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LONDON: The F4 ��������n Championship is launching the second season of its single-seater motorsport series from October to December, featuring five rounds of races at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, and the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Mansour Al-Moqbel, acting CEO of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company, said: “(The F4) serves as a strategic platform to empower Saudi youth to enter this vital sector, allowing them to hone their skills and become the drivers of the future.”

Formula 4 is an entry-level racing category designed for young drivers, including those transitioning from karting, and it serves as the first step on the path to elite F1 racing. The first 2024 season of the championship was hosted by circuits across ��������, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The Bahrain International Circuit is to host two rounds of races — from Oct. 10-12, which will include an opening Test Day, followed by another round on Oct. 15-16.

In November and December, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, known as the world’s fastest street track, will host three races.

The 2025 season will feature up to 20 drivers racing the Tatuus Abarth F4 G2 (T421) car.

The championship is organized by the SAMF and its goal is to support the next generation of Saudi racing talent, aged 15 and older, by providing a clear pathway to Formula 3 and beyond, and to enable Saudi engineers, mechanics, officials, and race managers to break into the sector.

Al-Moqbel said: “The return of Formula 4 this year reflects the federation’s ongoing efforts to support and develop motorsport, and to strengthen its position both locally and regionally.”

As part of Vision 2030, �������� has formulated a plan to become a regional hub for world-class motorsport, and has ensured the application of the highest standards of safety and security in hosting races.

Mohammed Abduljawad, chairman and CEO of ALTAWKILAT, the Saudi automotive distributor that has been a supporter of racing tournaments in the Kingdom, said: “With five exciting rounds planned in Bahrain and Jeddah, we are thrilled to build on the solid foundations of our inaugural season (in 2024).”

He added that ALTAWKILAT’s goal was to support young Saudi drivers by making their entry into racing “as accessible and beneficial as possible — on and off-track.”

Some F1 champions started competing in F4 before reaching the top of international motorsport, including Lando Norris, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri.

PARIS: European Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain will play their first ever Intercontinental Cup final in Doha, Qatar, on December 17, FIFA announced on Sunday.
Their opponents will only be determined four days earlier in the final playoff, called the Challenger Cup.
This will pit Egyptian club Pyramids, the African champions, against the winner of the match between Central American champions Cruz Azul from Mexico and the future winner of the Copa Libertadores.
The South American tournament is currently in the semifinal stage and includes two Brazilian sides.
Palmeiras are up against LDU Quito of Ecuador while Flamengo take on the Argentinian side Racing.
The Copa Libertadores final takes place on November 29.
From 1960 to 2004, the Intercontinental Cup pitted the champions of Europe and South America against each other.
In 2005, it was renamed the Club World Cup to include other continental champions but that competition was relaunched this year as a quadrennial tournament featuring 32 teams with Chelsea as the inaugural winners of the new format.
The Intercontinental Cup was itself relaunched in its new form last year when Real Madrid beat Mexican club Pachuca.