The first season of the Ligier JS F4 Series last year was a success, with 27 drivers participating in the championship throughout the year. As the series, now rebranded to the Ligier Junior Formula Championship, prepares to enter its second season, Feeder Series tells you all you need to know about it.

By Laura Anequini

In its previous guise as Formula Development, the non-FIA-sanctioned F4 series below F4 US was lucky to attract more than one entry per event. But once F4 US adopted the second-generation F4 chassis for 2024, many prospective entrants chose not to race in the series because of its elevated costs. Thus Ligier JS F4, which reuses the eponymous first-generation cars from F4 US’ previous eight seasons, was born.

Racing with Scuderia Buell, Teddy Musella was the series champion last year, taking five wins and seven further podiums on his way to the title. Such was his consistency that the American finished inside the top ten in every race.

Despite winning a scholarship to race in F4 US this year, Musella instead chose to race in USF2000 with VRD Racing. He currently sits 11th in the standings.

The calendar 

The 2025 calendar will feature one more round in comparison to 2024. Like FRegional Americas and F4 US, the series will be going to Virginia International Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park, both not on the calendar last year, instead of the Circuit of The Americas. 

• Round 1: NOLA Motorsports Park (27–30 March)
• Round 2: Road America (15–18 May)
• Round 3: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (19–22 June)
• Round 4: New Jersey Motorsports Park (31 July–3 August)
• Round 5: Virginia International Raceway (19–21 September) 
• Round 6: Barber Motorsports Park (17–19 October)

The format 

The format of the series stays the same as in 2024. Each round begins with two 25-minute test sessions on Thursday, followed by two practice sessions on Friday that lasts between 20 to 45 minutes depending on the schedule. Qualifying typically takes place on Fridays but can also occur on Saturdays, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes.

Races start on Saturday, and depending on the round, there can be either two or three races. The starting order for race one is determined by the qualifying results, while the starting positions for races two and three are based on the fastest race times achieved by each driver in the preceding race. 

The points system is the same as F1’s.

Where to watch 

Most races are shown live on the series’ YouTube channel as well as the SpeedTour TV YouTube channel. Not all will be streamed.

Teams and drivers 

Crosslink Motorsports

Racing as Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports in 2024, the team finished first in the team standings last year with 448.5 points. Kekai Hauanio, runner-up of the championship, was the team’s best finishing driver last year. With the dissolution of the partnership with Kiwi Motorsport, however, Crosslink Motorsports has currently one driver lined up for this year’s season.

Kelsey Pinkowski (#20) joins the team for her first season in the championship. Beyond her commitments in the championship, the 21-year-old from Rochester, New York, is also racing in the all-female Kyojo Cup in Japan this year and in the FX class of the SCCA Majors Championship, in which she is currently 11th in the Southern Conference standings. Earlier this month, Pinkowski became the first winner of the Gorsline Scholarship since 2021, when current Haas-backed F1 Academy driver Courtney Crone won it.

Scuderia Buell

Second in the teams’ standings last season, Scuderia Buell fielded four drivers in 2024. This year, they will be fielding only one: Augusto Paschetta (#27).

The 15-year-old Argentinian driver is stepping up from karting, having raced in the Junior Max category last season. Paschetta, who will be racing single-seaters for the first time, was also one of the drivers awarded with the Parella Motorsports Holdings Powering Diversity Scholarship, which helps drivers from underrepresented backgrounds advance in their racing careers.

Jensen

Throughout the 2024 season, Jensen had eight drivers participating in the team’s line-up on different race weekends. With 92.5 points, the team finished sixth in the teams’ standings.

This year, they will be fielding Zach Fourie (#1). The 16-year-old made his single-seater debut with the team in the final round of the series in COTA last year but did not manage to score any points. The South African was one of the winners of this year’s PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship and earlier this month took part in the first round of Formula Pro USA Western Championship, where he took two wins.

Josh Griffith (#2) is also joining the team for his single-seater debut. The California native, currently a high school senior, tested with Jensen over the winter.

Berg Racing

After finishing seventh in the teams’ standings last year, Berg Racing have come back for their second season in the championship.

Returning driver Harbir Dass (#23) will hope to do better than the two third-place finishes he achieved last year. With two retirements and two non-starts, Dass finished eighth in the standings with 73 points.

Also returning to the championship is Drew Szuch (#28). The 19-year-old from Illinois is switching teams after having raced last year with his own team Szuch Racing, for which he was both driver and administrator. Szuch finished sixth in the standings, with 108 points and a best race finish of third.

Champagne Racing

Champagne Racing have the most drivers lined up for the 2025 season with five. In 2024, the team only participated in the last round at the Circuit of The Americas, with Leo Escorpioni and Conor Grant as their drivers for the season finale. Despite participating in only one round, the team finished eighth in the standings with 48 points.

The first driver to be announced with the team for 2025 was Gaston Irazu (#42), a familiar face within the team. The 17-year-old raced with Champagne Racing on his way to the 2024 Formula FARA title. The Uruguayan was also one of the drivers awarded with PMH’s 2025 Powering Diversity Scholarship by PMH.

Also joining the team are identical twins Cash Felber (#11) and Roman Felber (#73). Last year, the 14-year-old brothers raced in the Mid-Ohio round of the championship – their home event – with Jensen Global Advisors, achieving best race finishes of sixth and ninth respectively. 

Ava Hanssen (#26) joins the team after spending last year racing in Formula Race Promotions in the F1600 class. The 14-year-old secured 12 top-10 from 19 races in her rookie season and ended up seventh in the standings. Last year, it was announced that the Wisconsinite would be racing in the series but would miss the first few rounds as she was too young to compete. Hanssen, however, did not race in the series in 2024 and will be making her debut this year.

Michael Fatutta (#12) is the newest addition to the team’s line-up. The New York native, who is stepping up from karting, is part of the team’s driver development programme and is also doing a double campaign with them in Formula FARA.

Momentum Motorsports 

Momentum Motorsports are returning to the series after having fielded only Parker Wallin for three rounds last season.

This year, they will be fielding Lebanese-American driver Max Mokarem (#46). The 13-year-old, the youngest driver on the grid, switched teams this week, although it is unknown with which team he was originally set to compete. Having raced in Formula FARA last year, the Virginia native will have a busy year, continuing to race in Formula FARA as well as in the Radical Cup and Formula Race Promotions’ F1600 and F2000 series, he told Feeder Series.

LC Racing Academy

New to the championship this year, as they are for F4 US, is LC Racing Academy, who will field Luca Day (#24) for the season. 

The 15-year-old was among the first drivers to be announced to be racing in the championship this year. Day is stepping up from karting for his first year in single-seaters. The Canadian previously tested USF Juniors machinery in early 2024 before he headed to France for the Feed Racing shootout, in which he participated in the first training course but did not qualify for the quarterfinals. Day made his open-wheel debut earlier this month in Formula FARA, in which he also raced with the team. 

Cará Origin Motorsports 

Cará Origin Motorsports, led by their own driver Daniel Cará (#10) and his father Miguel Cará, are the newest addition to the championship. The team last raced in F4 US in 2023, when they finished fourth in the teams’ standings.

Cará, who recently received his bachelor’s of business administration from the University of San Francisco, is returning to single-seaters as well. The 22-year-old Brazilian-American finished sixth in F4 US in 2023, securing three podiums. In 2024, he participated in Copa Notiauto’s Mexico Endurance 24 in December in the 1.8 class alongside Constanza Blanco and Chara Mansur Junior. 

Header photo credit: Gavin Baker