The FIA Global Pathway from Karting to Formula One is a program developed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the international sanctioning body for motorsports that is designed to assist racing drivers progress from karting to Formula One . The program was first developed in 2014 with the creation of the Formula 4 category, and follows a tiered structure, with drivers racing in increasingly-powerful cars. The Global Pathway represents the consolidation of feeder series to create a more linear approach to progressing into Formula One.
14-538: Formula 4 is the first stage of the Global Pathway, for drivers fifteen years of age and older. Formula 4 is structured as a "national" championship, with each series contained within a single geographical area. Despite the "national" classification, Formula 4 championships may encompass several countries. Each Formula 4 championship uses chassis and engines built to a single specification so that drivers can compete in multiple championships without having to adjust to
28-832: A different car. The second stage of the Global Pathway is Formula Regional, previously known as Regional Formula 3, which puts drivers in cars that are more powerful than those used in Formula 4. Formula Regional was integrated to the pathway in 2018, resulting in the renaming of a number of national and regional championships, mostly previously known as "Formula 3". The series are classified as "regional" championships. As of 2023, there are six regional series: Formula Regional Americas Championship , Formula Regional European Championship , Formula Regional Japanese Championship , Formula Regional Indian Championship , Formula Regional Middle East Championship and Formula Regional Oceania Championship . The only "international" series of Formula 3 are
42-573: A driver's FIA Super Licence , but of the series which are recognised as contributing to a Super Licence, Formula 2 has the greatest weight. Rather than creating a new series where none previously existed, the FIA chose to rebrand the GP2 Series as the FIA Formula 2 Championship starting in 2017 . Formula One represents the top tier of the Global Pathway, with the series recognised by the FIA as
56-406: Is set to be renamed as Formula Regional in the upcoming 2024 technical regulations. Formula Regional cars were intended to represent a midpoint in performance between Formula 4 and FIA Formula 3 cars. According to drivers who have driven in both series, Formula Regional cars are of similar weight to FIA Formula 3, but have much less downforce as well as less power. As a basis for comparison, at
70-835: The F3 Americas Championship powered by Honda ) is an FIA Formula Regional racing series that competes in the United States , with plans in the future to race in Canada and Mexico . The championship is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing , the professional racing division of the Sports Car Club of America , in conjunction with the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States , the United States representative to
84-828: The FIA Formula 3 Championship and the FIA Formula 3 World Cup , a one-event competition that traditionally takes place during the Macau Grand Prix . It started in 2019 . Formula 2 is the final intermediary stage of the Global Pathway. The Formula 2 championship is an international championship, based mostly in Europe and run at F1 race weekend, but with some races in the Middle East and Australia. Drivers are not required to participate in Formula 2 to compete in Formula One, as success in Formula 3 contributes to
98-625: The 21st century have done so directly after competing in series in the global pathway or their predecessor series (possibly including a period as a third driver ). IndyCar , the premier American domestic open wheeler series, has its own development pathway, the USF Pro Championships . Like the FIA global pathway, the USF Pro Championships consists of a number of series using progressively faster and more powerful cars. As of 2024, Formula 4 has struggled for entries in
112-494: The FIA. Starting in 2020 the champion will win a scholarship to compete in Indy Lights . The F3 Americas Championship updated its name to Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda in 2020. Each event of the championship consists of three races, which are run on the support package of other motorsport events across North America. The top 8 in points standings receive FIA Super License points. Starting in 2021,
126-701: The Toyota Racing Series was rebranded as the Formula Regional Oceania Championship . This step of the FIA Global Pathway ladder serves to close the performance gap between Formula 4 (160 bhp) and global Formula 3 Championship (380 bhp), being powered by 270 bhp engines. Created under the name Regional Formula 3 by the FIA within the Article 275 / Appendix J of the international sporting code,
140-639: The US, possibly due to the lower costs of competing in the USF Pro series. IndyCar itself ranks just below Formula 2 and above Formula 3 in terms of Super License points allocated, so the most successful IndyCar drivers can acquire sufficient points to get the Super Licence required to compete in F1. Formula Regional Americas Championship The Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda (formerly
154-689: The United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Formula Regional Formula Regional ( FR ) is an FIA-approved moniker for certified regional one-make Formula Three championships with the concept being approved during the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in December 2017. The first series under new regulations were launched in Asia and North America in 2018, followed by European counterpart in 2019 and Japanese in 2020. On 13 December 2022,
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#1732775922136168-474: The category had, at its beginning few championships having the F3 mention in their official title. All of the category's championships certified by FIA got gradually rebranded by its commercial moniker "Formula Regional" in order to avoid confusion with previous Formula 3 regulations (pre-2018) and with the "International" Formula 3 (the FIA Formula 3 Championship and FIA Formula 3 World Cup ). The category itself
182-626: The champion of the series receives a scholarship of $ 600,000 from Honda to compete in Super Formula . The championship utilizes a spec chassis for all competitors, this being the Ligier JS F3 chassis. This chassis features the halo device, which was also implemented in Formula One and Formula 2 in 2018. This motorsport-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to sports in
196-566: The premier class of open-wheel motorsport. Many other series, including open-wheel series such as Formula E , Euroformula Open Championship , GB3 Championship & GB4 Championship , and "tin-top" categories such as the World Endurance Championship , Supercars Championship , and NASCAR Cup Series , are not considered to be a part of the Global Pathway, but will still contribute to a driver's Super Licence . In practice, however, virtually all drivers entering F1 in
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