Mere Points Separate F4 U.S. Contenders Coming into COTA
Mere Points Separate F4 U.S. Contenders Coming into COTA
CHARLOTTE (October 26, 2024) – Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) enters its season finale at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with the closest points battle in championship history, as all seven drivers who have earned points this season remain in contention to finish within the top three positions in the point standings. The ultra-competitive season saw the debut of the new Ligier JS F422, which has led to tight racing and close finishes in each of the season’s 11 rounds to date.
Nicolas Stati (No. 15 AGI Sport Ligier JS F422) and Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422) have emerged as the two frontrunners for this year’s title, with just 5.5 points separating the two drivers. In a battle of Aussie vs. Aussie, both drivers have maintained a grueling travel schedule with multiple trans-Pacific trips. Stati’s nine podiums better Quimby’s eight, but Quimby carries the most momentum into the weekend after sweeping the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) just two months ago to bring his season win total to five.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of competing for the championship and if we do everything right and do everything in our control, I’m hopeful to come out on top,” said Quimby leading into the weekend. “COTA is a great track and I’m looking forward to racing there.”
Despite that, Stati remains the driver that everyone is chasing after claiming three checkered flags this season. He beat the field across the finish line at Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), and has only missed the podium twice this season.
“I’ve really enjoyed racing in F4 U.S. this year and I’m looking forward to closing out the season at COTA,” said Stati. “It’s been a tight competition all year. I will give it my best as we race for the championship next week.”
Just behind Stati and Quimby sit Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F422) and Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422). Each touting one victory this season, the two are approximately 40 points behind the championship lead, but separated from each other by just 6.5 points. Roberts carries the momentum after earning his first-career win in Round 8 at NJMP and earning three podiums at CTMP in the series’ most recent outing.
“Going into COTA I know that it is a long shot for me to win the championship, especially with the form that Quimby and Stati have shown recently,” said Roberts. “I’m just going to put my best foot forward, and do everything that I can to bring a good result out of the season. Hopefully we can return to the top step while we’re at COTA.”
Pablo Benites Jr. (No. 44 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F422) sits fifth in the standings after earning his breakthrough win at Road America during the 2024 season-opening weekend. More recently, the Argentinian missed the races at CTMP after a crash during the closing laps at NJMP. Eighty-five points behind the leader, Benites Jr. could climb as high as third to be honored during the year-end awards ceremony on Saturday night.
In a similar position are both Barrett Wolfe (No. 13 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) and Lincoln Day (No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422). Wolfe has two podiums this season with two third-place finishes at NJMP, meanwhile Day is still searching for his first podium after finishing a career-best fourth in Round 9 at CTMP.
> SEE MORE: 2024 F4 U.S. Driver Championship Standings
F4 U.S. will conclude its 2024 season next week at Circuit of The Americas, October 30-November 2. Tickets for the COTA SpeedTour are available now at SpeedTour.net/Austin. Fans at home will be able to stream the races live on SpeedTour.TV.