Malaysians Nazim and Isyraf among 13 drivers to compete in Formula 4

THE second FIA Formula 4 SouthEast Asia Championship flags off today with two Malaysians looking to take their first step into the big league.

Nazim Azman and Isyraf Danial Mohd Ghazali are among the 13 drivers who will compete in the opening round of the season, which supports the Petronas Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

The other drivers who have confirmed their participation are Eshan Pieris (Sri Lanka), Perdana Minang ( Indonesia), Danial Frost ( Singapore), Luke Thompson (Ireland), Daniel Cao (China), Khalid Al Wahaibi ( Oman), Shivin Sirinarinthon (Thailand), Tyson Sy ( Philippines), Kane Shepherd (Thailand), Nayan Chatterjee (India) and Harrison Newey (Britain).

The Formula 4 allows drivers to collect FIA Super Licence points as they take the first step on their journey to Formula 1.

The Formula 4 race has been a success. Lance Stroll, the first FIA F4 champion in 2014, joined the Williams F1 team this year.

The 18-year-old Canadian has already collected 28 points and is 12th in the standings.

F1 managing director Ross Brawn welcomed the inclusion of the championship for this weekend’s Malaysian GP.

“It is important a Formula 1 Grand Prix can offer not only a great show in terms of racing but also attract the interest of the younger generations and make them closer to motorsport grassroots,” he said.

After this weekend’s races, the Formula 4 season will move to the Clark International Speedway in the Philippines (Oct 20-22), Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia (Nov 24-26), Buriram International Circuit in Thailand (Jan 12-14) and back to Sepang for the finale (Feb 9-11).