iRacing has a broad range of licensed motorsport disciplines from NASCAR to IndyCar. There are even a handful of licensed Formula 1 cars from Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Williams.
While the iRacing Formula iR-04 is based on the Formula 4 car, it's not officially licensed. This will soon, change, however.
iRacing has announced a new partnership with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile to bring Formula 4 to the PC simulation.
iRacing partners with FIA
As part of the new FIA partnership, the current iRacing Formula iR-04 will be relaunched as the FIA F4 in iRacing’s upcoming 2023 Season 3 update in June. An exact release date is yet to be confirmed, however.
Originally, the iRacing Formula iR-04 was added to iRacing’s 2022 Season 2 update more than a year ago.
This is a significant milestone for iRacing. Codemasters’ official Formula 1 games have yet to include the entry-level Feeder Series, though Formula 2 is represented.
Formula 4 debuted in 2014 and has grown in popularity since then, providing a first step for rookie drivers to move from kart to Formula racing. Each Formula 4 car is capped at 160 horsepower, ensuring a competitive field.
iRacing’s new partnership also comes after the FIA paused its partnership with Gran Turismo. Between 2018 and 2020, the Gran Turismo World Series tournament was officially sanctioned by the FIA in Gran Turismo Sport.
However, GT7’s World Series races are not sanctioned by the FIA due to ongoing issues with online multiplayer stability.
Formula 4 esports series could come to iRacing
iRacing already has dozens of real-world Formula 4 circuits, with more to be added in the future. iRacing president Tony Gardner confirmed discussions about a future iRacing Formula 4 esports series are already happening.
“In addition to iRacing’s new FIA F4 Challenge, iRacing and the FIA are discussing additional eSport plans for the future,” he said.
“The F4 platform has proven to be incredibly popular and exciting in both the real world and the virtual one, and we know that our members will benefit from the synergy between our two organisations."
"With many FIA national ASNs already running events through iRacing, this alliance will only further expand opportunities for the future stars of motorsport to get their start through sim racing.”
If it gets the green light, this could pave the way for more FIA-sanctioned esports series in iRacing in the future.