The new season of the FIA-approved Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship (F4SEA Championship) opens next week with six thrilling races at the Sepang Circuit. Held as a Malaysia Formula One support event, the opening round of the F4SEA Championship will feature the first race on Friday, followed by a blockbuster three races on Saturday and two more on the Sunday.
After Sepang, the championship moves on to the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand before heading back to Malaysia for the final round in February next year. There are a total of 30 races scheduled this season.
“Last year was immensely successful. The championship was action-packed from the start to the end and the young drivers gained a tremendous amount of experience. All eyes are now focused on the coming season,” said Peter Thomson, promoter for F4SEA Championship. “The drivers are keen to get their championship campaign on the road while the fans are eagerly awaiting the action to be flagged off.”
With six races on the cards next week, the drivers will all be aiming for a grand start to put themselves in a stronger position for the rest of the season. It will be a closely contested battle as the drivers jostle for the top spots.
For the record, the F4 SEA Championship was created to cater to the needs of young drivers who’ve graduated from the ranks of karting. This championship offers drivers with crucialFIA F1 Super License Points, necessary to further their motorsports career.
One example of this is Canadian youngster Lance Stroll, who was the Italian F4 champion in 2014 and FIA European F3 champion in 2016. He amassed points in F4 and following further successes in F3, earned him more Super Licence points which led him to joining the Williams Young Driver Development Programme before eventually signing up for the Formula One team this year.
F4SEA Championship Round 1 Race Schedule
Friday 29th September
Practice Session 08:45 – 09:10
Qualifying Session 12:50 – 13:15
First Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 17:00 – 17:30
Saturday 30th September
Second Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 09:15 – 09:45
Third Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 10:55 – 11:25
Fourth Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 12:35 – 13:05
Sunday 1st October
Fifth Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 10:00 – 10:30
Sixth Race (TBC Laps or 25 Mins) 11:40 – 12:10
Background Information
What is F4?
Formula 4 is the brainchild of Jean Todt, President of the FIA, and his team at the single seater commission. Recognising the confusing myriad of championships for rookie race families to chose from, the FIA instigated their certified route to professional careers in the sport, via F4, F3, F2 to F1. Four years ago Lance Stroll was the first F4 champion, and was the first to avail of one the unique benefits of following the FIA pathway, collecting 12 Super Licence points. Further successes in F3 earned him more Super Licence points, resulting in him having more than the required 45 points to join the Williams F1 team as the youngest ever F1 driver.
https://formula4.asia/about-us/what-is-f4/
Formula 4 SEA Championship
F4 SEA is one of 12 global F4 championships designed to help drivers cost-effectively transition from karting to formula sport. Offering a 30-race championship for Euro100,000, approximately half the cost of the equivalent championship in Europe, F4SEA is licenced to race in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan. All emerging motorsport markets can benefit from F4SEA’s cost-effective ‘one concept’ championship:
- One make: all cars are identical FIA-homologated chassis and engine built to FIA F1 crash test spec
- One team:Meritus.GP is the exclusive race engineering service provider
- One cost:all-inclusive fee of Euro100,000 (plus registration, any damage and wet tyres)
- One data:all drivers’ data and team’s historic data is accessible to all
- One dream: win 12 FIA Super Licence points
Asian Autosport Action (AAA) Group Sdn. Bhd.
Through a licencing agreement with the FIA and its Malaysian affiliate the AAM, Asian Autosport Action (AAA) Group is the appointed promoter of the FIA F4 SEA Championship.
F4 Exclusive Race Team – MERITUS.GP
Owned by the AAA Group, Meritus.GP has a European winning heritage combined with 20 years of motorsport experience in Asia. Since 1996 the team has enjoyed the following successes:
Won 36 FIA international championship titles
- Helped 7 drivers test or race in F1
- Two of the team’s prodigies have won the Le Mans 24-Hours
- Two drivers have gone on to win the Indy 500 in 2010 and 2011
- Seven of the Team’s drivers have won Asian GT Championships
2017-18 Calendar
F4 SEA is a 30-race championship, commencing in Sepang supporting the Malaysian F1 on 29 September 2017and visiting Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines before the fifth and final round back in Sepangin February 2018.
Round 1: Sept-Oct 1 (Race 1 to 6) Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
Round 2: Oct 20-22 (Race 7 to 12) Clark International Speedway, Philippines
Round 3: Nov 22-24 (Race 13 to 18) Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia
Round 4: Jan 12-14 (Race 19 to 24) Buriram International Circuit, Thailand
Round 5: Feb 8-10 (Race 25 to 30) Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
