 3 17 342 1st
E4 Championship 9 4 7 1 8 181 1st
FIA F4 World Cup N/a 1 0 0 0 0 N/a DNF
2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 11 2 3 3 6 151 1st
Formula Regional European Championship Prema Racing 19 3 5 2 8 201 3rd
Source:[35]

* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 4 South East Asia Championship results

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(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 Pos Points
2023 Prema Racing ZZIC1
1		 ZZIC1
2		 ZZIC1
3		 MAC
1		 MAC
2		 SEP1
1
5		 SEP1
2
6		 SEP1
3
2		 SEP2
1
4		 SEP2
2
Ret		 SEP2
3
14		 6th 48
Source:[37]

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

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(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 Pos Points
2024 Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YMC1
1
1		 YMC1
2
8		 YMC1
3
5		 YMC2
1
12		 YMC2
2
2		 YMC2
3
3		 DUB1
1
2		 DUB1
2
6		 DUB1
3
3		 YMC3
1
5		 YMC3
2
Ret		 YMC3
3
Ret		 DUB2
1
1		 DUB2
2
9		 DUB2
3
2		 2nd 168
Source:[38]

Complete Italian F4 Championship results

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(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 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Pos Points
2024 Prema Racing MIS
1
8		 MIS
2
Ret		 MIS
3
3		 IMO
1
Ret		 IMO
2
5		 IMO
3
6		 VLL
1
Ret		 VLL
2
11		 VLL
3
8		 MUG
1
6		 MUG
2
15		 MUG
3
5		 LEC
1
5		 LEC
2
8		 LEC
3
1		 CAT
1
11		 CAT
2
4		 CAT
3
3		 MNZ
1
3		 MNZ
2
2		 MNZ
3
4		 6th 170
2025 Prema Racing MIS1
1		 MIS1
2
1		 MIS1
3
1		 MIS1
4
1		 VLL
1
1		 VLL
2
1		 VLL
3		 VLL
4
11		 MNZ
1
3		 MNZ
2
1		 MNZ
3
16		 MUG
1
1		 MUG
2
6		 MUG
3
3		 IMO
1
3		 IMO
2
C		 IMO
3
2		 CAT
1
1		 CAT
2
2		 CAT
3
C		 MIS2
1
2		 MIS2
2
3		 MIS2
3		 MIS2
4
2		 MIS2
5
1		 1st 342
Source:[39][40]

Complete Euro 4 / E4 Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pos Points
2024 Prema Racing MUG
1
4		 MUG
2
11		 MUG
3
4		 RBR
1
3		 RBR
2
7		 RBR
3
Ret		 MNZ
1
4		 MNZ
2
1		 MNZ
3
3		 3rd 97
2025 Prema Racing LEC
1
2		 LEC
2
3		 LEC
3
2		 MUG
1
1		 MUG
2
2		 MUG
3
4		 MNZ
1
1		 MNZ
2
1		 MNZ
3
1		 1st 181
Source:[41][42]

Complete F4 Middle East Championship results

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(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 Pos Points
2025 Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YMC1
1
2		 YMC1
2
2		 YMC1
3
2		 YMC2
1
3		 YMC2
2
5		 YMC2
3
2		 DUB
1
3		 DUB
2
3		 DUB
3
2		 YMC3
1
1		 YMC3
2
21		 YMC3
3
4		 LUS
1
2		 LUS
2
4		 LUS
3
4		 3rd 273
Source:[43]

Complete FIA F4 World Cup results

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Year Car Qualifying Quali race Main race
2025 Mygale M21-F4 2nd Ret Ret
Source:[44]

Complete Formula Regional Middle East Trophy results

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(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 Pos Points
2026 Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited YMC1
1
4		 YMC1
2
Ret		 YMC1
3
5		 YMC2
1
2		 YMC2
2
5		 YMC2
3
2		 DUB
1
3		 DUB
2
Ret		 DUB
3
2		 LUS
1
1		 LUS
2
C		 LUS
3
1		 1st 151
Source:[45]

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of the top-10 finishers)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Points
2026 Prema Racing RBR
1
1		 RBR
2
6		 RBR
3
25†		 ZAN
1
DSQ		 ZAN
2
2		 SPA
1
3		 SPA
2
C		 SPA
3
5		 MNZ
1
1		 MNZ
2
5		 MNZ
3
Ret		 HUN
1
10		 HUN
2
3		 LEC
1
1		 LEC
2
3		 IMO
1
15		 IMO
2
10		 IMO
3
9		 HOC
1
2		 HOC
2
6		 3rd 201
Source:[46]

† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Notes

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  1. ↑ Nakamura-Berta primarily competes under a British licence.

References

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  1. ↑ Wolff, Perceval (30 December 2022). "The 7 karting stars of 2022 who could be F1's future". feederseries.net. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "KEAN Nakamura BERTA". pocketmags.com. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "IAME International Final". Kartcom. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "WSK – Euro Series 2020 – Sarno (ITA)". Kartcom. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "WSK – Super Master Series WSK – Adria (ITA)". Kartcom. 5 July 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Winter Cup". Kartcom. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Wood, Ida (26 December 2021). "The top karting stars of 2021". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  8. ↑ Wood, Ida (12 July 2022). "The title-turning karting team order that's robbed an F1 junior explained". Formula Scout. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Alpine Academy: 2023 driver-by-driver review". Feeder Series. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  10. ↑ Allen, Peter (23 November 2023). "Prema enters Doriane Pin and two kart stars in F4 SEA at Sepang". Formula Scout. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "2023 - F4 SEA Championship Certified by FIA". f4sea.com. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Wood, Ida (8 January 2024). "Prema reveals it and Mumbai Falcons' line-ups for FRME and F4 UAE". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  13. ↑ Whitfield, Steve (13 January 2024). "Nakamura Berta takes first win in F4 UAE opener at Yas Marina". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "Two hot-shot rookies face the home hero: Previewing the F4 UAE finale with Al Azhari, Slater and Nakamura-Berta". Feeder Series. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  15. ↑ Wood, Ida (17 February 2024). "Nakamura Berta wins F4 UAE race one to set up five-way title race". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  16. ↑ Wood, Ida (5 January 2024). "Karting star Kean Nakamura Berta to race for Prema in Italian F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Wood, Ida (21 July 2024). "Nakamura Berta wins wet-dry Italian F4 race with slick tyre strategy". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Nakamura: "It's a relief that finally I've won a race" in Italian F4". Formula Scout. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "Slater breaks Antonelli's record as Pradel claims first win: Italian F4 Monza recap". Feeder Series. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  20. ↑ "Bohra secures title as new winners take centre stage: Euro 4 Monza recap". Feeder Series. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  21. ↑ "PREMA Racing set for dual Middle Eastern challenge". Prema Racing. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  22. ↑ "Feeder Series weekend review: 17–19 January". Feeder Series. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  23. ↑ "Feeder Series weekend review: 22–26 January". Feeder Series. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  24. ↑ Wood, Ida (9 February 2025). "Powell pips Nakamura by 0.057s in thrilling final lap fight for F4 ME win". Formula Scout. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  25. ↑ "Feeder Series weekend review, results and standings: 14–16 February". Feeder Series. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  26. ↑ "Feeder Series weekend review, results and standings: 27 February–02 March". Feeder Series. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  27. ↑ "PREMA retains Nakamura-Berta for 2025 Formula 4 season". Prema Racing. 21 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  28. ↑ "Formula Regional Middle East Trophy: 2026 season guide". Feeder Series. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  29. ↑ "Nakamura-Berta moves up to FIA FREC with PREMA". Prema Racing. 14 April 2026. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  30. ↑ "TRIDENT confirm the signing of Kean Nakamura-Berta for the 2027 season". FIA_Formula 3® - The Official F3® Website. 17 September 2026. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Academy - Kean Nakamura Berta - Alpine". www.alpine-cars.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  32. ↑ Forbes, Gonzalo (14 February 2023). "Alpine présente le cru 2023 de son Academy". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  33. ↑ "Kean Nakamura Berta - Prema Racing". www.premaracing.com. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  34. ↑ "Italian F4 Champion Kean Nakamura-Berta joins the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy". Williams F1. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Driver: Kean Nakamura-Berta". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  36. ↑ "Nakamura-Berta Kean". Kartcom. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  37. ↑ "Formula 4 South East Asia Championship | 2023". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Formula 4 UAE Championship | 2024". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Italian F4 Championship | 2024". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  40. ↑ "Italian F4 Championship | 2025". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  41. ↑ "Euro 4 Championship | 2024". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  42. ↑ "E4 Championship | 2025". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  43. ↑ "F4 Middle East Championship | 2025". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 20 January 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  44. ↑ "72nd Macau GP Formula 4 - FIA F4 World Cup 2025 | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
  45. ↑ "Formula Regional Middle East Trophy | 2026". Driver Database. The Race Media. Archived from the original on 26 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  46. ↑ "2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship — Standings, Results & Stats | DriverDB". Driver Database. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
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