British F4’s appearance on British GP support bill set for international flavour

Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers says British Formula 4’s non-championship races on the British Grand Prix support bill will be “an international festival of F4” with teams reporting huge interest.

Two 25-minute contests will be held at Silverstone in July as F1, F2, F3 and F4 will all appear at the same event for the first time.

Being part of such a high-profile fixture has been a target of Motorsport UK since it took over promotion of British F4 for 2022.

Although the event will be badged as British F4, and only teams already registered for the British championship will be able to run cars, an influx of European F4 racers is expected.

A grid of between 30 and 36 drivers is possible with British F4’s traditional limit on teams running four cars set to be relaxed to enable them to run six.

“There’s been discussion over the years about an F4 World Cup and other regional events and I think the FIA want to keep their powder dry – and, if I was them, I would do so as well,” said Chambers, referencing plans to run an F4 World Cup in Macau this year.

“Therefore for us to be categorised as British F4 championship is entirely appropriate. Now, it will have a field of international drivers and it’s on an international grand prix weekend so I think it will be a festival of international F4 but it just doesn’t have maybe the nomenclature.”

Chambers says the fact the British GP event will be celebrating 75 years since the inaugural Formula 1 world championship grand prix at Silverstone will make it “magical”.

“Being on the TOCA package has proven to be very successful for us and we’ve all been to race meetings where the grandstands are empty and it’s a great competition on the track but you don’t have the buzz,” said Chambers.

“The great thing about the touring car weekends is you’ve got that buzz. And the only thing bigger than that is the grand prix!”

Virtuosi is one of the regular British F4 teams that has seats available, having only run sophomore Martin Molnar in the main championship so far this year, and has received plenty of interest.

“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” said team manager Mark Salmon. “We’re getting drivers coming from Italy and other championships wanting to do it.

“We’re in a position where we can choose which drivers we want to take.

“It’s [appearing on the GP support bill] something I’ve been pushing for myself since we started in this championship back in 2021, but we know it comes at a very high cost and it’s a hard circus to get into.

Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“The fact they’ve been able to do it, even if for only one year, is a great opportunity for the teams and drivers to showcase themselves in front of F1 teams.

“All the young mechanics are excited and the drivers can’t believe it.”

Salmon added that Virtuosi has already signed a driver for the preceding Thruxton round in addition to Silverstone and believes the British GP support bill slot could open European drivers’ eyes to the British series.

“The engine equalisation makes it a level playing field,” he said, with Chambers adding that “all of our teams are out there winning, they’re all out there on the podium”, unlike in some F4 championships.

While Chambers would like the British GP slot to become a regular feature of the calendar, he admits such a situation is unlikely.

“It’s definitely not our birth right to be able to say that now we’re here we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

“Maybe it’s not every year but maybe every other year, we might be in that position.”