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61-537: French F4 Championship , formerly known as Formula Renault Campus France , Formula Campus , Formul'Academy Euro Series , F4 Eurocup 1.6 is a form of open wheel racing founded in 1993 by Louis Drouet. It is based in France and aims at karting graduates. The series currently organized by the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA). Formerly, the champion receives support to continue in one of

122-497: A European Championship , consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Épreuves ) was instituted for drivers in 1931 , and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 with the exception of the 1933 and 1934 seasons. In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when

183-410: A 250 hp Honda K20A engine . A1 Grand Prix ( A1GP ) was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport". Also, the series attracted equal numbers of (former or future) Formula One drivers and IndyCar Series drivers. The concept

244-411: A driver to earn up to €2.2 million over the course of the season. This was all done to give drivers a chance to earn a living from motorsport. By 2011, the link with football was fading with more than half the teams no longer associated with football teams, The later races of the season did not take place, and no further seasons were organised. See: Formula Challenge Japan Formula Asia V6 (Renault)

305-438: A few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centred on maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as

366-481: A much more important role. Occasionally the term “wings and slicks racing” is used to distinguish the faster categories. In the process of reviving Grand Prix racing after the end of World War II, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile 's Commission Sportive Internationale was responsible for defining the standardised regulations of Formula One (F1) in 1946. The first race to be run to

427-678: A new addition to the Road to Indy pathway, sanctioned by USAC in 2022, it is the equivalent to Formula 4. Super Formula , previously known as Formula Nippon , is the premier level of Japanese formula racing. It began as the Japanese Formula 2000 series in 1973 and continued to use Formula Two regulations after European Formula Two had ended in 1984. In 1987 the series switched to the Formula 3000 standard so that Japanese and European regulations paralleled one another again. However, in 1996,

488-461: A number of controversial rule changes that brought the series out of alignment with similar SCCA classes, which led to a reduction in participation and the end of the series in 2006. In 2010, the series returned under the leadership of Andersen with the intent to return F2000 to its status as a feeder formula for higher open wheel racing classes in the United States . The USF Juniors is

549-630: A stoker which the judges deemed to be outside of their objectives. In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , the owner of the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune , established the Gordon Bennett Cup . He hoped the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in

610-582: Is an open-wheel racing car category intended for junior drivers. There is no global championship, but rather individual nations or regions can host their own championships in compliance with a universal set of rules and specifications. The category was created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)—the International sanctioning and administrative body for motorsport—as an entry-level category for young drivers, bridging

671-616: Is the most expensive form of motorsport in the world, not all formula series are high-cost professional events. Some formulas are intended for juniors and amateurs, including categories such as Formula 1000 and Formula Vee are among the least expensive forms of circuit racing. Most contemporary formula categories allow the use of racing slicks , and extensive use of wings and Ground effects to increase cornering speeds. However, there are popular amateur categories such as Formula Ford and Formula Vee which do not, and consequently have much slower cornering speeds and in which “drafting” plays

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732-530: Is the top feeder series for the IndyCar Series , similar to F1 's relationship with Formula 2 . The original Indy Lights (known as "American Racing Series") acted as a developmental circuit for CART from 1986 to 2001 . The current series was founded in 2002 by IndyCar. The USF Pro 2000 Championship formally known as Indy Pro 2000 Championship has been an officially sanctioned development series since 2011, when it became governed by IndyCar, although

793-738: The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus ( AIACR ). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934,

854-618: The Bois de Boulogne , to Rouen . Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Albert Lemaître ( Peugeot ), followed by Auguste Doriot (Peugeot, 16 minutes 30 seconds back), René Panhard ( Panhard , 33 minutes 30 seconds back), and Émile Levassor (Panhard, 55 minutes 30 seconds back). The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed

915-819: The Formula Renault 2.0 championships. In 2010, the re-branded series was made part of the World Series by Renault , but was then dropped for 2011. Since 2018 , the series runs under FIA moniker. The car was originally built by Signatech . The chassis and survival cell had a carbon fibre composite monocoque construction. The car was designed to comply with the 2008 FIA F3 standards. The 1600cc Renault K4MRS engine produced about 140 bhp. The transmission had five forward speeds with sequential shift mechanism. The championship adopted FIA Formula 4 regulations in 2018 , with Mygale M14-F4 chassis and naturally-aspirated 160 bhp Renault 2.0L engines. In 2020,

976-654: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway , first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911; and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , in Italy , opened in 1922. In 1908, the United States of America became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grande Épreuve outside France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix held at Montichiari . This

1037-607: The Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island , New York in 1904. Some anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the Pau Grand Prix in 1901. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. The name of the 1901 event was the Circuit du Sud-Ouest and it was run in three classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver

1098-734: The 1901 event as: "in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest , at the meeting in Pau" ( "dans le Circuit du Sud-Ouest, à l'occasion du meeting de Pau" ). The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans , was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using

1159-490: The 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian -born Ferenc Szisz (1873–1944) won the 1,260 km (780 mi) race in a Renault . This race was regarded as the first Grande Épreuve , which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year. Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with

1220-769: The Euroseries 3000. In 2010, the first-generation A1 Grand Prix cars replaced the Lola F3000 chassis and the Auto GP name was adopted. Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing , with Formula One considered its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix ; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". Some IndyCar championship races are also called "Grands Prix". Motor racing

1281-505: The F1 events format. It was created to take over from the various F3 championships around the world after the FIA deemed that the title "Formula 3" would be exclusively used by the series that runs on F1 weekends known previously as GP3. Each championship corresponds to one specific region: Asia, Americas, Europe, India, Japan, Middle East and Oceania (New Zealand). FIA Formula 4 , also called FIA F4,

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1342-473: The International Formula 3000 series became a one-make format to reduce costs and the Japanese Formula broke away, changing the series' name to Formula Nippon. Formula Nippon featured chassis supplied by Lola , Reynard and G-Force until 2001 and 2002 when G-Force and Reynard withdrew, while Mugen - Honda supplied most engines. In 2006, the regulations were changed drastically – the chassis

1403-620: The Italian Formula 3000 series. At first, nearly all races were held in Italy, but the series expanded throughout Europe quickly. In 2001 the series became European Formula 3000 and in 2004 Superfund became the title sponsor, planning to set up the Formula Superfund series. However, the funding was pulled and the series was cancelled. Therefore, Coloni Motorsport re-established the Italian Formula 3000 and expanded this in 2006 to

1464-462: The cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. International Formula Master , a.k.a. Formula Super 2000 , was conceived as a competitor for Formula Three . It started in 2005 as the 3000 Pro Series , organised by Peroni Promotion. MTC Organisation took over in 2006 and turned it into a support series for the WTCC . Drivers used second-hand Formula 2000 cars made by Tatuus that were powered by

1525-746: The championship was intended by the FIA to serve as an R&D platform for the electric vehicle and promote interest in EVs and sustainability. The series races predominately on temporary circuits in cities such as New York , Hong Kong , Zürich , Berlin , Rome , and Paris in events known as "ePrix". In order to cap costs but maintain technological development, the series uses a spec chassis and battery that must be used by all entrants, with competing teams permitted to design and build their own motors, inverter and rear suspension. The series has gained significant traction in recent years. The FIA Formula 2 Championship

1586-557: The country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. The 1903 event occurred in the aftermath of the fatalities at the Paris-Madrid road race, so the race, at Athy in Ireland, though on public roads, was run over a closed circuit: the first ever closed-circuit motor race. In the United States , William Kissam Vanderbilt II launched

1647-557: The driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent. Early Grand Prix cars could be technically innovative, with marques such as Peugeot using technology that would later become more widespread. A further historic confusion arose in

1708-526: The early 1920s when the Automobile Club de France attempted to pull off a retrospective political trick by numbering and renaming the major races held in France before the 1906 French Grand Prix as being Grands Prix de l'Automobile Club de France , despite their running pre-dating the formation of the Club. Hence, the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail was renamed I Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France ; and

1769-518: The early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp (450 kW) on alcohol fuels. As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered on the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding

1830-580: The early Formula One regulations was a non-championship Grand Prix in Turin in September 1946. The first officially recognised Formula One season was held in 1947 and the World Championship for Drivers was inaugurated in 1950 . Formula E is the highest class of competition for single-seat, electrically powered racing cars , which held its inaugural season in 2014–15 . Conceived in 2012,

1891-579: The engine was changed to the new turbo charged Renault Sport 1.3-liter one. Since the 2022 season , the new Mygale M21-F4 chassis has been used. Points are awarded as follows: From 2011, the circuits used in the French F4 Championship are listed as: Open wheel racing Formula racing , also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport . The origin of

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1952-404: The extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in

2013-667: The first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship took place in 1925 , but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors' Championship were the Indianapolis 500 , the European Grand Prix , and the French and Italian Grands Prix. This world championship was officially cancelled in 1930 , but in 1928 –1930 no titles were awarded. Subsequently,

2074-468: The gap between karting and Formula 3. The series is a part of the FIA Global Pathway. The IndyCar Series is the premier level of formula racing in North America . The sport, in general, traces its roots as far back as 1905. The current series, founded by then- Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George , began in 1996 as the "Indy Racing League" (IRL). In 2008 , the series merged with

2135-512: The history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw. All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors : French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti , but also including Delage and Delahaye ) until the late 1920s, when the Italians ( Alfa Romeo and Maserati ) began to beat the French cars regularly. At

2196-460: The number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II ). During this period a lot of changes of rules occurred. There was a mass start for the first time at the 1922 French Grand Prix in Strasbourg. The 1925 season was the first season during which no riding mechanic

2257-525: The old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or "FIA" for short, headquartered in Paris. It announced the new International Formula, also known as Formula 1 or Formula A, to be effective from 1947. At the end of the 1949 season the FIA announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties

2318-419: The open formula that allows a choice of chassis or engines and the control or "spec" formula that relies on a single supplier for chassis and engines. Formula Three is an example of an open formula, while Formula BMW is a control formula. There are also some exceptions on these two forms like Formula Ford where there is an open chassis formula but a restricted single brand engine formula. While Formula One

2379-556: The original series started in 1991 as the Star Mazda Championship . Drivers currently use Tatuus IP-22 cars. The USF2000 Championship formally known as U.S. F2000 National Championship is an American variation of the Formula Ford . The series was initially founded by Dan Andersen and Mike Foschi in 1990 and regularly fielded over 60 entries per race. In 2001, the series was sold to Jon Baytos who introduced

2440-477: The relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit – as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town – was the Paris to Madrid road race of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians – including Marcel Renault – were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned. From

2501-466: The rival Champ Car World Series , formerly known as CART, to form the IndyCar Series. A typical IndyCar season contains races on a mixture of natural terrain road courses, temporary street circuits, small ovals (also known as short tracks ), and larger, high-speed ovals (also known as superspeedways ); including the historic Indianapolis 500 . Indy NXT , previously known as Indy Lights ,

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2562-596: The same way that GP2 was rebranded as Formula 2 in 2017. The series' first drivers' champion was Robert Shwartzman driving for Prema Racing , who also won the Constructors' Championship for that year. At the end of the year, the FIA Formula 3 World Cup takes place during the Macau Grand Prix as a non-championship, season-ending event. Formula Regional is the last category that takes place outside

2623-816: The term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post- World War II single-seater regulations, or formulae. The best known of these formulae are Formula One , Formula E , Formula Two , Formula Three , regional Formula Three and Formula Four . Common usage of "formula racing" encompasses other single-seater series, including the IndyCar Series and the Super Formula Championship . Lower categories such as Formula Three and Formula Two are described as junior formulae , lower formulae or feeder formulae , referring to their position below top-level series like Formula One on their respective career ladders of single-seater motor racing. There are two primary forms of racing formula:

2684-617: The time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz . In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis encouraged Mercedes and Auto Union to further the glory of the Reich . (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but

2745-532: The true first Grand Prix in 1906 race was renamed the IX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France (9th). The ACF used this numbering in 1933, although some members of the Club dismissed it, "concerned the name of the Club was lent to the fiction simply out of a childish desire to establish their Grand Prix as the oldest race in the world". For the most part, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This

2806-613: The years 1952 and 1953 were actually competed in Formula Two cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May 1950 at Silverstone in the United Kingdom . The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion

2867-546: Was Giuseppe Farina , driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete in every season of the World Championship, still competing in 2024 . Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand Prix . For wartime events, see Grands Prix during World War II . See also: Notable drivers of

2928-524: Was also present as the series employed a system based on a group stage to knock-out format used in some football tournaments. Another unique feature of Superleague Formula was the Super Final, a five-lap shootout between the six best drivers of a weekend. In 2010, the series offered the biggest prize fund in European motorsport with the champion set to earn €1 million. In theory, it would be possible for

2989-445: Was created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final step for drivers before entering Formula One . Formula Two had become too expensive and was dominated by works-run cars with factory engines. Formula 3000 offered quicker, cheaper, more open racing. The series began as an open formula, but in 1986 tyres were standardized, followed by engines and chassis in 1996 . The series ran until 2004 and

3050-405: Was founded by Sheikh Al Maktoum of Dubai in 2004, but sold to the FIA in 2005. The races were held in the traditional Formula One off-season, the northern hemisphere winter. Between 2005 and 2009 29 countries from five continents participated. Using 750 hp V12 engines , Superleague Formula introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. In qualifying, the link with football

3111-472: Was introduced in 2017 by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore following the rebranding of the long-term F1 feeder series – GP2 Series . Designed to make racing affordable and to make it the perfect training ground for life in F1, F2 has made it mandatory for all of the teams to use the same chassis, engine, and tyre supplier. In 2019, the GP3 Series was replaced by international Formula 3, just in

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3172-447: Was launched in 2006 to give Southeast Asian -based drivers a chance to progress from karting through junior single-seaters to international motorsport. Karun Chandhok , for example, won the 2006 championship and was rewarded with a test in a World Series by Renault car at Paul Ricard . Drivers ran with Tatuus chassis, a Renault 3.5L V6 engine and Michelin tyres. The Auto GP World Series' roots can be traced back to 1999 and

3233-492: Was not unusual for some Formula One events to include a number of F2 entries in the same field and the entries in the World Championship seasons of 1952–53 comprised exclusively F2 cars for reasons of cost. F2 had a patchy history until the inauguration of the European Formula Two Championship in 1967. F2 was an open formula that allowed the use of any chassis that met the prescribed regulations; it

3294-441: Was quickly followed by Belgium and Spain (in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still was not a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I , finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.) In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form

3355-406: Was replaced and engines were now provided by Toyota and Honda . The engines had the same specifications as those used in the 2005 IndyCar Series . Formula series from the 21st century that could be categorised between Tier 1 and Tier 5 (see top of page), but are now defunct, are described below. The Formula Two regulations were first defined in 1947 as a form of B-class below Formula One. It

3416-480: Was replaced in 2005 by the GP2 Series . Formula 5000 (or F5000 ) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in

3477-578: Was required in a car, as this rule was repealed in Europe after the death of Tom Barrett during the 1924 Grand Prix season . At the Solituderennen in 1926 a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, giving drivers tactical information, was used for the first time by Alfred Neubauer , the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz team. The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was the first time in

3538-442: Was started in France , as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a shop window for their cars. The first motoring contest took place on July 22, 1894, and was organised by a Paris newspaper, Le Petit Journal . The Paris–Rouen rally was 126 km (78 mi), from Porte Maillot in Paris , through

3599-464: Was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the Grand Prix de Pau for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp . In L'Histoire de l'Automobile/Paris 1907 Pierre Souvestre described

3660-604: Was true of the Le Mans circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix , as well as the Targa Florio (run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis circuit in the Taunus mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix . The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands in England , completed in 1907;

3721-506: Was well supported during the 1970s, with chassis from Tecno , March Engineering , Toleman , Ralt , Matra and others. The European championship ran continually until the creation of its successor, Formula 3000 , in 1985. In 2008 it was announced by the FIA that Formula Two would return in 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship . This series was discontinued after the 2012 season. The Formula 3000

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