The F4 British Championship certified by FIA – powered by Ford EcoBoost have announced a number of format changes ahead of the 2021 season.
While the 30-race calendar remains unchanged, it’s the weekend format that now changes. As of 2021, the second reverse grid race will be a reverse of the entire qualifying times. For example, the fastest driver in qualifying will start at the back of the grid in race two, and so on and so forth.
The qualifying times will still determine the race one grid order, and the second fastest times of each driver will set the race three grid.
The points for the reverse grid race two will now also have a different points system, with points being awarded down to eighth on a sliding scale (15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1).
The original points system used last season will still be implemented in races one and three (25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1), which is also a universal points system used in most FIA championships globally.
In addition to these changes, an extra point will now be awarded in all three races for fastest lap, giving all drivers the incentive to push on at all times.
Championship promoter Sam Roach believes that these new format changes will only increase the spectacle and provide even better racing as we approach a new exciting campaign in British F4 racing.
“I’m pleased to unveil a number of changes to our event format for the 2021 season. Our regulations have remained stable for over half a decade now, which is a real testament to how well the format has been received and – more importantly – worked in practice.
“However, we feel the time is right to shake things up a little bit for 2021, incorporating feedback from our teams, and I’m confident the changes will only add to the fantastic on- track action we’ve become globally renowned for at this level.” said Roach.
“The changes to the reverse grid race give drivers at both ends of the grid a real opportunity to hone their race craft, practice attacking and defending and really put in a shift to bring home the results they need, wherever in the standings they may be. “As the first step on the FIA Single Seater ladder, driver development is one of our key objectives and these initiatives tick all the boxes to help that process.
“Generally speaking, grid numbers are looking really positive, both announced publicly and still in the pipeline, and it’s full steam ahead for our team now as we prepare for our season opener in April.”
