The UAE4 Series, formerly Formula 4 UAE Championship and F4 Middle East Championship is a Formula 4 racing series. It was launched by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, and its national affiliate the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who acted as the championship's promoter. The series was governed by the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) and promoted by AUH Motorsports.
History
In 2013, the FIA Single seat commission announced their intention to introduce a new category of single seat racing in order to bridge the gap between karting and Formula 3.
Throughout the following two years, the ATCUAE has worked to develop a Formula 4 championship for the UAE, which will be the first in the Middle East and North African region. One of the first steps taken was to appoint Dubai based AUH Motorsports to manage the championship, based on their experience and expertise in having run the regional Radical Sportscars series for several years.
In February 2016, the Formula 4 UAE Championship was launched in spectacular fashion in front of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, with the public unveiling of the car undertaken by HH Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chairman of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the ATCUAE.
Following the launch in February 2016, the car was given its first test around the Dubai Autodrome, driven by Dubai-born Indy Lights driver Ed Jones.
The championship was renamed by its promoters (Top Speed China) as F4 Middle East Championship in 2025 amidst the long-term expansion to the other countries of the Middle East region. In 2026, the championship has lost its FIA-certification and was renamed again as UAE4 Series.
Format
The inaugural 2016–17 championship featured eighteen races over six weekends, four of which were held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, with the remaining two at the Dubai Autodrome. From 2019 to 2022, the championship featured twenty races over five rounds. The race weekends consist of two qualifying sessions determining grids for Race 1 and 3. Starting grids of Race 2 are set by the second fastest lap during Qualifying 1 and grids of Race 4 are with the top eight drivers having their positions reversed from Race 3 results.
A new three-race format was adopted since the 2023 season. The two qualifying sessions determine grids for Race 1 and 3. The grid for race two is set by reversing the top 10 from race one's results.
Car The championship features Tatuus designed and built cars. The cars are constructed out of carbon fibre and feature a monocoque chassis.
From 2016–17 season to 2021 the series used F4-T014 model and 1.4 turbo Abarth engine. The same combination of the chassis and the engine was used in the Italian F4 Championship, F4 Spanish Championship, ADAC Formula 4 and SMP F4 Championship.
In the 2022 season, the series was the host for the global debut of the new second-generation Tatuus F4-T421.
Champions Drivers SeasonDriverTeamRacesPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapPointsMargins Formula 4 UAE Championship 2016–17 Jonathan Aberdein Team Motopark 18 10 14 16 12 368 107 2017–18 Charles Weerts Dragon Motopark F4 23 3 8 16 9 377 52 2019 Matteo Nannini Xcel Motorsport 20 6 7 16 7 363 68 2020 Francesco Pizzi Xcel Motorsport 20 3 8 10 5 300 26 2021 Enzo Trulli Cram Durango 20 0 4 13 5 319 12022 Charlie Wurz Prema Racing2032102255452023 James Wharton Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 15 4 4 11 5 232 202024 Freddie Slater Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited1502641724 F4 Middle East Championship2025 Emanuele Olivieri R-ace GP155613933958 UAE4 Series2026 Oleksandr Bondarev Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited1224741918
Teams SeasonTeamDriversPolesWinsPodiumsFastest lapPointsMargins Formula 4 UAE Championship 2016–17 Team Motopark 2 10 14 31 18 629 390 2017–18 Dragon Motopark F4 3 3 9 19 10 580 19 2019 Xcel Motorsport 5 8 11 30 11 632 171 2020 Xcel Motorsport 6 3 11 32 9 595 182 2021 Xcel Motorsport 9 14 11 34 12617255 2022 Prema Racing 3 8 10 22 9 550 1652023 Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited 3 2 8 21 7 444 2212024 Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited435188340102 F4 Middle East Championship2025 R-ace GP4911228602117 UAE4 Series2026 R-ace GP55413630140
Rookie SeasonDriverTeam Formula 4 UAE Championship 2016–17 Logan Sargeant Team Motopark 2017–18 David Schumacher Rasgaira Motorsports 2019 Matteo Nannini Xcel Motorsport 2020 Francesco Pizzi Xcel Motorsport 2021 Enzo Trulli Cram Durango2022 Rafael Câmara Prema Racing2023 Tuukka Taponen Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited2024 Kean Nakamura-Berta Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited F4 Middle East Championship2025 Salim Hanna Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited UAE4 Series2026 Kenzo Craigie R-ace GP
Formula Trophy
The Formula Trophy (formerly Formula Trophy UAE) is a racing series made up of an extended version of the F4 UAE's trophy round. Instead of a single round, the series is composed of two rounds at the Yas Marina Circuit and one round at the Dubai Autodrome.
The inaugural season was held in 2024. It was won by Kai Daryanani, who drove for Evans GP. Mumbai Falcons' Alp Aksoy succeeded him in 2025.
Circuits of Formula 4 UAE Championship / F4 Middle East Championship / UAE4 Series Bold denotes a circuit used in the 2026 season.
NumberCircuitsRoundsYears1 Yas Marina Circuit212016–present2 Dubai Autodrome202016–present3 Kuwait Motor Town22023 Lusail International Circuit22025–present
Circuits of Formula Trophy UAE (2024–present)
NumberCircuitsRoundsYears1 Yas Marina Circuit42024–20252 Dubai Autodrome22024–2025
Notes
References
External links Official website ATCUAE website
Emirates Motorsports Organization website