Ciconte joins Australian F4 Championship

Fifteen year-old Joanne Ciconte has signed on to compete in the upcoming Australian Formula 4 Championship, which returns in May.

Ciconte will compete in her first full season of car racing with M2/Tim Macrow Racing, a collaboration between crack international squad M2 Competition and successful local team Tim Macrow Racing.

After a successful karting career, Ciconte was one of 16 girls entered in the FIA Girls on Track program last year where she ultimately made it to the final stage. She then tested the latest Tatuus F4 machinery at Fiorano, just missing out on the overall prize. 

Over the last few months Ciconte has been through a large testing program, consisting of simulator sessions at TMR HQ and testing in one of the teams Mygale M14-F4s.

Joanne Ciconte blasting down the main straight at Sandown in the Australian Formula Open Championship.

Ciconte competed in her first race in February, driving a Mygale in Australian Formula Open, finishing second overall at Sandown.

“I’m really excited to begin my career in Australian Formula 4 and cant wait for the The Bend in May” Ciconte said.

“Its going to be a massive learning curve but am super confidant leading into the series with the team I have behind me”.

Team principal Tim Macrow can’t wait to see Ciconte go racing in the new series.

“Joanne has proven in our sim and during testing that she has what it takes” Macrow said. 

“And with her performance at Sandown in AFO, I have no doubt that she will be running up front sooner rather then later.”

Tim Macrow Racing, which finished 1-2 in the 2023 Australian Formula Open Series is collaborating with M2 Competition for their 2024 Formula 4 campaign.

“Our team is all about providing a pathway for young driver, and by collaborating with M2 we gain access to different pathways all over the world, as well as engineering expertise, which is really exciting,” says Macrow.

The Formula 4 Australian Championship will be organised by international racing organisation Top Speed, and will see young drivers behind the wheel of the same Tatuus F4 T421 GEN2 used in Formula 4 competitions worldwide.

The Championship will also give racers the chance to earn FIA Superlicence points and provide a cost-effective way of building critical experience behind the wheel. It returns after being run between 2015 and 2019.

AGI Sport builds F4 team

Nicholas Stati will be stepping up to Formula 4 Australia with AGI Sport. Image: AGI Sport

The size of the opening round grid is unclear but Macrow Racing joins AGI Sport, which has also announced some drivers who will spearhead the team’s campaign.

AGI Sport is an Australian based team that has races all over the world and one of its current international youngsters James Piszcyk will be leading the way.

He will be joined by 15-year-old Nicolas Stati, who recently competed in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship.

“I’m really excited to continue working with AGI Sport in the return of the Australian Formula 4 Championship this year,” Stati said.

“After driving for the Asian based Asian-based Global ROK Cup Series in both Cadets and Junior categories, Stati has been one of the biggest names in the F4 market this season.

“I started my car racing journey in the last two rounds of the Asian F4 late last year with AGI and after racing in the UAE F4 series earlier this year I’m looking forward to racing with the team in Australia.”

The 2024 Australian Formula 4 Championship begins at The Bend on May 4-5.

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