Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography

This is the second year of the Formula 4 United States Championship’s transition to the new generation of F4 cars, and after having to delay the start of the season last year, the series will hit the ground running with a return to NOLA Motorsports Park after a one-year hiatus to kick off their season this year.

F4 US in this current stage is still a series with relatively low car counts but it has been able to historically produce some great talent. The 2023 series champion Patrick Woods-Toth went up to Formula Regional Americas and won the title as a rookie in 2024, so it will be fascinating to see what reigning champion Daniel Quimby does given the same opportunity.

In a rarity for junior series racing of any form, there is a grand total of zero returning full-time drivers to Formula 4 United States in 2025. All full-time drivers from the series last year, regardless of their finishing position moved up to Formula Regional Americas. This guarantees a new champion in 2025. The only driver who ran a race in 2024 in the series at all is MLT Motorsports’ Alex Popow, who is one of the main championship contenders in 2025.

The winner of this year’s championship will receive a scholarship to help cover the costs and equipment if they themselves move up to FR Americas. And with nobody returning to the series for 2025, this championship is as wide-open as it has ever been.

Additionally, new teams have joined such as RASE Motorsports, who have made the rare jump from sprint cars to open-wheel action. Crosslink Kiwi Motorsports, the pre-eminent powerhouse in the series for the past few seasons, have separated into two teams as Crosslink Motorsports and Kiwi Motorsport have ended their partnership.

The schedule also has some significant changes, with the Circuit of the Americas going away from the calendar in place of Virginia International Raceway and Barber Motorsports Park. A full breakdown of the schedule can be found at the bottom of the preview.

The F4 US field:

MLT Motorsports got a fantastic pickup for 2025 with Alex Popow, a driver who has continuously not had the budget but has won nearly everything he has stepped in throughout his racing career. He’s the 2023 Formula Inter champion and additionally competed in three races at the end of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in F4 US, winning two of them. Popow is an exciting young driver who is rapid and it will be fascinating to see how much his form can translate if he is given a shot over a full season.

Another driver in the title fight will certainly be Crosslink’s Kekai Haunaio, who moved up to the series after finishing second place in 2024. Hauanio came up just short in the title race by 51.5 points after finishing the season with four wins and nine podiums. He’ll be running near the front after having such a strong season at the level below and after a year out of F4 US, should be back in the series and better than ever. Watch out for him at Mid-Ohio, where he picked up two wins and a second-place finish in 2024.

Kiwi’s roster will be strong as well with Cooper Shipman, an accomplished karter who finished second in the KA Senior class of the United States Pro Kart Series in 2024 hopping up to join the team. Shipman doesn’t just bring his fantastic experience in a kart but also competed in open-wheel racing where he finished fifth in the F1600 class of Formula Race Promotions in 2024.

Another driver with immense karting experience is Chilean national champion Clemente Huerta, who will be suiting up for Kiwi as well. If you wanted to pick out a dark horse candidate to make a run for the title, Huerta would be a solid pick in his first season racing in the United States. If he puts together a full campaign in F4 US, he should be one to watch as one of the more accomplished karters to come out of South America in recent years.

As for the rest of the field, Indiana-based karter Ty Arbogast will move to the series with the backing of RASE Motorsports. Caleb Campbell, the sixth-place finisher in the Skip Barber Race Series, is going to head up to drive for LC Racing Academy. Demitri Nolan will move up from Ligier JFC to F4 US with Crosslink, where he finished tenth last season in the standings. Finally, Irishman Conor Grant will race this weekend for Scuderia Buell after competing in one round of Ligier JFC last season, where he had a best finish of sixth.

Calendar:

All races will be streamed on the SpeedTour TV YouTube channel, with select races also being televised throughout the season on SPEED SPORT 1.

Races 1-3: NOLA Motorsports Park – 3/29, 3/30

Races 4-6: Road America – 5/15-5/18

Races 7-8: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – 6/19-6/22

Races 9-11: New Jersey Motorsports Park – 7/31-8/3

Races 12-14: Canadian Tire Motorsports Park – 8/28-8/31

Races 15-16: Virginia International Raceway – 9/18-9/21

Races 17-18: Barber Motorsports Park – 10/17-10/19