The second edition of the Formula 4 Indian championship, along with the Indian Racing League, will kick off at the Madras International Circuit on Saturday. The two racing series are part of the Indian Racing Festival, organised by Racing Promotions Private Limited.
The F4 Indian championship is an FIA-approved single-seater racing series that offers super license points for the eventual champion.
While India has had two F1 drivers and a few others who have gone up to F2, including Kush Maini, currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 championship, the road to the pinnacle of motorsport is hard for racers from the subcontinent.
The F4 Indian championship aims to bridge the gap by providing Indian racers a pathway to ascend the motorsport ladder while making it affordable compared to similar championships abroad.
Ruhaan Alva
India’s Ruhaan Alva, a former national karting champion, and Abhay Mohan, who won the MRF 1600 national championship on Sunday, are two such racers who will look to make full use of the opportunity when they compete in the 2024 F4 Indian championship.
“It is essential for the Indian motorsport ladder. It was extremely competitive last year with foreign participation and helped develop the drivers,” said Ruhaan about the F4 championship.
“For all the young and upcoming racers, there is a championship that you can move up from karting without having to move to Europe and spending huge amounts of money to come up the ranks,” he added.
“Having a championship in India gives racers a good prep year or even a good year depending on the grid before they move out to Europe,” explained Ruhaan.
Fresh from his first championship, Abhay Mohan echoed similar views on the cost aspects, saying, “It is an excellent opportunity for Indian racers. It is within our budget and saves us a lot of money for travel to Europe, apart from the cost of racing itself.”
