After four closely contested rounds, the expectations are running sky high this week as the FIA Formula 4 Championship â fueled by Petron â reaches its hallway mark here this week. Adding to the suspense and anticipation is the fact that this F4 SEA Championship will be making its debut at the Madras Motor Sport Circuit here.
âMeritus has raced here in the past and we are familiar with this track but this will be the first time F4 SEA is being staged here. While it will be challenging for the drivers here, we expect the same level of competitiveness and top quality racing witnessed in previous rounds,â said F4 SEA promoter, Peter Thompson.
So far, four rounds â two each in Sepang, Malaysia and Buriram, Thailand â were successfully contested since the season began in early April. Each round featured four races which means the drivers have battled for honours in 16 races. At the end of the week, 20 races would have been staged in a season where 40 races have been scheduled. This is the more than any other F4 Championship in the world this season.
Thompson also commented that the Indian drivers in the series, Yash Aradhya, Arya Singh and Sneha Sharma, would have an advantage as they would be racing at âhomeâ. But that alone may not be enough as thereâs a bunch of drivers who are eager for success and out to wrest the honours.
Australian driver Josh Smith, whose consistency in mounting the podium in all four races led him to the Event 4 title in Buriram, and Irelandâs Lucca Allen, who claimed two wins at the same race last month, will be the ones to look out for here.
âIt was a perfect week for me, I finished in the top two in every race. Iâm looking forward to the next round (in Madras),â Smith had said.
Also impressive in the last round and likely to make an impression here this week are Omanâs Shihab Al Habsi, winner of one race in the previous round, and Finlandâs rookie driver, Elias Seppanen, who secured three third placings. âI will be stronger in the next round (Madras),â vowed Shihab.
Other drivers who have also impressed in previous rounds include Malthe Jakobsen (Denmark), Alister Yoong (Malaysia), Ali Akabi (Jordan), Muizz Musyaffa (Malaysia) and Emil Skaras (Sweden).
For the record, the Event 1 winner was Hadrian David (France) while Allen was the winner of Event 2 and Event 3.
Fans will be in for a double treat as there will be a second round staged here again next week (July 19-21). After India, the F4 SEA Championship heads back to Sepang, Malaysia for two more rounds (Aug 23-25 and Sept 27-29) before the seasonâs finale of two more rounds in the Philippines (Nov 15-17 and Nov 22-24).
2019 RACE CALENDAR
| ROUND | DATE | COUNTRY | CIRCUIT | RACES |
| 1 | Apr 5-7 | Malaysia | Sepang | 1 to 4 |
| 2 | Apr 19-21 | Malaysia | Sepang | 5 to 8 |
| 3 | May 10-12 | Thailand | Buriram | 9 to 12 |
| 4 | June 14-16 | Thailand | Buriram | 13 to 16 |
| 5 | July 12-14 | India | Madras | 17 to 20 |
| 6 | July 19-21 | India | Madras | 21 to 24 |
| 7 | Aug 23-25 | Malaysia | Sepang | 25 to 28 |
| 8 | Sept 27-29 | Malaysia | Sepang | 29 to 32 |
| 9 | Nov 15-17 | Philippines | Clark | 33 to 36 |
| 10 | Nov 22-24 | Philippines | Clark | 37 to 40 |
LIST OF WINNERS (Rounds 1 to 4)
| ROUND | RACE | DATE | VENUE | DRIVER |
| 1 | 1 | Apr 6 | Sepang | Hadrian David (FRA) |
| 1 | 2 | Apr 6 | Sepang | Emil Skaras (SWE) |
| 1 | 3 | Apr 7 | Sepang | Hadrian David (FRA) |
| 1 | 4 | Apr 7 | Sepang | Hadrian David (FRA) |
| 2 | 1 | Apr 20 | Sepang | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
| 2 | 2 | Apr 20 | Sepang | Elias Seppanen (FIN) |
| 2 | 3 | Apr 21 | Sepang | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
| 2 | 4 | Apr 21 | Sepang | Josh Smith (AUS) |
| 3 | 1 | May 10 | Buriram | Shihab Al Habsi (OMA) |
| 3 | 2 | May 11 | Buriram | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
| 3 | 3 | May 11 | Buriram | Shihab Al Habsi (OMA) |
| 3 | 4 | May 12 | Buriram | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
| 4 | 1 | June 14 | Buriram | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
| 4 | 2 | June 14 | Buriram | Josh Smith (AUS) |
| 4 | 3 | June 15 | Buriram | Shihab Al Habsi (OMA) |
| 4 | 4 | June 15 | Buriram | Lucca Allen (IRL) |
About Federation Internationale de lâAutomobile (FIA)
The FIA is the world governing body of motorsport, working across three key areas: Sport, Mobility and Campaigns. The FIA âAction for Road Safetyâ campaign is embedded in all levels of the sport. But road safety is not the FIA’s only agenda: training the next generation of motorsport heroes is a major part of what they do. With that in mind the FIA created the pyramid to F1.
About FIA Pyramid to F1
The FIA Pyramid to F1 is a 4-stage plan to develop young sportsmen, engineers and enthusiasts for careers in motorsport. The first stage is F4 where drivers start off at 15 years old, then they graduate to F2 and F3, along the way gaining the points they need to earn a Super License – which is required to race in Formula 1. In much the same way we had to complete all the stages at school and college before seeking employment, young drivers of the future must climb the FIA pyramid before they can race in F1.
About Formula 4 – The first step
Formula 4 is the first step on the FIA pyramid to F1. Designed specifically to transition young sportsmen from karting into the world of single-seater racing, F4 is open to anyone aged 15 or above and teaches the next generation the race craft skills they need to progress their careers.
https://formula4.asia/about-us/what-is-f4/
FORMULA 4 SEA
Formula 4 SEA is the Asian regional championship of the FIA’s F4 format, licenced to race in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Cambodia and Taiwan. The championship is unique in that its utilises the âoneâ concept:
- One make: all cars are identical FIA-homologated chassis & engine built to FIA F1 crash test spec
- One team: MERITUS.GP is the exclusive race engineering service provider
- One data: all driversâ data and teamâs historic data is accessible to all
- One dream: win 12 FIA Super Licence points
