Christopher Parrish came to Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) with experience racing in the ATV Motocross National Championship. Adopted into a “racing family,” Parrish’s father was involved in drag racing, but it was motocross that first caught Parrish’s attention. Making the switch to ATV Motocross by the age of seven, Parrish started testing with IGY6 Motorsports in 2020 before spending a year in karting and finally joining F4 U.S. in 2023. His best finish of the year came in the Round 15 at VIRginia International Raceway, where he brought home a career-best eighth-place result in his No. 83 Save22 Ligier JS F4 for IGY6 Motorsports.
Where are you from and what's your favorite thing about your hometown?
Christopher Parrish (CP): “I'm originally from Odessa, Texas. I would have to say that my favorite thing about my hometown is the friends I grew up with. I moved away four or five years ago, and I haven't seen them for a really long time. That's one of the only things that I really miss about there.”
When and how did you decide that you wanted to race, and then how did you get here?
CP: “I was about five years old when I started doing motocross, dirt bikes, four wheelers and stuff, so I've been doing that for a really long time. Around six or seven years old, I got the opportunity to try karting, but for some reason, I didn't choose that route. I stuck with motocross until I was about 16 years old. At that point, I started testing the F4 car with the IGY6 Motorsports team. I moved into karting for about a year, and then I made the step up to F4 U.S. this season.”
Who's your racing idol, and what made you look up to them?
CP: “Fernando Alonso is really my racing idol because I enjoy his driving style. He's aggressive, he's conservative, and he's very smart when it comes to overtakes and strategy on the racetrack.”
If you could only drive one track for the rest of your life, what track would you want it to be?
CP: “I would have to say Road Atlanta. I have a lot of fun with that track on the simulator. I think it's a great testing ground for a lot of different cars. I love the speed on that track. The back straight is just insane when you're doing 200-something in an F1 car on the simulator, and then you brake down at the two-marker board. It’s definitely a fun track.”
Alternatively, is there one track that you dream of racing on one day?
CP: “Probably Le Mans or Nürburgring—one of those two. I can't really choose between them, but endurance racing is what I really want to get up to later in life, and those tracks are two of the best in the world. Nothing really compares to them.”
Tell me about the one race from your career that really sticks out in your memory—maybe it was your best race, or it’s just your favorite.
CP: “I remember my first race in F4 U.S. at NOLA. I mean, it was a struggle—the whole weekend was a struggle. When we got to race day, it was like everything started clicking. I started making up positions and getting faster from there. It was the stepping stones for where I'm getting to now.”
