The FIA World Motorsport Council has formally announced that the second generation of its homologated Formula 4 cars, complete with halo, will be introduced in 2021.
FIA F4 was first introduced in Italy in 2014, and the formula has since been picked up by championships based in 17 different countries and five continents.
March’s FIA WMSC statement announcing the new car read: “The second generation Formula 4 car, incorporating the halo safety device, will become available from the start of the 2021 season.
“All F4 championships are granted a transition period to use the current F4 car until the end of 2023, with the technical and homologation regulations for the first and second generation F4 car remaining valid in parallel. This completes the introduction of the halo through the entire FIA Single Seater Pyramid.”
Plans for the second generation of car were revealed to Formula Scout early in 2019, with teams from several countries initially hostile to the idea due to an expected hike in equipment and running costs that would force smaller teams out of competition.
Last year the first halo-shod F4 car, which also had hybrid power, was raced in the inaugural FIA Motorsport Games’ F4 Cup. It was designed by Hong Kong-based racing team KCMG, and the 20 cars were centrally ran by leading Formula 3 team Hitech GP.
British F4 will also be running a hybrid evaluation programme this year, with a demonstration car running a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ford EcoBoost engine and a 48v mild-hybrid system on track ahead of a potential hybrid move for the series “in the not so distant future”.