Modified F4 cars could form basis of FIA's F3 Light concept

British F3, which grew out of the BRDC Formula 4 Championship and is based on beefed-up Tatuus FIA F4 chassis with 230bhp Cosworth engines, kicked off at Snetterton over the Easter weekend.

That was just days before the FIA revealed further details on its interim step between F4 and the F3 European Championship, including the term 'F3 Light'.

The FIA's blessing for the MotorSport Vision-organised BRDC championship to change its name to F3 was given so that MSA Formula - which runs to the FIA F4 concept - can finally adopt the F4 name.

FIA Single Seater Commission president Stefano Domenicali told Autosport that he expects the renaming of MSA Formula as F4 to be "within a couple of days".

"Last year [in Britain] there was great confusion," Domenicali said, "and we received a request from the MSA [Britain's governing body of motorsport] to find a solution.

"I consider the UK as one of the most important markets in motorsport, and this was an acceptable compromise for the British federation to be aligned with the FIA strategy.

"This is a total exception to the normal situation to give the possibility for a national F3 championship to come back."

Domenicali added that the F3 Light concept is targeted towards regions rather than national championships.

The Commission's Frederic Bertrand revealed that further modifications to the British F3-spec Tatuus chassis would qualify it for F3 Light.

Bertrand said that as well as F3 constructor Dallara, F4 car makers Tatuus, Mygale and Dome were at the last Technical Working Group meeting, where the current upgrade to the Tatuus for British F3 was viewed as "not sufficient."

But he added: "The F4-based chassis is probably the best one to define an entry-level F3 category."