Formula 4 Australian Championship
 The first iteration of the Formula 4 Australia Certified by the FIA Championship | |
| Category | FIA Formula 4 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia Malaysia |
| Region | Oceania Asia |
| Inaugural season | 2015 |
| Constructors | Mygale (2015–2019) Tatuus (2024) |
| Engine suppliers | Ford (2015–2019) Stellantis FIRE (2024) |
| Tyre suppliers | Hankook (2015–2019) Giti (2024) |
| Drivers' champion |  James Piszcyk |
| Teams' champion | Team BRM |
| Official website | https://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
[edit]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]
Car
[edit]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.[5]
The revived championship used the Tatuus F4-T421 chassis with the Abarth engines.[4]
Champions
[edit]Drivers
[edit]| Season | Driver | Team | Races | Pole | Wins | Podium | Fast lap | Points | Margins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Jordan Lloyd
|
Team BRM
|
21 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 11 | 441 | 54 |
| 2016 | William Brown
|
Team BRM
|
18 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 316 | 45 |
| 2017 | Nicholas Rowe
|
AGI Sport
|
21 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 378 | 78 |
| 2018 | Jayden Ojeda
|
AGI Sport
|
21 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 412 | 58 |
| 2019 | Luis Leeds
|
AGI Sport
|
18 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 8 | 365 | 99 |
| 2024 | James Piszcyk
|
AGI Sport
|
12 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 256 | 81 |
Rookie
[edit]| Season | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | William Brown
|
AGI Sport
|
| 2016 | Simon Fallon
|
Dream Motorsport
|
| 2017 | Ryan Suhle
|
Zagame Motorsport
|
| 2018 | Lochie Hughes
|
Team BRM
|
| 2019 | Luis Leeds
|
Team BRM
|
Circuits
[edit]- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2024 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
|
6[a] | 2015–2019 |
 Sydney Motorsport Park
|
6 | 2015–2019, 2024 | |
| 3 |  Queensland Raceway
|
4 | 2015–2018 |
| Sandown Raceway
|
4[b] | 2015–2017 | |
 The Bend Motorsport Park
|
4[c] | 2019, 2024 | |
| 6 | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
|
3 | 2015–2017 |
| 7 |  Symmons Plains Raceway
|
2 | 2016, 2018 |
| Winton Motor Raceway
|
2[d] | 2018 | |
| 9 | Townsville Street Circuit
|
1 | 2015 |
| Homebush Street Circuit
|
1 | 2015 | |
 Barbagallo Raceway
|
1 | 2017 | |
 Pukekohe Park Raceway
|
1 | 2018 | |
| Albert Park Circuit
|
1 | 2019 | |
 Sepang International Circuit
|
1 | 2024 | |
 Dubai Autodrome
|
1 | 2024 |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "CAMS LAUNCHES AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 4 CHAMPIONSHIP AT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX". CAMS. 12 March 2014.
- ^ "CAMS announces exciting new Formula 4 teaming with V8 Supercars".
- ^ "Australian Formula 4 to be axed after 2019". www.motorsport.com. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ a b van Leeuwen, Andrew (28 November 2023). "Formula 4 to be relaunched in Australia". Speedcafe. Speedcafe Pty. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Test driving F4: the new pathway to Formula One, www.smh.com.au Retrieved 21 December 2015
See also
[edit]- 2023 Australian Formula Open Series - Formula 4 class run in that series.
- 2024 Australian Formula Open - Formula 4 class run in that series.
