Sunday afternoon, Julius Dinesen secured the Danish Championship in Formula 4, giving STEP Motorsport the team’s first Danish championship. Victor T. Nielsen finished in second place in the Rookie Championship.
With only a twenty-point lead in the championship, there was no doubt that the final weekend would be a challenge for STEP Motorsport and Julius Dinesen. A strongly competing rival had been closing in on the top position in the championship throughout the autumn season, so there were expectations for a weekend filled with pressure on Julius’s shoulders. At the same time, Victor T. Nielsen could, with a good result, hope to secure third place in the championship.
Saturday’s qualifying session took place on wet asphalt, where Julius was second fastest while Victor’s best time landed him in fifth place. This set the stage for the championship battle that many were hoping for.
A fantastic start in the first heat propelled Julius into the lead, but it only lasted a few laps before last year’s champion passed him. Rather than taking big risks for a better position, Julius wisely chose to secure important points for the championship by settling for third place, which earned him valuable points.
As always, the second heat featured a hectic start, with the top seven positions from the first heat reversed for the start of the next heat. Here, Victor T. Nielsen suddenly took the spotlight as he led the field for several laps, but he ultimately had to settle for a strong second place, gaining crucial points from Dinesen’s championship rival. Dinesen himself fought through the heat on used tires while most of the field was on new rubber, finishing in seventh place.
In the hours between the second and third heats, the atmosphere in the STEP Motorsport tent was intense and focused. The cars were thoroughly inspected, and both drivers were given space to relax and concentrate on the task ahead.
Victor started the final heat from third place, with Julius right beside him in fourth. As might be expected when so much is at stake, things nearly went terribly wrong.
While braking at the end of the main straight, Victor overbraked and triggered a chain reaction when he collided with the car in front. Most of the field had to swerve through the sand trap and onto the grass to avoid the situation. Julius was just inches away from getting stuck in the sand trap but managed to escape.
Afterward, it became a wild chase. What had been about driving wisely and minimizing risk now turned into a matter of moving forward in the field at any cost. And that’s exactly what happened. Julius fought his way back to fourth place, right behind his championship rival, which was enough to secure the championship.
-Winning the championship is huge, and maybe even more so after such a crazy heat as we just had! I knew there was only one thing to do now, so I gave it everything I had. It was wild, says Julius Dinesen, reflecting on a fantastic debut season in Formula 4.
-I have learned a lot this year, both about the craft of being a racing driver and about myself. The team has given me the best conditions to develop and win races, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together!
For Victor T. Nielsen, the good starting position in the final heat turned into a seventh-place finish after losing some speed due to the incident. In the championship, this meant that his potential third place became a fifth place.
-The last heat was just exciting enough. I braked too late and unfortunately hit the driver in front. It triggered a wild chain reaction, and I ended up spinning around. It was a bit of a disappointing end to the season, but that’s racing, says Victor T. Nielsen.
From the team manager’s perspective, the weekend’s races were a healthy challenge:
-It’s been quite some time since there was such a close season finale in Formula 4, so there was naturally high pressure on the drivers — not just the two championship contenders. Julius drove all three races with his head and showed in the final heat that he could attack when necessary, says Morten Dons, who is pleased to have produced a Danish champion in the team’s first season in Formula 4.
-I would be lying if I said I wasn’t proud! Both Victor and Julius have done a great job on the track, and they’ve done it in two cars that haven’t had a single technical problem all year. The entire team behind has made a rock-solid effort, allowing us to develop the drivers. I am grateful for that.