Formula 4 South East Asia has confirmed its upcoming season will cross two calendar years, as the championship’s calendar originally did when first ran in 2016.
The fifth season of the series was supposed to run across 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic wrecked those plans fairly on in the year.
As the lockdown phase eased, a plan was drawn up to run the series as a single-venue championship at former Malaysian Grand Prix venue Sepang through the final four months of the year
Malaysia’s Movement Control Order, scheduled to end in its current format on August 31, meant the season could start no earlier than September due to mass gatherings being banned and travel into the country for foreigners being heavily restricted.
Pending a government decision to end the MCO as planned, then F4 SEA will be able to fill its grid with international drivers.
The new calendar will grow back to the usual format of 40 races over 10 rounds, with a likely start date in November, and with the easing of restrictions of Malaysians exiting their home country is also paves way for races to be run at the Buriram circuit in Thailand in early 2021.
F4 SEA held a seven-race round at Buriram in 2017 during its inaugural season, then two six-race fixtures there in 2018. Last year it was visited twice in one season for the first time, and along with India’s Madras track is the series other regular circuit alongside Sepang.
Reigning F4 SEA champion Lucca Allen plans to move up to Super Formula Lights, but will miss this weekend’s season opener due to travel restrictions, while 2019 title runner-up Elias Seppanen has switched to ADAC F4.