This weekend, the 13th to the 15th of April 2018, is the grand final of the second season of the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship (F4 SEA). F4 SEA is a race series which is certified by the FIA and will take place at the Sepang International Circuit, alongside the Blancpain GT race series. As you can see, the Sepang Circuit still has a lot of racing events lined up.
The FIA created Formula 4 as a stepping stone to bigger things. Formula 4 is the start of single seater racing and it teaches the basic knowledge that aspiring drivers need in order to compete in the next stage of motorsport, ultimately in F1, LMP1 and the GT1 series. Now, after F4, the next step for these drivers (if they qualify and have the potential) is the Formula 3 regional series and another step up in the ever expanding Asian motorsport ecosystem.
According to ex F1 driver Gerhardt Berger, he believes that F4 should be the entry format after karting when they go into motor racing. He is currently the FIA Formula Car Commission Chairman and he was responsible for the F4 format, which is now the FIA’s global junior driver development series. The predecessor of F4 was Formula BMW. This series ran from 2003-2010 and it developed many skilled racing drivers including 2016 FIA F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.
The F4 SEA is a 5-event Championship with 30 races with Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines holding these races. Each race weekend has 6-races where the drivers compete and just like the European and other global FIA F4 Championships, the Formula 4 SEA Champion wins 12 FIA Super Licence points. To date, the F4 SEA race series have enabled 47 young drivers graduate through the FIA F4 series in Asia. We should see a few more do that this year too.
The 2017-2018 series features 20 Drivers which from Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Belgium, Argentina, Japan, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Morocco, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Republic of South Africa and Chile. It builds experience and the skills of these drivers and it makes them learn whilst doing what they like. The F4 SEA series drivers race the same F4 car basically, with only minor adjustments being made to suit each driver. These are developed and maintained by Meritus GP
With race car experience in Asia over the last 20 or so years, MERITUS.GP continue their work today as the exclusive race-engineering services provider to F4 SEA, facilitating driver development in the region. As for what happens after F4, the first F4 SEA Driver Champion and Rookie Champion, Indonesian star Presley Martono, is now racing in the Formula Renault series and MRS where he has won races and finished vice champion.
Below is the current overall standing of all drivers in F4 SEA. This weekend we shall see who gets crowned the Driver Champion as well as the Rookie Champion. Right now, Kane Shepherd leads the rookie championship.
1) Daniel Cao 55 CHN MERITUS.GP
2) Kane Shepherd 3 THA MERITUS.GP
3) Ugo De Wilde 27 BEL MERITUS.GP
4) Nazim Azman 17 MYS MERITUS.GP
5) Ben Grimes 19 PHL MERITUS.GP
6) Adam Khalid 95 MYS MERITUS.GP
7) Eshan Pieris 30 LKA MERITUS.GP
8) Sam Grimes 33 PHL MERITUS.GP
9) Mitchell Cheah 29 MYS MERITUS.GP
10) Hibiki Taira 1 JPN MERITUS.GP
11) Shivin Sirinarinthon 9 THA MERITUS.GP
12) Nayan Chatterjee 72 IND MERITUS.GP
13) Luke Thompson 42 IRL MERITUS.GP
14) Danial Nielsen Frost 66 SGP MERITUS.GP
15) Aaron Love 78 AUS MERITUS.GP
16) Timothy Yeo 15 MYS MERITUS.GP
17) Cutter Sasakorn 45 THA MERITUS.GP
18) Perdana Putra Minang 88 IDN MERITUS.GP
19) Muizz Musyaffa 23 MYS MERITUS.GP
20) Benson Lin 16 TWN MERITUS.GP
21) Alister Yoong 22 MYS MERITUS.GP
22) Liam Lawrence 99 LKA MERITUS.GP
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