A sharp qualification and a second place were secured during the first race weekend of the year in Formula 4. STEP Motorsport continues its good form in its second year with formula cars.
The first race of the year is always extra exciting. How fast are the competitors compared to oneself, and has the winter rust been shaken off during the training days leading up to the season?
For STEP Motorsport’s driver, the northern Jutland racer Victor T. Nielsen, the pace was there from the start. He was just under three-tenths of a second away from pole position and was able to start the first race from third place.
Qualifying and racing are two different things, and Victor lost a couple of positions right from the first lap. Despite several attempts throughout the race, he never quite found his rhythm and had to settle for a sixth place.
However, a good night’s sleep can make a lot of difference, so when the second heat of the weekend took place on Sunday morning, it was a sharp and aggressive driver behind the wheel of the green Formula 4 car. After a somewhat tumultuous start, Victor found himself in second place and was able to execute a well-planned maneuver to take the lead.
He held onto this position for many laps, but with two laps to go, he had to relinquish the lead to a faster competitor. However, no one could take second place away from him, and important points were gathered for the championship.
In the final heat, Victor started from fourth place but fell back two positions. However, two competitors ahead of him went off the track, which sent Victor back to fourth place and triggered a lengthy safety car period. When the race was released with just one lap remaining, there was little else to do but bring the car home to the checkered flag.
-It has been a somewhat mixed weekend. The qualification was quite good, and race number two was also close to being perfect — but the other two races could have been better from my side. I need to learn from that and come back sharper next time, says Victor T. Nielsen, who could nevertheless celebrate his best race result to date.
For team principal Morten Dons, the season start has been largely positive:
-Formula 4 is a fantastic championship for young racing drivers, and I think the level in the class is quite high right from the start of the season. Victor showed glimpses of having what it takes to compete at the top, so now we need to make him more consistent; then I believe our ambition of fighting for the championship is realistic, says Morten Dons.
In two weeks, STEP Motorsport and Victor T. Nielsen will be back on the racetrack again, this time at Anderstorp Raceway for the first of two race weekends in Sweden.