2025 is set to be a record-breaking season for junior FIA motor sport, with FIA-certified single-seater categories Formula 4 and Formula Regional shaping up to boast bigger grids and closer competition than ever before.

The quality progressing through the pathway is especially evident on the eve of the 2025 FIA Formula 1 season, with no fewer than four out of the five rookies joining the grid this year having both F4 and FR experience. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Gabriele Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson (who will complete his first full season this year) are all graduates of the FIA’s junior categories.

Formula 4 Championships – Certified by FIA, have been the entry point from karting into car racing for more than a decade, and in 2025 no fewer than 13 FIA-certified F4 championships will take place across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

The F4 regulations allow for a plethora of different suppliers and manufacturers to build chassis and engines, keeping costs down and production more localised, with chassis from Ligier, Mygale, Tatuus, and Toray, engines from Alpine, Autotecnica, Ligier and TOM’s and tyres from Dunlop, Giti, Hankook, MKF, Pirelli and Sailun all racing in various combinations around the world.

FIA-specification Formula 4 cars are the perfect balance of performance and drivability, designed for racers in a crucial transitional phase of their careers, and it is the first place where talent scouts can get sight of who might be a champion of the future. One quarter of the current drivers on the Formula 1 grid are former FIA F4 Champions.

From F4, a more recent addition to the single-seater pathway slots in between Formula 4 and the international FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 Championships – Formula Regional Championships – Certified by FIA.

With a step up in performance and complexity, the Formula Regional concept still retains a heavy focus on cost-control similar to that in Formula 4. There are five FR championships taking place this year with a variety of different suppliers again allowing organisers to tailor the category to their own racing ecosystem.

Chassis from Dome, Tatuus and Ligier are used in various combinations with engines from Alpine, Autotecnica, Mountune and Toyota, and tyres supplied by Dunlop, Giti, Hankook and Pirelli.

The pathway from grassroots to world championship level has been crafted over many years by the FIA, and work remains ongoing to develop and refine it from FIA Karting all the way through to the FIA Formula One World Championship. The recent announcement of the FIA’s Global Karting Plan sets out the new era at the base of the single-seater pyramid, and from there the latest innovations in safety and performance are constantly being cascaded from Formula 1 to the junior FIA categories.

"I'm happy to welcome a new season in which five Formula Regional championships and thirteen Formula 4 championships will be held worldwide,” said FIA Single-Seater Commission President Emanuele Pirro.

“This year again, there will be exceptional opportunities for young drivers to showcase their talent in intense races. The Formula 4 and Formula Regional championships are essential stepping stones for drivers to advance in their careers and make their mark in the top tiers of motor sport.

“The collaboration between the FIA, the ASNs, and the promoters aims to offer increasingly competitive grids and an ideal environment for the development of young talents. There is no better place for talented and determined drivers to have such a true breeding ground of competition, technical skills, and teamwork, and where every race is an opportunity to push their limits.

“Every race, every turn, every overtake in these categories brings junior drivers closer to excellence. I would like to wish all participants the best and I look forward to seeing tough competition respecting each other and, above all, the regulations."

To find out more about how to get involved in motor sport, contact your local ASN.