After experiencing record demand for entries in 2024, the Formula Winter Series will split into two. The resulting new winter series will feature Spanish F4 teams and personnel, and it will run alongside a new Eurocup-3 winter championship. Here’s what we know so far.

By Juan Arroyo and Finjo Muschlien

FWS promoter Gedlich Racing announced on 18 July that Agrupación Deportiva F4 Spain, the organiser of the Spanish F4 championship and a partner in the 2024 edition of FWS, would launch a separate series called the F4 Spanish Winter Championship, with its first edition to be held in the winter of 2025.

The decision to split into two series comes after high demand forced organisers to omit teams from the 2024 edition of FWS and to limit the number of cars certain teams could run. As many as 38 drivers entered the opening round, with teams from the Italian and Spanish F4 championships taking part over the four weekends. That figure means FWS joins Italian F4 and Japanese F4 in having the highest number of participating drivers in a 2024 F4 round.

The new Spanish F4 Winter Championship will be composed of teams competing in the regular Spanish F4 season. Formula Winter Series, which retains its original name, will be composed of “international participants” and will switch from Hankook to Pirelli tires, per the press release.

“The demand for the FWS is so great that it would only make sense to take this next step,” Gedlich Racing CEO Markus Gedlich said in the press release. “In this way, we can keep the driver fields at a good size and at the same time provide the respective customer teams with optimal conditions that perfectly suit their needs regarding racing and testing.” 

Feeder Series also understands there was discontent among FWS leadership with regard to stewarding and organisation this past season. The second round in Valencia, which gave rise to several public complaints over stewarding after all 38 drivers were disqualified from a qualifying session, is thought to have been a low point of the partnership.

Winter series in Spain: A brief history

In 2023, an F4 winter series was held in Europe for the first time. FWS, organised by German racing promoters Gedlich Racing with the approval of Spain’s motoring federation, was launched as a Spain-based support series to the GT Winter Series.

FWS’ first season featured four rounds across Spain, with a peak of 15 cars taking part in the second round in Valencia. Entries came from several Italian and Spanish F4 teams, with British F4 team Phynsis by Argenti joining for Valencia alone. Entry numbers did not exceed 10 at the other three events.

Gedlich collaborated with the Agrupación Deportiva F4 Spain in organising the 2024 season, which saw a number of Spanish F4 teams – among them MP Motorsport, Tecnicar, Rodin Motorsport, Cram Motorsport, and Monlau Motorsport – join the already competing Campos Racing, Drivex and GRS Team in FWS. Maffi Racing was another new entry, adding to the existing group of Italian F4 teams that included US Racing, AKM Motorsport and Jenzer Motorsport.

The surge in interest saw a record 38 cars enter three of the four events. But the rapid expansion proved to be unsustainable from an organisational standpoint, leading to the series’ splitting.

FWS’ third season in 2025 is set to have no Spanish F4 teams and a 32-car cap on entries, organisers confirmed to Feeder Series.

Formula Winter Series in 2025

Series organisers confirmed to Feeder Series that for 2025, FWS would not feature Spanish F4 teams and would cap its grid size at 32 cars, an increase from the 30 cars in the initial press release from July.

Gedlich told Feeder Series that six teams have confirmed their participation, while two teams have given only verbal agreement at this stage. A potential ninth team is expected to complete the 2025 grid, which is set to be announced by Gedlich on 20 January 2025.

In tandem with its new grid composition, FWS will also switch from Hankook to Pirelli tyres. Pirelli is the official tyre supplier for all European F4 series except Spanish F4 and its new winter spin-off, which employ Hankook.

Italian F4 driver Kabir Anurag, who competed in FWS this year, told Feeder Series that the stiffer wall on Hankook tyres “changes the whole complexion of driving style and feeling for the car”. For drivers like Anurag, the continuity in tyres from the winter season to their main seasons means they can focus on mastering one compound instead of having to learn two.

For the first time in the series’ history, the season will include a race in Portugal and kick off at the Algarve International Circuit instead of the Circuito de Jerez. The remainder of the calendar is unchanged, and the season concludes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in early March.

• Algarve International Circuit (30 January–2 February)
• Circuit Ricardo Tormo (13–16 February)
• Motorland Aragón (27 February–2 March)
• Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (6–9 March)

FWS’ 2024 format of two qualifying sessions and three races will be retained for 2025. The first qualifying session sets the grid for the first race, the second-fastest times from the first session set the grid for the second race, and the second qualifying session sets the grid for the third race.

For 2025, each qualifying session would be extended from 15 to 20 minutes, organisers told Feeder Series. The series will continue to use the FIA points system for races, with two points awarded per pole position and one for the driver who sets the fastest lap in each race.

On September 25, JHR Developments became the first team to confirm to Feeder Series their participation in FWS in 2025. Feeder Series understands that more teams from British F4 as well as outfits from Italian F4 have already confirmed their participation to the organisers.

The new Spanish F4 Winter Championship

Not much has been said about the new series, but Feeder Series can confirm that the championship will run separately from FWS and will support the new-for-2025 Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship. 

The calendar for the 2025 season is yet to be officially announced, though a provisional calendar is expected to be published as soon as Wednesday. The calendar is expected to have four rounds in February and mid-March, with races at Jerez, Portimão and Navarra expected alongside an additional Spanish venue.

Series organisers confirmed to Feeder Series that as with FWS, each round would have practice time followed by two qualifying sessions and three races in the same format as Spanish F4. This means that the first and third races will each be 30 minutes long and the second race will have a shorter duration of 25 minutes. The grid will be limited to 36 entrants.

The winner of the 2025 Spanish F4 Winter Championship will be awarded a fully funded test day in a Eurocup-3 car. 

As was revealed in the first press release about the Spanish F4 Winter Championship, all Spanish F4 teams are eligible to participate in the series. Teams that participate in both Spanish F4 and another international championship, for example Cram or Rodin, could technically compete in both FWS and Spanish F4’s winter series, both championships’ organisers confirmed to Feeder Series. 

The new Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship

A longtime rumour in the Spanish paddocks has now been confirmed to Feeder Series: Eurocup-3 will host its own winter series in 2025, called the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship.

In 2024, Eurocup-3 already hosted a non-championship event at Aragón, supporting Gedlich’s winter series. For 2025, Eurocup-3 will have a separate winter championship, which will consist of three rounds and will award points in the standard FIA format, organisers confirmed to Feeder Series. As during the main seasons, the Spanish F4 winter series will support the Eurocup-3 winter series, which will run FRegional-spec cars.

The calendar for the new Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship has yet to be announced. Feeder Series understands that it will run together with the Spanish F4 Winter Championship, albeit not on all occasions. For one, Gedlich confirmed to Feeder Series that Eurocup-3’s winter edition would support the new-for-2025 6 Hours of Barcelona event, which FWS is not supporting. 

In addition to practice sessions, each round will feature two races, each of which has a qualifying session to set the grid. This format mirrors the format of the main season in Eurocup-3.

Correction, 30 September 2024, 14:17: A previous version of this article stated that the Formula Winter Series would not award bonus points for pole position or fastest lap in 2025. The series will award two points for pole position and one point for fastest lap, as was the case in 2024.

Header photo credit: Daniel Bürgin / Gedlich Racing