A render of the new T-421 Tatuus F4 race car with the halo
F4UAE was launched in 2016 and has welcomed a total of 80 drivers since across the past five seasons
Italian Enzo Trulli won the 2020/2021 F4UAE Championship
The FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship powered by Abarth has been confirmed to host the global racing debut of the new second-generation Tatuus F4 race car for the 2021/2022 season.
With the announcement last year that the FIA’s new homologated Formula 4 cars incorporating the halo safety device would be introduced globally, F4UAE will be the first F4 championship to host races using the new T-421 Tatuus race cars with support from its technical partners Tatuus and Autotecnica Motori.
In what will be its sixth season, the F4UAE championship made its debut in 2016 and has since welcomed 80 drivers from 41 countries and is the only FIA-sanctioned open-wheeler category in the Middle East.
“We are very proud that F4UAE will be the first F4 championship in the world to launch the new second-generation Tatuus F4 race car with the halo,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, and FIA Vice President for Sport.
“Driver safety is our top priority, and it is a great opportunity for the championship and the United Arab Emirates to be a leader in driving technical advancement for the sport. After five very successful seasons, it is one of the best platforms for young talented drivers to start their racing careers and we look forward to welcoming a new era of F4 and growing motorsport in the region.”
The 2021/2022 F4UAE season will consist of five championship rounds with 20 point-scoring races in total, shared between the Dubai Autodrome in Dubai and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi between January and February 2022 with additional pre-season testing.
“Visually, the halo makes the car look different but adding it isn’t just an upgrade, the car is completely new,” said Craig Thompson, promoter of F4UAE. “The changes have been made with driver safety as the most important aspect of the technical development of the cars and it’s a great opportunity for us and also our teams to get to grips with these changes in advance of the European season.
“We are grateful for the support of the FIA, the EMSO, Tatuus, Autotecnica Motori and our teams to be in a position to run the first competitive races with the second-generation T-421 F4 starting next season. This is also a huge step in solidifying the future success of F4UAE which we are very excited to welcome,” concluded Thompson.
Over the last five seasons, F4UAE has continued to build a strong developmental platform, by providing various benefits including more than 40 hours of track time each season, practice start sessions at test days to help new drivers learn to start races safely, media coaching workshops, opportunities to learn from race control officials to better understand the regulatory side of the sport; all aspects which hold young racers in good stead for future development up the racing ladder.
Governed by the Emirates Motorsport Orgainzation (EMSO), F4UAE was considered one of the most important additions to the UAE’s local motorsport calendar when it launched in 2016. Past champions include Enzo Trulli (ITA), Francesco Pizzi (ITA), Matteo Nannini (ITA), Charles Weerts (BEL), and Jonathan Aberdein (ZAF).
F4 is open to drivers aged 15 years and above and was initially created by the world’s governing body of motorsport, the FIA, to help young drivers bridge the gap between existing karting and regional racing series, to European competition and potentially Formula 1.
Utilising the Tatuus chassis from Italy with the Abarth Turbo engine for the UAE championship, the open-wheeler category allows new drivers extra seat time to become familiar with the unique purpose-built race cars, while teams are given the opportunity to test and refine their engineering and operations at international-standard circuits.
A complete F4UAE Championship calendar will be announced in the coming week, along with championship supplier information.