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Formula 4 Australian Championship

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Formula 4 Australian Championship
The first iteration of the Formula 4 Australia Certified by the FIA Championship
CategoryFIA Formula 4
CountryAustralia
Malaysia
RegionOceania
Asia
Inaugural season2015
ConstructorsMygale (2015–2019)
Tatuus (2024)
Engine suppliersFord (2015–2019)
Stellantis FIRE (2024)
Tyre suppliersHankook (2015–2019)
Giti (2024)
Drivers' championAustralia James Piszcyk
Teams' championAustralia Team BRM
Official websitehttps://www.f4aus.com/
Current season

Formula 4 Australian Championship Certified by FIA is an Australian motor racing series for open-wheel cars complying with FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural championship, known as the CAMS Jayco Australian Formula 4 Championship, was organised from 2015 to 2019. The series was revived by a new promoter in 2024.

Formula 4 was developed and certified by the FIA as the first step out of karting in the FIA Global Pathway from Karting to Formula One; as such, the category is designed for junior drivers seeking a professional career in motorsport.

History

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In November 2013, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) announced that it would introduce the FIA Formula 4 category to Australia. This was followed on 12 March 2014[1] by the official launch of the Australian F4 Championship. Australian F4 cars were to use the French Mygale chassis and Ford EcoBoost engine,[1] and the series would comprise seven rounds in conjunction with V8 Supercars events.[2] Cameron McConville was the original Category Director, with Karl Reindler as Driver Coach and Driving Standards Observer for the championship.

Australian recreational vehicle manufacturer Jayco was confirmed as the championship's title sponsor in December 2014 as part of a three-year agreement from 2015 onward.

The first round was held at Townsville on 11 July 2015. AGI Sport's Will Brown was the category's first race winner, with Team BRM's Jordan Lloyd claiming the overall round victory.

Lloyd would then go on to secure the inaugural championship and a $150,000 prize courtesy of Jayco's Road To The World initiative, which assisted Lloyd in securing a USF2000 seat in 2016. Lloyd also received a European Formula 3 test courtesy of Carlin Motorsport.

The series struggled for grid numbers from the outset. The first round had 13 cars and that grid size would not be exceeded until 2019 and then only once. The 2018 season never had more than eleven cars and all bar one round of the 2019 season had only eight cars. On the 4th of September 2019, it was announced that the series would not be contested in 2020 but there was a possibility it could continue in the future.[3] Jack Doohan and Oscar Piastri, the two Australian racing drivers who have reached Formula One who started racing during this period, chose to race in overseas F4 championships rather than locally.

On 28 November 2023, it was confirmed that China-based Top Speed, which promotes the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, Formula Regional Asian Championship and Formula 4 championships in the Middle East and South East Asia regions, will promote the revived Formula 4 Australian Championship. The revived series will be a Southern Hemisphere autumn to winter series (May to September) as the cars will be sourced from the other series organised by Top Speed. This will allow either the Middle East or South East Asia champions to participate and gain further Superlicence points under FIA policies. Four rounds will be held in Australia, with a spring final in Malaysia.[4]

For 2025, the championship will be promoted by AGI Sport, an Australian-based company that has run the team of multiple Australian F4 champions[5].

Car

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The original championship featured Mygale designed and built cars constructed of carbon fibre and featuring a monocoque chassis. Power is provided by a 1.6-litre turbocharged Ford EcoBoost engine.[6]

The revived championship used the Tatuus F4-T421 chassis with the Abarth engines.[4]

For 2025, both the Mygale and Tatuus will be permitted to race in separate classes; only drivers in the Tatuus will be eligible for the overall Australian F4 Championship.[5]

Champions

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Drivers

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Season Driver Team Races Pole Wins Podium Fast lap Points Margins
2015 Australia Jordan Lloyd Australia Team BRM 21 5 12 18 11 441 54
2016 Australia William Brown Australia Team BRM 18 4 6 13 4 316 45
2017 Australia Nicholas Rowe Australia AGI Sport 21 7 8 16 11 378 78
2018 Australia Jayden Ojeda Australia AGI Sport 21 5 14 17 15 412 58
2019 Australia Luis Leeds Australia AGI Sport 18 8 9 17 8 365 99
2024 Australia James Piszcyk Australia AGI Sport 12 6 9 10 8 256 81
2025 TBD

Rookie

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Season Driver Team
2015 Australia William Brown Australia AGI Sport
2016 Australia Simon Fallon Australia Dream Motorsport
2017 Australia Ryan Suhle Australia Zagame Motorsport
2018 Australia Lochie Hughes Australia Team BRM
2019 Australia Luis Leeds Australia Team BRM

Circuits

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  • Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2024 season.
Number Circuits Rounds Years
1 Victoria (state) Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 6[a] 2015–2019
New South Wales Sydney Motorsport Park 6 2015–2019, 2024
3 Queensland Queensland Raceway 4 2015–2018
Victoria (state) Sandown Raceway 4[b] 2015–2017
South Australia The Bend Motorsport Park 4[c] 2019, 2024
6 Queensland Surfers Paradise Street Circuit 3 2015–2017
7 Tasmania Symmons Plains Raceway 2 2016, 2018
Victoria (state) Winton Motor Raceway 2[d] 2018
9 Queensland Townsville Street Circuit 1 2015
New South Wales Homebush Street Circuit 1 2015
Western Australia Barbagallo Raceway 1 2017
New Zealand Pukekohe Park Raceway 1 2018
Victoria (state) Albert Park Circuit 1 2019
Malaysia Sepang International Circuit 1 2024
United Arab Emirates Dubai Autodrome 1 2024

Notes

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  1. ^ Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosted 2 rounds in 2019.
  2. ^ Sandown Raceway hosted 2 rounds in 2017.
  3. ^ The Bend Motorsport Park hosted 2 rounds in 2019 and 2024.
  4. ^ Winton Motor Raceway hosted 2 rounds in 2018.

References

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  1. ^ a b "CAMS LAUNCHES AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 4 CHAMPIONSHIP AT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX". CAMS. 12 March 2014.
  2. ^ "CAMS announces exciting new Formula 4 teaming with V8 Supercars".
  3. ^ "Australian Formula 4 to be axed after 2019". www.motorsport.com. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b van Leeuwen, Andrew (28 November 2023). "Formula 4 to be relaunched in Australia". Speedcafe. Speedcafe Pty. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b "2025 Formula 4 Season Confirmed". Motorsport Australia. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  6. ^ Test driving F4: the new pathway to Formula One, www.smh.com.au Retrieved 21 December 2015

See also

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