What is Formula 4
The first Formula 4 championships started in 2014 as a single-make category before the regulations were opened up to multiple chassis and engine manufacturers.
The FIA Formula 4 is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. Though there is no global championship, individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of rules and specifications.
Each championship uses a single make of engine, with the regulations mandating a 1.6 litre capacity and capping the maximum power output at 150 bhp, similar to the Formula Ford and lower than the Formula Renault. The engines are equalised so that no one Formula 4 championship is faster than the others, with the long-term intention of bringing the cost down to under 100,000 euros (Dh410,000) per year to compete.
The category was created by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – the International sanctioning and administrative body for motorsport – as an entry-level category for young drivers, bridging the gap between karting and Formula 3. The series is a part of the FIA Global Pathway.
Former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger was appointed as the FIA Single-Seater Commission president to oversee the creation of the category as a response to declining interest in national Formula 3 championships due to rising costs and alternate pathways to Formula One such as the Formula Renault and GP2 and GP3 Series, which had seen several national Formula 3 championships cancelled.
