Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
The Ligier Junior Formula Championship in the USA will be open to first and second-generation Formula 4 cars next year.
Launched in 2022 as Formula Development, the sister series to United States F4 was initially aimed at 14-year-olds.
It used the same Ligier-branded Crawford F4-16 car as US F4, which had a minimum age of 15, but usually only attracted one entrant: Jay Howard Driver Development’s Eric Wisniewski.
For 2024, drivers of older ages were able to compete and a substantial growth in grid sizes accompanied a rebranding to the Ligier JS F4 Series to reflect the generation of car used as US F4 switched to its successor. Its grid sizes often outnumbered US F4’s, and for their final round at Circuit of the Americas the two series combined.
There was another name change for 2025, and healthy grid sizes continued to be attracted.
The halo-shod Ligier JS F422 car will be introduced next year in modified form to bring it closer to its predecessor’s performance level, but regardless the championship will have two distinct classes each with a scholarship prize for the champion.
The electronic control unit will add less horsepower compared to the one used in US F4, the rear wing endplates will be different and muffler will make the car quieter. These are parts that can easily be changed, encouraging teams and privateers to purchase the newer car and take drivers from Ligier JFC to US F4 once they turn 15 years old.
“For this new application, we’ve done extensive testing, both on the chassis dyno and on the track, to ensure a reliable product, and everything has performed perfectly,” said Mo Murray, CEO of Ligier Automotive North America.
Ligier JFC’s Gen2 and Gen1 champions will get a one-year lease from the manufacturer of a Ligier JS F422 chassis and Ligier Storm Engine to be used in US F4 the following year, and tyres for race weekends from Hankook.
If the Gen2 champion owned the car they drove to the title, they will “receive the equivalent value of the lease in a Ligier parts credit for US F4 the following season, as well as the required upgrade parts”.
“I applaud Ligier for the thoughtful engineering behind detuning the JS F422 to ensure it competes on equal footing with the Gen1 car,” said US F4 and Ligier JFC race director Scott Goodyear.
The 2026 calendar for both championships was announced last month.