The FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship powered by Abarth has released its official racing calendar for 2017/18, with more races and track time confirmed across a condensed six-round Championship.

With four 30-minute races at every event during the upcoming season – which equates to 40 minutes of additional competitive racing at each round compared to last season – the 2017/18 Championship will begin in mid-December at Yas Marina Circuit and run through until March 2018, along with additional pre-season test days that will be confirmed in the coming months.

With a total 24 races across the season, four rounds will be run at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi – the Home of F4UAE – while two will be run on the international circuit configuration at the Dubai Autodrome.

However, one of the biggest developments for what is the second season of F4UAE features three events that will be held back-to-back early in 2018, which is aimed to be a cost-effective and time efficient solution for international teams.

“The intention was to compress the calendar this season, in order to fit nicely between the European racing seasons and also included back-to-back rounds to help our overseas teams make the most of their travel arrangements,” said championship promoter, Carl Rolaston, AUH Motorsports.

“We are very excited for the 2017/18 Formula 4 UAE Championship season to start, especially after the great feedback we received from both local and European teams from our inaugural championship last year. We’re delighted to return to both the Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit for our second season as both circuits offer perfect conditions and facilities for young racing talent to improve their craft. We cannot wait to welcome everyone on the grid soon.”

Governed by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and again promoted by AUH Motorsports, F4UAE was considered one of the most important additions to the UAE’s local motorsport calendar last year and was the first of its kind in the MENA region for developing young driver talent.

Eight of last season’s F4UAE drivers are currently making a name for themselves in European F4 racing including championship winner Jonathan Aberdein (Team Motopark) who is currently competing in the ADAC Formel 4 Championship – the equivalent F4 category in Germany – while Australian Oscar Piastri (who ran with Dubai-based Dragon Racing last year) and F4UAE’s reigning Rookie of the Year, Logan Sargeant (who ran with Team Motopark last year) are sitting second and third respectively in the British F4 Championship.

Open to drivers aged 15 years and above, F4 was created by the world’s governing body of motorsport, the FIA, to help young drivers bridge the gap between existing regional racing series and karting, to European competition and potentially Formula 1®.

Utilising the Tatuus chassis from Italy with the Abarth Turbo engine, the open-wheeler category allows new drivers extra seat time to become familiar with the unique purpose-built race cars, while teams are given the opportunity to test and refine their engineering and operations at international-standard circuits.

In 2017/18, F4UAE welcomes entries from locally based motorsport operations such as Energy Dubai F4 Racing Team, Dragon Racing and Rasgaira Motorsports, while confirmed international teams include reigning champions Team Motopark, the recently announced Mücke Motorsport from Germany, plus other entries that will be officially unveiled in the coming weeks.

2017/18 F4UAE Championship Calendar
Round 1: December 15-16, 2017 at Yas Marina Circuit
Round 2: January 19-20, 2017 at Yas Marina Circuit
Round 3: January 26-27, 2018 at Dubai Autodrome
Round 4: February 2-3, 2018 at Yas Marina Circuit
Round 5: February 23-24, 2018 at Yas Marina Circuit
Round 6: March 2-3, 2018 at Dubai Autodrome