F4 Indian Championship: is it worth the €100k+ price tag?

Formula 4 is the first step of the ladder for young drivers to move from karting to open-wheel formula racing. With the high cost of participating in European F4 championships, it can be challenging for budding drivers from India and neighbouring countries to secure funds and/or sponsorships to participate even for a round, let alone a full racing season. Keeping this in mind, RPPL’s chairman and MD, Akhilesh Reddy, mentioned on the IRL podcast that bringing the F4 championship to India and providing an opportunity for the youngsters to compete locally would help with reducing the cost of participation as well as logistical costs. 

Dutch title-winning single-seater team MP Motorsport signed a multi-year deal earlier in June with RPPL to become the exclusive Technical Partner for the championship. All 12 cars on the grid that MP Motorsport will run are going to be the halo-equipped second-generation Mygale F4 car with a 4-cylinder engine, FIA homologated carbon monocoque, single-element front wing, and the new SADEV gearbox with improved gear profiles. This championship will become the first Asian championship to use halo-equipped cars to keep the drivers safe on the track.

Alongside the 12 FIA Super License points, the winner of the championship will be the recipient of a €100,000 scholarship channelled towards their 2024 season campaigns.

With fifteen races (5 rounds) across four cities, the championship is scheduled to race alongside the Indian Racing League. Another fascinating part of the championship, India’s first-night race street circuit, the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, is making its debut as well! Once the season starts, viewers at home can also witness the budding stars with live broadcasting of the races on TV and YouTube. 

Take aside the frills of everything mentioned above. Is it really worth the €100,000+ price tag?

To put things in perspective, according to a motorsport.com insider, a teenager spent upwards of €750,000 to (presumably) race two International seasons of F4, which leaves us with a figure of €375,000 or more per season in the EU/UK. This may or may not include the price of stay, relocation, and other ad hoc costs that one may incur by not being a UK/EU resident. For the sake of calculation (and for the sake of motorsport), we hope it’s included.

The F4IC presents a €115,000 starting price, excluding taxes. Additionally, it’s recommended that drivers do test days, which can range between € 5,000 - 6,000 per day; the bill comes to roughly €145,000, assuming one would test 5 days. For International drivers, the cost of racing must include extended stay, logistics, and moving costs, which shoots the bill by around €4,000 for a month and a half as it’s a winter championship. Your current total is €149,000 pre-insurance and taxes. Add in the need for a few pairs of tires and insurance, which might be roughly €10,000, and the racing can begin at €160,000+taxes, all in.

What you get for your money’s worth:

• Global racing exposure since the championship is NOT meant to be “All Indian”

• 12 FIA super license points

• €100,000 scholarship to the champion

• Operated with globally accepted norms, so switching championships is not a hassle.

For the average Indian market, we would say it is a steep price for motorsport. But for drivers committed to the sport and pursuing it, it is a good price to pay for a start.

If you're interested in a drive, contact the official grid partner of the Indian F4 at [email protected]

Well, that’s for racers. What about engineers/engineering students and volunteers?

United Motorsport Academy, Asia’s first Technical Motorsport Academy — founded by Shubham Sangodkar and Omkar Rane, former F1 and GT3 engineers — is set to host India’s first race engineering program for engineering students to gain experience in race engineering. Called Launchpad for Indian Motorsport Engineers, LIME is an intense 4-day workshop that will be held in Mumbai and Chennai in October. Registration for this program is now open, but it is limited! Find the application of the United Motorsport Academy’s website.

Partnering with the F4 championship, 24 students from this program will be selected to intern with race engineers and mechanics for the entire season. Out of these 24 students, four will get the opportunity to be hired in the IRL and F4 championships for the 2024 season. 

Additionally, United Motorsport Academy is also going to be launching accelerator programs for motorsport engineering, race car design, aerodynamics, as well as performance engineering later in 2024. This program would allow the student to attend 3-month online courses by industry experts and get a month and a half of hands-on experience, giving them the skills they need to succeed in their careers. Currently, the pilot of this program is aimed at incoming Master’s students to build their portfolios, but co-founder Shubham hopes to expand the student base in the future as the motorsport ecosystem in India grows and gains more steam.