After a lot of mystery and rumours around the Formula 4 scene, ACI Sport has now revealed its latest project, the Euro 4 Championship. The new F4-level series joins Italian F4 as one of the main single-seater championships run by ACI Sport in collaboration with WSK. Here’s an overview of what we know so far.

By Daniele Spadi

With Formula 4 quickly becoming a fundamental stepping stone in a driver’s career, it’s important to give young talents that are looking to start their journey in single-seaters as many opportunities to shine as possible. That’s why ACI Sport, Italy’s staple in championship organisation, has created a new Formula 4 series called the Euro 4 championship, together with WSK.

This aims to close the gap that was previously left open when news broke out that ADAC Formula 4 would not be returning in 2023, as Feeder Series reported here. With the former German championship being a good opportunity for drivers and teams alike, it was the teams themselves who actually wanted a new series to rise from ADAC F4’s ashes and the Euro 4 championship promises to be just that.

The format

Euro 4 will base its first season on the well-established format that proved to be effective in Italian F4. The series will welcome both Italian and foreign competitors that hold a valid International Competitor License, with the age limit set to 15 years old.

A maximum of 38 cars will be admitted to the championship, as teams will be able to field from two to six cars for the entire season. The very popular Tatuus F.4 T421 will be the car of choice for Euro 4, meaning that the championship will align with other categories such as Italian and Spanish F4.

The format will be the same as the one currently in use for Italian F4. Free practice will be divided into two 40-minute sessions, with qualifying scheduled to be made up of two different sessions of 15 minutes each. The racing will be divided in three races identical in length (30 minutes plus one lap), just like its Italian counterpart.

The points system will be the same as any other FIA-graded championship, with the top 10 scoring valid points for the championship and the winner getting 25 of them.

However, every race in the final round at Barcelona will award double points – a new feature for Euro 4, which will definitely have a nail-biting season finale as everything can change with 50 points awarded for each victory during the Spanish race weekend.

The calendar

Though Euro 4 could become an important step for many drivers in the near future, the organizers created it with the intention of adding a supportive series to an already rich F4 programme, with championships in Italy, Spain and France currently gaining more and more attention as the years go by.

The calendar will therefore feature just three race weekends: two in Italy and one in Spain. The first stop will be in Mugello in May, before heading to the legendary Monza in September. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will host the season finale in October, finishing the year in Spanish territory.

For its Italian rounds, the series will alternate weekends with Italian F4, giving them the possibility to compete there, too. In those occasions, Euro 4 will be part of the ACI Racing weekends together with other categories that the Italians organize such as TCR Italy.

For the final round in Barcelona, the championship will race alongside another competitive single-seater series, such as Euroformula Open. Here is the full calendar of the 2023 Euro 4 Championship:

Round 1 – Mugello, Italy (7–9 July)
Round 2 – Monza, Italy (15–17 September)
Round 3 – Barcelona, Spain (20–22 October)

As we wait for announcements to be made about its participants, Euro 4 is finally shaping up in front of our eyes. Experienced F4 teams such as Prema, VAR and Campos will definitely be looking to enter the championship, which could give a very interesting twist to the series.

What we know for sure is that Euro 4 promises to be a must-watch in order to keep track of the many up and coming talents that are trying to make a name for themselves in the feeder series world.

Correction, 24 April 2023: A paragraph was added to this article after publication to reflect that double points will be awarded at the season finale at Barcelona.

Header photo credit: ACI Sport