They will head to Spain in October with dreams of one day lining up on the Formula 1 grid – the next generation of single-seater stars is set to fight out the battle for the gold medal in Formula 4 at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games.
One of the inaugural categories of the event, Formula 4, returns this year, with up to 30 young racers competing at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo from October 23 to 27.
The 2022 Formula 4 event at Circuit Paul Ricard featured three second-generation stars, including Charlie Wurz (son of ex-F1 racer and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alex Wurz), Alister Yoong (son of Alex Yoong – the first Malaysian driver to race in Formula 1), and Pablo Sarrazin (son of French Formula 1, WRC, WEC, and Formula E racer Stéphane Sarrazin).
But it was Italian ace Kimi Antonelli who shone brightly to dominate the weekend to score gold and help Italy top the medal table in Marseille.
Two years later, the 17-year-old Antonelli has a development deal with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and has scored eight top tens in ten starts in the FIA Formula 2 championship, including a best finish of fourth in the recent Melbourne and Imola feature races.
The 2024 edition of the FIA Motorsport Games will use updated Formula 4 machinery, with teams from the Spanish Formula 4 championship providing the latest-spec Tatuus F4-T421 chassis. The FIA will allocate cars to entrants in a blind draw. Thirty entry slots are available for 2024, up from 24 in 2022.
The Tatuus Gen 2 chassis was introduced to international Formula 4 competition for the first time in 2022 and is now used in 11 different championships around the world.
“With series now established on no fewer than four continents and a popularity that keeps growing, FIA Formula 4 is widely regarded as the first step on the single-seater ladder for drivers stepping up from karting into car racing, commented Emmanuele Pirro, President of the FIA Single Seater Commission.
“Its inclusion in the FIA Motorsport Games since the first edition perfectly aligns with our strategy as the event seeks to promote categories for upcoming talents, and I’m really much looking forward to discovering who will walk in the footsteps of our 2022 gold medalist Andrea Kimi Antonelli.”
For the FIA Motorsport Games, each driver will have a dedicated mechanic and engineer for their car as they contest a pair of 45-minute practice sessions, a single 20-minute qualifying session, a 20-minute qualifying race, and a 30-minute main race, which will decide who stands on the podium adorned with gold, silver or bronze medals.
To further level the playing field, data from the fastest car in each practice session will be made available to every driver in the field to study and review.
“The Formula 4 category is always a huge highlight for the FIA Motorsport Games, and 2024 is set to be even more exciting,” said Stéphane Ratel, who co-founded the FIA Motorsport Games with the FIA.
“We always keep a close eye on the young stars who have competed at the FIA Motorsport Games, and seeing the progress of our 2022 F4 gold medal winner, Kimi Antonelli, is an absolute highlight.
“The Games really provides young drivers the chance to make a career-defining statement in front of a huge international audience.
“These young racers will have a level playing field with a blind draw on car selection and the ability to study the data from their quickest rival – the 2024 Formula 4 battle at the FIA Motorsport Games will be decided on pure talent.”
FIA National Sports Authorities (ASNs) from around the world will nominate their best and brightest young racers to compete in Formula 4.
Entries for the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games are currently being accepted via the dedicated FIA registration platform, with the deadline being 23 September.
Competitors wishing to represent their countries at the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games are required to contact their respective National Sporting Authorities.
Source : Fia
