Starting in the
2016–17 season, the all new
Formula 4
FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
UAE Championship was launched by the
Federation Internationale de l'Automobile
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...
, and its national affiliate the
Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who acted as the championship's promoter. Currently, the series is governed by the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) and promoted by AUH Motorsports.
History
In 2013, the FIA Single seat commission announced their intention to introduce a new category of single seat racing in order to bridge the gap between karting and
Formula 3.
Throughout the following two years, the ATCUAE has worked to develop a Formula 4 championship for the UAE, which will be the first in the Middle East and North African region. One of the first steps taken was to appoint Dubai based AUH Motorsports to manage the championship, based on their experience and expertise in having run the regional
Radical Sportscars
Radical Motorsport is a British manufacturer and constructor of racing cars. The company was founded in January 1997 by amateur drivers and engineers Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott, who built open cockpit sportscars which could be registered for roa ...
series for several years.
In February 2016, the championship was launched in spectacular fashion in front of the world's tallest building, the
Burj Khalifa in Dubai, with the public unveiling of the car undertaken by
HH Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chairman of the
General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, and
Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem ( ar, محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile).
He is one of the Arab world's leading mot ...
, President of the ATCUAE.
Following the launch in February 2016, the car was given its first test around the Dubai Autodrome, driven by Dubai-born
Indy Lights
Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a progra ...
driver
Ed Jones.
Format
The inaugural 2016–17 championship featured eighteen races over six weekends, four of which were held at the
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...
in Abu Dhabi, with the remaining two at the
Dubai Autodrome
The Dubai Autodrome is an FIA sanctioned motorsports circuit located in Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The architects of the project were Populous and the circuit was designed by Clive Bowen of Apex Circuit Design.
Opened in October ...
. As of 2021, the championship features twenty races over five rounds. The race weekends consist of two qualifying sessions determining grids for Race 1 and 3. Starting grids of Race 2 are set by the second fastest lap during Qualifying 1 and grids of Race 4 are with the top eight drivers having their positions reversed from Race 3 results.
Car
The championship features
Tatuus
Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis.
History
The Tatuus c ...
designed and built cars. The cars are constructed out of carbon fibre and feature a monocoque chassis.
From
2016–17 season to
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
the series used
F4-T014 model and 1.4 turbo
Abarth
Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and Car tuning, performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its FCA Italy, Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a ...
engine. The same combination of the chassis and the engine was used in the
Italian F4 Championship
Italian Formula 4 Championship is the first formula racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2014 Italian F4 Championship, effectively replacing the Formula Abarth.
History
Gerhard Berger and th ...
,
F4 Spanish Championship
The F4 Spanish Championship ( es, Campeonato de España de Fórmula 4) is an FIA Formula 4 racing series. The championship was planned to launch in 2015, though the inaugural season was cancelled and delayed until 2016. Koiranen GP was the promot ...
,
ADAC Formula 4
ADAC Formula 4 (german: ADAC Formel 4) is a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural season was the 2015 ADAC Formula 4. It replaced the ADAC Formel Masters, held from 2008 to 2014.
History
Gerhard Berger and ...
and
SMP F4 Championship
The SMP F4 Championship (also known as the F4 NEZ Championship by SMP Racing) was a racing series regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations. It was based in the FIA's North European Zone and the Netherlands, and was only open to drivers fr ...
.
In the
2022 season, the series is set to be the host for the global debut of the new second-generation Tatuus F4 race car. The car called F4 T-421 will be a complete rework of
Formula 4
FIA Formula 4, also called FIA F4, is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of r ...
car according to the 2nd Generation technical regulations, with the most significant being the introduction of the
halo system.
Champions
Drivers
Teams
Rookie
Circuits
* Bold denotes a circuit used in the
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
season.
* ''Italic'' denotes a future circuit will be used in the
2023
Events
Predicted and scheduled events
* January 1
** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law.
** Croatia will adopt the eu ...
season.
Notes
References
External links
Official websiteATCUAE websiteAUH Motorsport WebsiteEmirates Motorsports Organization website{{FIA Global Pathway
Formula racing series
Motorsport in the United Arab Emirates
One-make series
Motorsport competitions in the United Arab Emirates