British Formula 4, Chinese F4 and Euroformula Open all begin their 2026 seasons this weekend, while USF Juniors returns after a two-month hiatus. Feeder Series previews what’s coming up in junior single-seaters.
By Feeder Series
The month of April is all about new beginnings for junior single-seater championships, and another three are adding themselves to that list this weekend.
Euroformula Open boasts the most powerful cars but the smallest grid, with 11 drivers set to line up in Portimão. Chinese F4 has 20 drivers taking on its first of six rounds at Shanghai, while British F4 features a record 31 – more than double the number that entered the 2022 season opener – for its first round on Donington Park’s National layout.
For the first time in April following the cancellation of the F2, F3 and F1 Academy rounds in the Middle East, we also have a junior single-seater championship continuing its season. For its second round of 2026, USF Juniors heads to new venue Carolina Motorsports Park, which has never hosted any championship on the formal IndyCar ladder. Read on to find out what to expect from that event and all the others taking place this weekend.
- Euroformula Open: Round 1, Portimão
- British F4: Round 1, Donington Park
- Chinese F4: Round 1, Shanghai
- USF Juniors: Round 2, Carolina
Euroformula Open: Round 1, Portimão
Circuit: Algarve International Circuit, 4.653 km
Schedule: All times local (UTC+1)
Thursday 16 April
- 9:00–9:50: Private test 1
- 13:20–14:10: Private test 2
- 16:55–17:45: Private test 3
Friday 17 April
- 9:30–10:10: Free practice 1
- 13:20–14:00: Free practice 2
Saturday 18 April
- 9:30–9:50: Qualifying
- 12:55–13:25: Race 1 (18 laps)
Sunday 19 April
- 10:25–10:55: Race 2 (18 laps)
- 16:20–16:50: Race 3 (18 laps)
How to follow: Qualifying and every race will be broadcast live on Euroformula Open’s official YouTube channel. Live timing will be available at cronococa.com.
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy all weekend.
What to know: After a riveting season finale in 2025, Euroformula Open enters its 13th season with a new team and five rookies joining the grid. The series has removed Austria’s Red Bull Ring in its second year using the Dallara 324 chassis, replacing it with Italy’s Misano – the first time the circuit has featured on the calendar.
New team Neri Autosport joins the grid this year, with the French squad being the first team from their nation since Top F3 left the series after 2013. Staying on the grid are Motopark and BVM, entering a Euroformula Open season having split the previous year’s drivers’ and teams’ championships between them for the first time.
Racing with Motopark again in 2026 is best sophomore Everett Stack, who finished sixth in the championship last year with two race wins to his name. Read all about the rest of this year’s grid in our season guide.
Report by Archie Harper
From the press: Everett Stack had few results of note in his first two years in single-seaters, but a move to Euroformula Open last year reignited his career and gave him six podiums, including his first two car racing wins. Stack sat down with us to discuss what kickstarted his racing career and how he found his footing last year. Read the interview here.
British F4: Round 1, Donington Park
Circuit: Donington Park National Circuit, 3.185 km
Schedule: All times local (UTC+1)
Thursday 16 April
- 10:05–10:50: Free Practice 1
- 14:05–14:50: Free Practice 2
Saturday 18 April
- 11:40–12.05: Qualifying
- 17:15–17:35: Race 1
Sunday 19 April
- 10:40–11:00: Race 2
- 15:55–16:20: Race 3
How to follow: Races one and two will be available for all viewers on the British F4 YouTube page. Race three will be available on ITV4 and ITVX for UK viewers and on the British F4 YouTube page for international viewers. Live timing for all sessions can be found on TSL Timing.
Weather forecast: Mostly overcast all weekend, with light rain possible Saturday afternoon.
What to know: British F4 returns for its 12th season off the back of a title battle between Fionn McLaughlin, Jimmy Piszcyk and Martin Molnár last year that ran to the final round of the season.
Amongst those making their full-season debuts in the series are Formula Winter Series champion Dries Van Langendonck and Saudi Arabian F4 champion Kit Belofsky, driving for Rodin Motorsport and Fortec Motorsport respectively. These two reigning winter series champions will be looking to make their mark in the 31-strong grid at Donington Park, the largest entry list the series has ever had for a single round.
Of the returnees, Chris Dittmann Racing’s Tommy Harfield will be one to watch. As the highest-placed driver from 2025 to return for 2026, Harfield will have his sights firmly set on the top step of the podium. Find out more about the championship and its teams and drivers with our season guide.
Report by Gavin Guthrie
Want to hear more about this weekend’s action? Check out the latest episode of our Feeder Focus podcast, released yesterday.
Chinese F4: Round 1, Shanghai
Circuit: Shanghai International Circuit, 5.451 km
Schedule: All times local (UTC+8)
Friday 17 April
- 9:00–9:30: Free practice 1
- 11:30–12:00: Free practice 2
- 15:10–15:40: Qualifying 1
- 17:00–17:30: Qualifying 2
Saturday 18 April
- 9:35–10:15: Race 1
- 13:20–14:00: Race 2
Sunday 19 April
- 9:15–9:55: Race 3
- 16:00–16:40: Race 4
How to follow: Races will be streamed on the series’ official Weibo account. Sessions are also also available on Mintimes’ WeChat channel, but users will require a WeChat account to access it. Live timing is available on Timing Asia.
Weather forecast: Cloudy and dry all weekend.
What to know: Chinese F4 enters its 12th season this year, with the six-round championship beginning this weekend in Shanghai.
Last season, Simon Zhang took the drivers’ title and helped ACM Geeke Racing secure their first teams’ title since 2020. On his way to the title, Zhang took 14 wins and 18 total podiums, finishing the season with a total of 424 points.
Twenty drivers are expected to take part in the season opener. Notable drivers to watch out for include Kimi Chan, who finished second last year. Chen Sicong, who finished fourth last year, will also be returning to race in the season opener, as will F1 Academy wild card entry Shi Wei, who competed at the circuit last month. Get to know the full grid with our season guide, to be released later today.
Report by Kaylene Lau
USF Juniors: Round 2, Carolina
Circuit: Carolina Motorsports Park, 3.668 km
Schedule: All times local (UTC−4)
Thursday 16 April
- 12:50–13:40: Test session 1
- 16:00–16:50: Test session 2
Friday 17 April
- 10:35–11:05: Test session 3
- 14:10–14:40: Practice
- 18:00–18:30: Qualifying
Saturday 18 April
- 10:10–10.50: Race 1
- 14:55–15:35: Race 2
Sunday 19 April
- 10:10–10:50: Race 3
How to follow: Every race will be live streamed on the USF Pro Championships YouTube Channel. Live timing will be available on the USF Pro Championships app.
Weather forecast: Sunny all weekend, with temperatures exceeding 32ºC (90ºF) Friday and Saturday.
What to know: After its season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway two months ago, USF Juniors heads north to Carolina Motorsports Park for its second round of the season.
Max Mokarem leads the standings on 82 points after taking two wins at Homestead and finishing fourth in race two. Seven points behind him is Karol Pasiewicz, who finished second in all three races, while Vilho Aatola completes the top three, 22 points from the Pole, after taking a pair of third-place finishes in Miami.
Tied on points with the Finn is Zanella Racing’s Olivier Mrak, who capped off the Miami round by finishing third in race three. Rounding out the top five in points is Iván Machado Pérez, who won race two and started on pole for the final two races. He was fighting for the podium positions in the third before a collision with Bex Cranston took him out of contention.
The only addition to the grid this weekend is Miami-based Arthur Barbe, who will drive VRD Racing by Pole Position’s second car. The 14-year-old Frenchman tested USF Juniors machinery with the team at Miami in late February and March. Last year, he raced in American karts, finishing 38th in the United States Pro Kart Series X30 Junior standings and participating in the SKUSA SuperNationals in the X30 and KA 100 Junior classes.
Report by Marco Albertini
Read the previous round’s report here.
All times and forecasts listed above are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information, follow each series’ websites or social media pages.
Header photo credit: Connor Botha
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