Brazilian F4 embarks on its second season this weekend, with the first round of the 2023 championship taking place at the Autódromo de Interlagos. The category is still finding itself and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Therefore, some changes have been made in terms of both format and teams. With this in mind, Feeder Series has prepared this guide to the 2023 Brazilian F4 championship.

By Maria Clara Castro

Brazilian F4 made its debut last year and it can be said to have been a success. The aim was to export Brazilian talents, but more than that, to prepare these drivers to race internationally. Before the championship was introduced, entering the world of single-seaters implied going to Europe or the United States for Brazilian drivers, which demands a great deal of financial aid. Now, such a big leap is no longer necessary.

Of the sixteen drivers who took part in the 2022 season, seven are racing in Europe and the States this year. 2022 champion Pedro Clerot, Interlagos race winner Fefo Barrichello, and Ricardo Gracia, will all race in Spanish F4. Meanwhile, Nic Giaffone debuted in USF Juniors with a win and three podiums, and Aurelia Nobels has joined the Ferrari Driver Academy. Nick Monteiro moved to USF Pro 2000, while Lucas Staico stepped into GB3.

No doubt, a good result for a debut season. However, it is fair to say that Brazilian F4 is still in the midst of a consolidation process. Last year, the drivers signed a contract directly with the category organisation and a draw was made to allocate each driver to the four teams. In 2023, this has not been the case, with the drivers themselves negotiating with the teams for the seats.

Regarding the car draws, which used to take place every two rounds, from what Feeder Series has ascertained, they remain. However, it is not yet known if the frequency will remain the same.

One important change is the tyre supplier. Last season Pirelli supplied the tyres, but now this role is Hankook’s. Feeder Series was present at the Brazilian F4 testing and asked some drivers about their first impressions of the new tyres. They answered that, compared to Pirelli’s, Hankook’s are harder. This means that the wear is lower, but putting on temperature is more difficult.

Calendar

Round 1 – Interlagos (21–23 April)
Round 2 – Interlagos (7–9 July)
Round 3 – Velocitta (4–6 August)
Round 4 – Goiânia (25–27 August)
Round 5 – Interlagos (3–5 November)
Round 6 – Brasília (24–26 November)

Brazilian F4 debuted at the Autódromo Velocitta in May 2022, but this year the opening-round will take place this weekend at the Autódromo de Interlagos. This iconic Brazilian circuit will feature another three times throughout the season, therefore appearing in 50 per cent of the championship’s rounds. One big talking point is that Brazilian F4 will be on F1 support bill for the first time, which is great for the visibility of the category as well as the drivers.

Velocitta, of course, appears in the calendar once again and is considered essential to drivers development because it is a technical track, with several different corners. Brasília appears in the season schedule, just like last year, but is yet to be confirmed. The circuit has not had its construction work completed and there is no forecast for handover.

Format

The race weekend format remains the same. Therefore, it starts with two free practice sessions on Friday of 40 minutes each. Then, it proceeds to ending the day with a 20-minute qualifying.

Race 1 has its starting grid defined by each driver’s second fastest lap set on qualifying. To determine the grid for Race 2, the top-8 of the Race 1 result is reversed. The starting grid for Race 3 will be based on Friday’s qualifying results.

Both Race 1 and Race 3 last 25 minutes plus one lap and award more points than Race 2, which is 18 minutes plus one lap. For Race 1 and 3, the F1 points system is used, while for Race 2, the winner will be awarded 15 points, with 12 for second place, 10 for third place, 8 for fourth, 6 for fifth, 4 for sixth, 2 for seventh, and 1 for eighth.

In addition, the driver who sets the fastest lap in each race is awarded 1 point and the fastest driver in the standings gets 2 points.

Teams and drivers

Unlike last year, when Brazilian F4 had four teams, this season will feature three teams: Cavaleiro Sports, TMG Racing and Oakberry Bassani Racing.

Cavaleiro Sports

Led by well-known name in Brazilian motorsport Beto Cavaleiro, Cavaleiro Sports finished second in the teams’ championship last year with 400 points. In 2023, the team welcomes back Vinícius Tessaro, who stands as one of the potential championship contenders.

Tessaro came close to being the 2022 runner-up and took the fight to the last round in Interlagos, but he withdrew from the race, meaning that Lucas Staico took the runner-up spot. “Regarding the anger and all the emotions I felt in the runner-up title race, I think I have to use them as motivation,” said Tessaro.

Lucca Zucchini also embarks on his second season in the category. The 17-year-old left TMG Racing and opted for Cavaleiro Sports. He seems happy with the decision. “[I want] to be able to take advantage this season because now I have more experience with the F4 car. I want to be able to get more out of the car so that I can be at the front,” he stated.

Cavaleiro Sports’ final two drivers are rookies Cecília Rabelo and Mateus Calejas. The two are in the transition from karting to single-seaters and saw F4 as the right path for this process. Cecília, who is one out of two female drivers who will compete in the 2023 season, did some practice in an old F3 chassis to start getting the hang of it.

TMG Racing

TMG Racing has a totally different driver line-up to last year. Out of the four drivers that form the team, three are experienced and only one is making their debut. Rafaela Ferreira is TMG Racing’s rookie driver and, like Cecília Rabelo, has been training using an old F3 chassis.

According to her training coach, Bia Martins, practicing in the old F3 chassis is important to help Ferreira to get used to driving single seater cars. It is also heavier, which means that the F4 car will feel lighter to her when she is driving.

João Tesser, Luan Lopes and Álvaro Cho return to Brazilian F4 and, naturally, are looking for a place in the championship battle. However, they must be careful not to make mistakes or get involved in unnecessary fights like last year. Making a good selection of which battles are worth fighting and, of course, showing consistency are the key to a better performance in 2023.

Oakberry Bassani Racing

Some say that Oakberry Bassani Racing is just a new name for Full Time Sports, but not quite. The team is led by Eduardo Bassani, a very successful engineer with experience in F-Renault, F3 Sudamericana and Stock Car racing. However, even though Bassani was involved with Full Time Sports last year, the rest of the Oakberry Bassani Racing team is new and therefore not connected to Full Time Sports.

Oakberry Bassani Racing has three rookies and only one experienced driver. Nelson Neto, who had a turbulent last season, returns this year to leave a better mark in Brazilian F4. “My expectations for 2023 are high. Now I come to fight for wins and the championship for sure,” said Neto.

In a position opposite to Neto, Alexandre Machado, known as Ale, makes his debut in single-seaters. The driver is from the centre-west of Brazil and is therefore not well known in São Paulo, the state where the main motorsport activities take place. His career has been built on the karting scene in his region. Machado followed the first season of Brazilian F4 and saw it as a good opportunity to race in single-seaters.

Not much of a new name in Brazilian F4 is Arthur Pavie. The 17-year-old driver replaced Aurelia Nobels in last season’s Goiânia round and scored points in the first race he entered. He now returns to the category to contest the full season and is a name to watch out for.

Another driver to keep your eyes on is Matheus Comparatto. He raced in the 2022 Formula Delta season and managed to win races and get podiums and pole positions. It’s fair to say he’s got good experience so far in open-wheel racing. Let’s see what he can do in F4. 

Where to watch

Races will be broadcast on the Brazilian F4 YouTube channel. Qualifying and free practices can usually be followed on Race Hero live timing coverage.

In order to keep up to date on what’s happening, Feeder Series Americas will be providing coverage throughout the weekend.

Header photo credit: Vinícius Branca/Vicar