The GB4 Championship is a single seater motorsport series based in the United Kingdom. The championship is operated by MotorSport Vision with support from the BRDC, and is aimed at young drivers graduating from karting or club level motorsport such as Formula Ford. The championship was announced in September 2021 and the first season started at Snetterton in April 2022.[1][2]
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Inaugural season | 2022 |
| Constructors | Tatuus |
| Engine suppliers | Abarth |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Drivers' champion |  Linus Granfors |
| Official website | www |
 Current season | |
History
editThe championship was launched in September 2021, and was designed to be a low-cost alternative to Formula 4 championships. .[3]
The first round of the inaugural season took place at Snetterton Circuit on 2 April 2022, with the first winner being Nikolas Taylor driving for Fortec Motorsports.[4]
Car
editFrom 2022 to 2024, the GB4 Championship used the Tatuus F4-T014 car previously used by the Italian, ADAC, Spanish and other F4 championships across Europe.[5]
The engine is an Abarth-branded, turbocharged Autotecnica Motori 1.4L FTJ I4 and produces 160hp. It features a sequential six-speed gearbox developed by Sadev and Magneti Marelli electronics.[6]
Starting in 2025, the series will introduce the Tatuus MSV GB4-025, a modified version of the Tatuus MSV-022, used by the GB3 Championship from 2022 to 2024.[7] The new chassis will feature a Mountune 2.0L engine.[7]
Costs
editCosts of running in the initial years of the championship were significantly lower than Formula 4 due to the use of the older Tatuus F4-T014, which could be purchased second hand (as in many cases it was no longer eligible for use in Formula 4). As the GB3 Championship usually runs at the same event weekends and uses a modified version of the same car, many spare parts can be shared if a team runs in both categories.
The organiser states that privateer teams can run in the championship for approximately £60,000, and fully professional teams for around £150,000[8]
A prize to the value of £50,000 was offered to the 2024 champion if the champion subsequently chooses to compete in either the British F4 championship, or GB3, in 2025.[9]
Female competitors
editOne distinctive feature of the GB4 championship is the relatively high number, and competitiveness, of female drivers. In 2024, four of the 21 competitors were women. Alisha Palmowski finished second in the 2024 championship, and received a £30,000 prize to be used to help fund entry into the F1 Academy series in 2025[9].
Points system
editPoints are awarded to the top 20 classified finishers in races one and two, with the third race awarding points to only the top 15. Race three, which has its grid formed by reversing the qualifying order, awards extra points for positions gained from the drivers' respective starting positions.
| Races | Position, points per race | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th | 16th | 17th | 18th | 19th | 20th | |
| Races 1 & 2 | 35 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Race 3 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||
Champions
edit| Season | Driver | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |  Nikolas Taylor
|
Fortec Motorsports | 9 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 546 | Race 24 of 24 | 50 |
| 2023 | Tom Mills
|
KMR Sport | 10 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 505 | Race 21 of 24 | 111 |
| 2024 | Linus Granfors
|
KMR Sport | 3 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 467 | Race 20 of 21 | 45 |
Circuits
edit| Countries, Circuits | Years | Total visits |
|---|---|---|
| Snetterton
|
2022-2024 | 4 |
| Oulton Park
|
2022-2024 | 3 |
| Silverstone
|
2022-2024 | 3 |
| Donington Park
|
2022-2024 | 3 |
| Brands Hatch
|
2022-2024 | 3 |
References
edit- ^ Mackley, Stefan (7 September 2021). "New entry-level GB4 Championship to be launched in 2022". Autosport.
- ^ "2022 GB4 Championship Championship Schedule/Calendar". Motorsport.com.
- ^ Wood, Ida (17 January 2022). "Rossoverde Racing aiming for single-seater return in GB4". Formula Scout.
- ^ Taylor, Lauren (6 April 2022). "Nikolas Taylor wins season opening GB4 race at Snetterton". The Checkered Flag.
- ^ Callander, Michael (7 September 2021). "MSV announce GB4 Championship to run alongside GB3 from 2022". The Checkered Flag.
- ^ "GB4 Car". GB4 Championship. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ a b Whitfield, Steve (19 June 2024). "GB4 announces switch to current GB3 car from next year onwards". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Event Format and Costs". GB4 Championship. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Prizes". www.gb-4.net. Retrieved 10 October 2024.