Fourth dimension

The Formula 4 category, for entry-level racing drivers and engineers, has taken a huge step forward in terms of safety for its second-generation cars. Not only has front and rear crash protection been improved, but stronger cockpit safety criteria mean better side-impact protection, more secure seats and, most visually, the introduction of the Halo to protect the drivers’ head.

It is a step that has been brought about following a series of high-profile accidents in single-seat racecars, including those of Billy Monger at Donington in 2017, Anthoine Hubert at Spa in 2019 and Romain Grosjean in Bahrain in 2020. The FIA took the data from the crashes and ensured that design work for all future single-seat cars reduces the risk of injury to the driver.

This generation of Formula 4 car is therefore longer, stronger, lighter and safer than the Generation 1 cars, yet has still been designed and developed to meet the strict cost criteria set by the FIA.

Mygale, the French manufacturer based in Magny Cours, showed its new car at the PRI Show at Indianapolis in late December 2021, with a view to it competing this season. Having revealed renders of the car early in