A highly competitive grid comprising 22 nations will compete for Formula 4 gold at this year’s FIA Motorsport Games.
One of the six founding disciplines that made up the inaugural edition in 2019, the latest instalment will unfold at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia between Friday, 25 and Sunday, 27 October.
To date, Formula 4 has been dominated by Italy, which has won back-to-back thanks to Andrea Rosso and Kimi Antonelli, respectively. The latter was recently confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes for the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship; now, the race is on to succeed him as a Formula 4 gold medal winner.
Of the six disciplines that make up the Circuit category, Formula 4 has by far the youngest grid. The majority of this year’s contenders are in their teens and have recently made the jump from karting to single-seaters.
At Valencia, they will compete with the latest-spec Tatuus F4-T421, which is used in a variety of series around the world. To ensure a level playing field, the FIA has allocated cars to entrants in a blind draw.
Host nation Spain will be present in every category this year, with Juan Cota Alonso its chosen representative on the Formula 4 grid. The Madrid racer must be considered among the pre-event favourites, having secured a remarkable hat-trick of victories when the F4 Spanish Championship visited Circuit Ricardo Tormo earlier this season.
Another man to watch is Peru’s Andres Cardenas, who already knows how to triumph at the FIA Motorsport Games. Two years ago, the teenager from Lima became his nation’s first-ever gold medal winner by conquering Karting Sprint Junior. He has since spent two seasons in Spanish F4, where Griffin Peebles has been among his rivals. The 16-year-old will fly the Australian flag at Valencia.
Austria will call upon another FIA Motorsport Games veteran in Oscar Wurz. The son of two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz, 17-year-old Oscar was part of the 2022 edition when he contested Karting Sprint Senior.
He has since made the step up to single-seaters and won this year’s F4 CEZ Championship. The Czech Republic has chosen Maxmilián Karhan, who will resume his rivalry with Wurz after finishing third in CEZ F4.
Luxembourg’s Chester Kieffer is another to keep a close eye on. The youngster finished an impressive fourth overall in his rookie season of French F4, banking a pair of wins along the way. Reza Seewooruthun will represent the United Kingdom following a successful season in British F4, where the Dorset native finished third in the standings.
Sri Lanka scored its first-ever FIA Motorsport Games medal in 2022 when Yevan David finished as runner-up in Karting Sprint Junior. This time, he will represent his nation in Formula 4. It’s the exact same story for Israel: its Formula 4 driver, Ariel Elkin, was the bronze medallist in Karting Sprint Junior last time out.
For Hong Kong, China Special Administrative Region, hopes for a Formula 4 medal will rest with Kai Shun Liu, an experienced competitor who has raced across Asia. Japan will be represented by Tosei Moriyama, who has been a front-runner in Japanese F4 and, with three events still to run, remains a contender for the series title. The 2023 Qatar Karting Championship winner, Bader Al Sulaiti, will fly his nation’s flag.
Argentina’s representative is Genaro Trappa, who has competed in both the Spanish and Brazilian F4 championships this year. As well as securing the gold medal, there will be significant competition for South American supremacy. In addition to the Argentine and Peruvian efforts, Brazil will be represented by Matheus Comparatto, who leads his domestic F4 series with three rounds to run, while the experienced Giovanni Ignacio Ramirez Pino will fly the flag for Chile.
Africa is also represented, with 15-year-old Lorenzo Campos confirmed for Angola. However, it is Europe that will contribute the most entries. Greece will call upon Philippe-Armand Karras, whose twin brother Jean-Paul will compete in Karting Sprint Senior. Malta will be represented by Nicky Gauci, while Olav Vaa will be Norway’s hopeful.
Portugal will be represented by karting graduate Francisco Macedo, Slovakia will count on Matúš Ryba, while Serbia has called upon Andrija Kostić. All have sampled a variety of series this term, racing F4 machinery across the Spanish, Italian, British and CEZ championships.
With no Italian contender on this year’s Formula 4 grid, we are guaranteed to see a new gold medallist conquer the discipline. As an added incentive, the winner will also receive a Racing Force Group voucher worth €2,000 for motorsport safety products.
Preparations begin with a pair of free practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning and a 20-minute qualifying race in the afternoon. This will establish the grid for the medal-deciding race, which gets underway at 12:10 on Sunday and runs for 30 minutes.
Tickets to attend the FIA Motorsport Games 2024 are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here. A three-day pass will give fans access to all venues, while those under the age of 16 are admitted free of charge. Take advantage of the special offer of a weekend ticket for just €20.
FORMULA 4
Entry List
Category Info: Circuit discipline in which all drivers use identical Tatuus F4-T421 cars. All running takes place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo
Format: Qualifying sets the grid for the Qualifying Race (20 minutes). The result of this sets the grid for the Final (30 minutes). Medals are decided by the top three finishers in this race.
Note: As at 17 October 2024. Entry lists and timing remain subject to change
Source : Fia
