Accélère: investing in trajectories

A few years ago, a fast-food restaurant in Normandy wrote a cheque for €1,500 in the name of an eleven-year-old boy who wanted to go karting. That boy’s name is Pierre Gasly. Today, he races in Formula 1.

It was this story — simple, concrete, decisive — that Pierre Gasly chose to share with the clients, partners and teams of Côme gathered on 28 May for the first Côme Ensemble evening. Not to impress. To explain why he supports the Accélère programme. And why this programme exists.

A question of selection, not talent

The diagnosis is well known but rarely stated with such clarity: in motorsport, talent is abundant. What is rare is funding. A season of karting costs between €30,000 and €80,000. A season of F4, more than €200,000. At that price, the sport does not select the best drivers — it selects the best-funded. The others put away their helmets. Not for lack of speed. For lack of structure.

What Accélère does — concretely

Accélère is the sport pillar of Côme Ensemble, our endowment fund dedicated to equal opportunity. Its principle: to identify young drivers with proven international results who face a financial glass ceiling — drivers who do not know whether they will be able to fund the rest of their current season, let alone the next.

The programme is run in partnership with The Grid Agency, founded by Guillaume Le Goff, which manages drivers from karting through to Formula 1. The selection process is professional, rigorous and independent. This is not symbolic philanthropy — it is an investment in careers.

To date, seven young drivers meet the programme’s criteria. Three have already received support. Alessandro Giusti, competing in Formula 3, was able to complete part of his 2026 season thanks to the first contributions received. Louis Cochet and Luka Scelles continue their ascent with Accélère alongside them.

28 May

It was to give these drivers concrete visibility — and to open a conversation with those who can support them — that Côme Ensemble brought together clients, partners and teams on 28 May in Paris.

Charles Brunswick opened the evening by setting out the challenge with striking precision. Fabien Cabezon described the programme’s methodology. Margot Laffite — a journalist with Canal+ for fourteen seasons covering Formula 1, and a member of Accélère’s steering committee — spoke about what she observes every day: talent that deserves to go further, held back for want of support. Pierre Gasly shared his personal story. Guillaume Le Goff introduced the seven drivers in the programme. And Alessandro, Louis and Luka took the floor — simply, directly.

The evening closed on the words Julien Magitteri chose to conclude, which sum up what Côme Ensemble intends to do: ‘We don’t finance dreams. We build trajectories.’

What comes next

The sport pillar is the first of Côme Ensemble’s four dimensions — alongside education, health and culture. Further evenings, dedicated to each of these dimensions, will follow.

If you wish to support the Accélère programme, join the circle of Côme Ensemble patrons, or simply find out more, our teams are available for a conversation.