January 29, 2025 | Formula Winter Series
New teams have arrived this year, including Hitech TGR, Van Amersfoort Racing and Renauer Motorsport. The new additions, alongside returning teams such as US Racing, Campos Racing and Jenzer Motorsport, have ensured an impressive paddock once again in 2025.
Who will be at the top?
Narrowing down the potential protagonists for this year’s championship battle is no mean feat.
Drivers such as Kabir Anurag, Maxim Rehm (US Racing) and Enea Frey (Jenzer Motorsport) benefit from prior appearances in the Formula Winter Series, and the track knowledge gained at the three returning Spanish venues.
Leo Robinson (Hitech) is likely to be among the favourites, as a three-time race winner during the 2024 British F4 season. The Anglo-Algerian will be finding his feet with a new team during the Formula Winter Series, but the proven success of both he and the Hitech squad marks the #6 entry as one to watch.
Luka Sammalisto (US Racing) had a promising season in 2024, registering well over 30 F4 races in 2024 across the Middle East and Europe. With significant experience under his belt, as well as a new alliance with 2023 Formula Winter Series-winning team US Racing, the Finnish racer will have high hopes.
Sebastian Bach will make his first appearances in the current-generation F4 car at Portimão this weekend. The Nordic 4 rookie champion, aged 16, will be a part of AS Motorsport’s three-car line-up. The Danish driver has proven to be quick and consistent so far in his single seater tenure, and there is certainly potential for him to perform well this season.
Maksimilian Popov secured four top-ten finishes in his final seven Italian F4 races last year, and now joins the ever-competitive Van Amersfoort Racing team for his second season in cars. With the 16-year-old just hitting his stride, the new alliance could be a particularly strong one.
Simon Schranz has competed in a little over a dozen races in single-seater machinery, but has already netted four top-five finishes in the F4 CEZ Championship. The sole entry from Renauer Motorsport could prove to be a spoiler among the larger fleets from other teams in FWS. Speaking of the Central European grid, 2024 vice-champion and six-time race winner Kirill Kutskov will be one to watch, as the 16-year-old continues his partnership with Maffi Racing.
Rookie Trophy: The newcomer’s class set to feature overall contenders
The 2024 Rookie Trophy within Formula Winter Series was vastly populated. Class champion Maciej Gładysz proved that drivers new to single-seater competition can be a force in the overall standings, finishing third. The Rookies entered for this season suggest that we could see the same thing happen in 2025.
The Rookie Trophy class is for drivers with nine races or fewer in single seaters. With eight races on his resume, Thomas Bearman (Hitech) qualifies to compete in this category as well as the overall standings. Bearman has the advantage of already competing with his 2025 team at the tail-end of the 2024 British F4 season, scoring two podiums within the rookie class. The brother of 2025 Haas F1 signee Oliver, Thomas will be looking to thrive in F4 just like his elder sibling, who won the 2021 Italian and ADAC F4 championships.
17-year-old Fionn McLoughlin, also with Hitech, will make his single-seater racing debut in the Formula Winter Series. The Irishman’s debut in cars has been hotly anticipated, as he has been a front-runner on the international and World Championship karting stage in recent years.
Despite only debuting in karts during 2021, Andrea Dupe (AS Motorsport) claimed vice-championship status in the 2023 Italian OK Karting Championship. The 16-year-old prepared for his single-seater debut during the 2024 season, in addition to his karting campaign. He is expected to develop well in a 2025 schedule spread across three championships.
Both Jenzer Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing will join Hitech in entering multiple rookies. Jenzer will field 2025 F1 Academy driver Alba Hurup Larsen and Artem Severiukhin within the class, while Dante Vinci and Payton Westcott will fly the flag for VAR.
Teo Borenstein (Maffi Racing) rounds out the rookie class for the first round of the season.
Female Trophy: Exciting names join the field
The Female Trophy class is set for its strongest season yet in 2025, with nine drivers registered for the first round in Portimão.
Campos Racing will enter two cars in the category, set to be rotated among its Red Bull-backed 2025 F1 Academy drivers. For the first round of the season, GB4 vice-champion and race winner Alisha Palmowski will be joined by three-time F4 Brazilian Championship race-winner Rafaela Ferreira.
Chloe Chambers, who won in F1 Academy last year at Barcelona, will make her first appearance at Valencia. While each of the Campos drivers will only compete in two rounds of Formula Winter Series, their racing CVs mean there will be high expectations in the class standings as well as the overall results.
Joanne Ciconte (AKM Motorsport) has impressed so far in her limited car racing experience, securing top-five finishes in F4 CEZ, and also performing well in Spain and her native Australia. Fellow Aussie Avia Anagnostiadis (CRAM) is not set for a full-season, but consistent points scoring and a top-five finish in F4 India suggests she may disrupt the full-season competitors at Portimão.
Kornelia Olkucka continues her partnership with Maffi Racing, established ahead of the 2024 F4 CEZ season. Mathilda Paatz, who competed in French F4 throughout 2024, will join AS Motorsport for a full-season bid for the Female Trophy.
Nina Gademan is yet another driver who has previously competed in F1 Academy, and finished fourth on her series debut as the wildcard entrant at Zandvoort. She will compete in the first three rounds of the season for Hitech.
Aforementioned Rookie drivers Alba Hurup Larsen and Payton Westcott will also score points in the Female Trophy.
Watch the first round live as Formula Winter Series begins the European single-seater year!
The Formula Winter Series season opener will be streamed live on the Winter Series YouTube channel this weekend, alongside GEDLICH Racing’s inaugural 6H Portimão. Race one begins at 11:40AM local time on Saturday 1 February, followed by race two at 15:30PM.
The third race will be held at 09:15AM on Sunday 2 February.
30 JAN – 02 FEB FWS & 6h of PORTIMÃO /P
13 FEB – 16 FEB VALENCIA /E
27 FEB – 2 MAR ARAGÓN /E
6 MAR – 9 MAR BARCELONA /E
13 MAR – 16 MAR 6h of BARCELONA /E
