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F4 2024 Season recap: American championships

Writer's picture: Lorenzo BaerLorenzo Baer

Written by Lorenzo Baer, Edited by Madison Cooper


F4 Brazil took place at Interlagos this year.
Credit: F4 Brazil

BRB F4 Brazilian Championship


Despite being in only its third season in 2024, the Brazilian Formula 4 Championship has consolidated itself on the international scene of the category as the most stable and competitive F4 tournament in the Americas.


An interesting characteristic of the competition in Brazil is its very “national tone”, so to speak. While other F4 championships around the world have a dozen nationalities represented by its competitors, foreign drivers are quite rare in the Brazilian series. 


For example, during the 2024 edition, only two of the 18 drivers in the championship contention were not of Brazilian origin: Argentine Gino Trappa and American Alexander Jacoby.


Regarding the tupiniquim drivers, some deserve their mention. The first was Matheus Comparatto from Oakberry Bassani Racing.


Winner of the Brazilian F4 Rookie’s Championship in 2023 and runner-up in the overall standings in the same tournament, the driver was considered the clear favourite for the 2024 edition.


The cars lined up for the Brazilian F4 championship
Only three teams participated in the 2024 tournament: TMG Racing, Cavaleiro Sports and Oakberry Bassani Racing | Credit: Duda Bairros

Comparatto's main rival in the tournament predictions was Álvaro Cho. Another veteran of Brazilian F4, having competed in the 2023 edition (where he finished third overall), the TMG Racing driver's main ambition was to have a more solid campaign, which would finally bring him closer to the category title. 


The tournament had eight rounds, each consisting of three races, spread throughout March to December. Interlagos was the home for three of these weekends, while Velocittà and Autódromo Ayrton Senna hosted two rounds each.


The big news on the 2024 calendar was the introduction of an international round at the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez.


The race in Argentina would be the first international race in the history of Brazilian F4 and the first F4 transnational event in South America in five years (with the now-defunct F4 Sudamericana being the last instance in which this had happened). 


As soon as the flag was waved for the 2024 championship edition, it was clear that three drivers would monopolise the tournament.


Comparatto was the strong name in the tournament, assuming a prominent position in the first round of the year at Velocittà. Álvaro Cho had also started the tournament with a bang, taking a victory and a third place in the same round.


Another name that was not considered for the championship contention but that started to collect interesting results was Ethan Nobels from Cavaleiro Sports.


Having debuted in open-wheelers in 2024, Nobels snatched his first F4 victory in his second career start. An unprecedented feat in the Brazilian F4!


Despite these highlights, it is indisputable that the big name of the 2024 season was Matheus Comparatto.


Although not the most successful driver of the year (having collected only five victories throughout the season), the consistent results were enough for the driver to build his advantage in the championship lead slowly and, consequently, take home the 2024 BRB F4 Brazil trophy. 


In second place in the overall standings was Álvaro Cho. Despite his seven wins, the driver was 30 points behind Comparatto in the final result, a deficit that could be explained by Cho's absence in the second round of the year in Interlagos.


The driver did not attend the race for contractual reasons, and the points lost were certainly missed in the championship run. 


Matheus Comparatto won the Brazilian F4 title in 2024
Matheus Comparatto secured the 2024 Brazilian F4 title in the year's penultimate race, dispelling any hope from his closest pursuers | Credit: Luca Bassani

Rounding up the top three was Ethan Nobels, who, in addition to winning three races in his debut season, won the Brazilian F4 Rookie of the Year title. 


Another positive highlight of the tournament was the fourth-place finisher, Rafaela Ferreira. Good results throughout the year (including three victories, the first by a female driver in the competition) caught the attention of the Red Bull F1 team, which invited the Brazilian to participate in its 2025 F1 Academy project.


As has been the case since the tournament’s inaugural season, all drivers participating in the Brazilian F4 were equipped with Tatuus F4-T421 models, powered by 1.4L Abarth 414TF engines.



FIA F4 United States Championship


One of the most promising F4 championships on its debut almost nine years ago,  F4 United States narrowly escaped complete collapse at the end of the 2023 edition.


The announcement of the change from GEN1 to the GEN2 chassis for the 2024 season fell like a bomb in the paddocks, a twist that saw the category's costs soar.


This decision, which was taken forcibly by the tournament organisers to stay within the regulations expressed by the FIA, led to the progressive emptying of the F4 US grid for 2024.


Many drivers who hoped to compete in the tournament turned to more affordable alternatives, such as the Ligier JS F4 Series.


Therefore, despite the organisers' hopes of at least having a decent grid for the season, this prospect turned into disappointment right at the end of the registration period, when only ten drivers showed their interest in participating in the competition – and most of them, only in selected rounds. 


As if the regulation changes were not enough problems for the series’ organisers, another issue helped to tarnish the image of F4 US in 2024.


Planned to start in the second week of April, the tournament had its start postponed to May after Ligier (the supplier of the season’s official chassis) suffered from delays in the manufacturing and delivery of the machines. 


Thus, slowly and progressively, F4 US lost its appeal for 2024, and when the first stage of the championship was held at Road America, only seven drivers lined up on the grid for the race.


The F4 US championship took place with a new chassis
The switch from GEN1 to GEN2 chassis for the 2024 season was necessary due to the updated rules enforced by the FIA | Credit: F4 US

Despite so many issues, incredible as it may seem, the 2024 F4 US offered an interesting spectacle, with two drivers fighting for the season title until the final race.


Nicolas Stati, from Crosslink Kiwi, was the first name to stand out in his race for glory. The 15-year-old boy from the Australian Western Territory is already an F4 veteran, having participated in races in the category in his home country and stages of the discipline in the United Arab Emirates and South East Asia. 


The driver proved to be the strongest in the first half of the 2024 F4 US season, taking three wins, two second places and two third places in the races held at Road America, Mid-Ohio and New Jersey. 


However, right behind Stati was the second Aussie to show some promise in the tournament, Daniel Quimby. Far from the experience of his compatriot, Quimby had only competed in one F4 race until the start of the 2024 season, at the 2023 US F4 finale in Austin. 


Quimby would achieve excellent results throughout the 2024 US F4 season, taking five race wins (having as his great hallmark a sweeping weekend at the Canadian leg of the championship in Mosport) and propelling the Atlantic Racing Team driver to one of the favourites to win the tournament. 


Ultimately, the decision was left for the last race of the year at COTA. Nicolas Stati had 187 points in the championship lead, while Daniel Quimby was second, with 181.5. 


Although it seemed Stati had both hands on the trophy after the first race of the weekend, finishing second, compared to his direct rival's fifth, Quimby managed to execute a spectacular turnaround in the other two races in Austin, taking two second places, compared to a fifth and sixth for Stati. 


With a four-and-a-half point advantage, Daniel Quimby took home the 2024 F4 US trophy and, most importantly, an all-expenses-paid spot in the Formula Regional Americas in 2025.


Daniel Quimby celebrates the US F4 title
After an exciting battle against Nicolas Stati, Daniel Quimby became the 2024 F4 US champion | Credit: Daniel Quimby Racing

Despite all the drama surrounding the chassis change from 2023 to 2024, the new Ligier JS F422 models proved to be well-suited to the F4 US scene.


The 1.6-litre Ligier Storm engine, which underwent its first real test in the category, also performed very well, with few retirements recorded during the season.



NACAM F4 Championship


The only 2024 F4 championship not to have finished at the end of the year, the eighth edition of the NACAM (North and Central American) F4 continues its unique tradition of being the only inter-season championship in the Americas. 


Although the initial planning already included this possibility, the 2024 edition of the tournament almost didn't get off the ground.


As the championship is managed by a conglomerate of institutions, such as the FIA ​​affiliate in Mexico (known as ASN/OMDAI), the Mexican Federation of Competitive Motorsport (FEMADAC) and organisers linked to other top categories of Mexican motorsport, it is not surprising that clashes of opinion occur from time to time.


For example, the 2024/25 F4 NACAM was initially to have its first race in June; however, this was not possible, and the start of the tournament was later rescheduled for September; a further delay pushed the debut to October when the category finally got its kick-off. 


The championship is set to have seven weekends, each with three races. Since F4 NACAM is an FIA-sanctioned event, all races in the category must be held on circuits with a minimum Grade 3 rating, which greatly restricts the category's options in the region.


This explains why six of the seven rounds will be carried out in Mexico, and of these, five will be held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The other Mexican leg will be contested at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed, located in Puebla.


The big news for the 2024/25 tournament was the inclusion of the Autodromo de Panamá, a brand-new circuit in the Central American country. With two layout variations, the one used for the F4 event will measure 3.6 km.


Another new feature for the 2024/25 edition of the tournament is the replacement of the old Mygale M14-F4 GEN1 chassis, used since the first edition of the F4 NACAM, by the Tatuus F4-T421 models.


Once again, this was in line with the new safety standards stipulated by the FIA. The power units also changed, with the old 1.6L Ford EcoBoost giving way to the more efficient 1.4-litre Abarth 414TF.


José Carlos Hernandez won the NACAM F4 title
José Carlos Hernandez had been the strong name of F4 NACAM in the first half of the season, his results catching the attention of several teams | Credit: F4 NACAM

Due to the unpredictability before the start of the tournament, a great chunk of the most promising Mexican and Latin-American drivers opted to skip the tournament, focusing on other motorsport disciplines.


So, it was up to some less expressive names to build the roster for the 2024/25 championship edition. 


Therefore, there is an excellent mix of drivers with minimal experience, such as Alex Franco from RRK Motorsports and Max Mora from RAM Racing, and others with more consolidated careers, such as Helio Meza and Horia-Traian Chirigut.


However, the name that stood out at the beginning of this championship was that of Mexican José Carlos Hernández, who, in eight races contested until the end of December, won five and finished second in the other three.


The Alessandros Racing driver is a familiar figure in F4 NACAM, having competed in the 2023 season finale. 


Hernandez's teammate at Alessandros Racing, Helio Meza, has proven to be the driver's biggest challenger, firmly holding second place in the overall standings.


Two victories in the Puebla round helped Meza's aspirations in the championship, but he still sees his opponent distant in the standings.



* At the time of publishing, only three of the seven rounds of the 2024/25 F4 NACAM have been contested. After the end of the tournament, this report will be updated, reflecting the final championship results.


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