CHARLOTTE (October 27, 2023) – The battle for the 2023 Driver Championship title is down to three as Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S) prepares to pull into Circuit of The Americas (COTA). With a scholarship to compete in next year’s Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) season on the line, a trio of rookies remain in contention as Jay Howard Driver Development’s (JHDD) Michael Costello (No. 19 JHDD / CSU One Cure / Lucas Oil / LHP Ligier JS F4) takes on Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) and Patrick Woods-Toth (No. 27 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4).
A Florida-based Pennsylvania transplant, Costello got his start like many F4 U.S. competitors—running go karts. Starting at the age of seven, Costello raced at both the national and international level before transitioning to single-seater race cars for the 2023 season. Competing in the Yacademy Winter Series before the F4 U.S. season began, Costello led all practices, secured the pole and won all three races at Homestead-Miami Speedway during his first race weekend in a formula car.
From there, it was off to NOLA Motorsports Park for the F4 U.S. season opener. Having already shown great speed during the pre-season test, Costello came out the gate strong, claiming his first podium and leaving the weekend fourth in points.
By the time the series rolled in Road America, it started to become clear that the 16-year-old could contend for the championship. A win in Round 5 at Road America, gave way to his second-career win in Round 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just five weeks later. One month after that, he was back atop the podium with his third-career win at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
As the series entered the penultimate round at VIRginia International Raceway, Costello was ranked second—just 36.5 points behind the leader. However, a tough weekend saw him eliminated from two of the three races while contending for a spot on the podium, and a post-race Stewards Decision relegated him in the finishing order of the third race. Now, the pressure is on as Costello enters the final rounds 66.5 points behind Woods-Toth and tied with Sherlock for second. With 75 points on the line at COTA, anything can happen.
“Winning the championship would mean so much to me, especially with how hard we have worked through the season,” said Costello. “Jay and the whole team never gave up.”
Costello will race for the 2023 championship when F4 U.S. returns to the track at COTA, November 2-4. Tickets for the event are on sale now at SpeedTour.net/Austin. Be sure to follow F4 U.S. on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest news and updates, and subscribe to SpeedTour TV on YouTubeto stream next weekend’s races free.
