Motorsport
Who is the next Fernando Alonso? Inside the series developing Spain's next F1 star
Watch Spanish F4 live and for free on DAZN
Fernando Alonso has carried Spanish hopes in Formula 1 for more than two decades.
He became Spain's first F1 world champion in 2005, successfully defended his crown a year later and has remained one of the defining drivers of his generation through spells with Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine and Aston Martin.
Finding another Alonso is, of course, an almost absurd standard.
You do not simply manufacture a two-time world champion, Le Mans winner and driver capable of remaining at the sharp end of Formula 1 across three decades.
But every great Formula 1 career has to begin somewhere.
And for a new generation of young drivers, the F4 Spanish Championship is designed to provide one of those first opportunities.
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What is the F4 Spanish Championship?
The F4 Spanish Championship is an FIA-certified junior single-seater series and one of the first major steps available to young drivers graduating from karting.
Formula 4 itself was introduced in 2014 with a straightforward purpose: to create an accessible first rung on the single-seater ladder towards Formula 1.
The Spanish championship followed in 2016 and is now celebrating its 10th season, having developed into an established part of the European junior racing scene.
Its grids are filled largely with teenagers beginning their careers in cars, many of whom arrive directly from karting.
That makes F4 a very different proposition from Formula 1.
These are not finished racing drivers. They are learning how to translate the instincts developed in karting into the more technical world of single-seater racing.
How does F4 help develop future Formula 1 drivers?
Speed is only part of the equation.
Moving into Formula 4 means learning to work with engineers, understand car setup, manage tyres and execute starts, overtakes and defensive moves in machinery considerably more sophisticated than a kart.
It is also where young drivers begin learning how to put together an entire race weekend rather than simply produce a quick lap.
Spanish F4 says its objective is to provide young drivers with the best possible preparation for progression into higher categories, with substantial track time built into each weekend.
That education can eventually lead towards Formula Regional-level championships, FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2.
Only a tiny percentage will ultimately reach Formula 1.
But that uncertainty is also part of the attraction.
By the time a driver arrives on the F1 grid, much of their story has already been written. Formula 4 offers the opportunity to watch some of those careers almost from the beginning.
What cars are used in Spanish F4?
Spanish F4 is a one-make championship, meaning drivers compete in fundamentally equal machinery rather than teams designing their own cars.
The championship uses the Tatuus F4 T-421, introduced for the 2022 season.
The car features a 1.4-litre turbocharged Abarth engine producing 176 horsepower, along with the Halo cockpit protection system and Hankook tyres.
For young drivers accustomed to karting, it represents an important step towards the type of machinery they will encounter further up the single-seater ladder.
Equal machinery also places greater emphasis on the driver's performance and the team's ability to extract the maximum from the car.
How to watch Spanish F4 live and for free on DAZN
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Fans can watch the next generation of single-seater talent compete in the F4 Spanish Championship live and for free on DAZN in eligible territories.
From young drivers taking their first steps out of karting to rising stars hoping to climb the ladder towards Formula 1, Spanish F4 offers the chance to follow their journeys from almost the very beginning.
Simply open DAZN and search "Spanish F4" to find the championship and start watching for free.
Nobody knows where Spain's next great Formula 1 driver will come from.
But if another Alonso is out there, the first chapters of their career will be written long before they ever reach an F1 grid.
And Formula 4 is exactly the sort of place where that story can begin.
Watch Spanish F4 live and for free on DAZN.
*Spanish F4 is available globally on DAZN, excluding Brazil, Canada, USA, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, the Caribbean, Central America, LATAM, Bermuda, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, the Falkland Islands, Guyana and Suriname.
