Formula 4

FIA Formula 4 is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of rules and specifications.

The category was created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)—the International sanctioning and administrative body for motorsport—as an entry-level category for young drivers, bridging the gap between karting and Formula 3. The series is a part of the FIA Global Pathway. Former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger was appointed as the FIA Single-Seater Commission president to oversee the creation of the category as a response to declining interest in national Formula 3 championships due to rising costs and alternate pathways to Formula One such as the Formula Renault and GP2 and GP3 Series, which had seen several national Formula 3 championships cancelled. In the place of the expensive categories, a number of separate categories running under the Formula 4 name have been created—British based BRDC Formula 4—but with no commonality between the cars from country to country. The FIA-endorsed category was formally created in March 2013, when it was approved by the World Motor Sport Council.