STEP Motorsport gave a new driver his debut in Formula 4 at Ring Djursland over the weekend, and the results were celebrated with trophies and broad smiles.
The Algerian Leo Robinson arrived at the eastern Jutland track without the opportunity to practice beforehand, but that didn’t affect him; he was full speed ahead in his STEP racer from the start.
Already in practice, he marked himself with the second-fastest lap time. He continued the good form in qualifying, though he had to settle for the third-best lap time, which determined his starting position for the first heat of the weekend. He converted that into a second place after just over a quarter of an hour of racing, and due to the rules for reversed starting order, Leo started the second heat from seventh place.
On Sunday morning, the second heat began, and within a few laps, Leo Robinson was once again making his way through the field. The Algerian teenager executed several precise overtakes and crossed the finish line in third place.
Just an hour and a half later, the next-to-last heat started, and from sixth on the grid, he moved forward once again, overtaking several competitors with style before finishing in second place. Overall, the results from the first three heats meant that a green STEP racer was on pole position for the final heat.
With an experienced competitor alongside him, Leo quickly had to drop back to second place, but here the roles shifted from being pursued to being the pursuer. Throughout the race, Leo battled with two competitors to determine the podium placements in the weekend’s final race. Just before the finish, Leo took a chance to claim the victory, but it didn’t work out and cost him second place.
Leo is satisfied with his debut weekend in Formula 4:
-It has been really fun and educational. The Danish Formula 4 field is strong, and the competition at the top is fierce, so I’m proud to be part of it, he said, continuing:
-In the last race, I saw an opportunity to attack for first place, and it looked like it was going to work out at first, but the surface on the inside line was bumpier than I had expected, so I couldn’t brake quickly enough. I just barely managed to avoid taking anyone with me, but I ended up spinning quickly – still, I salvaged the third place.
With his first two trophies in hand – both for third place in the race and for being the third-best rookie driver – the young Algerian is eager for more:
-I’m really looking forward to going to Padborg Park and experiencing the Night Race! It will be an exciting race, and I’m definitely going for an improved result from today, he said.
For the team principal, the weekend has been a good testament to the team’s capabilities:
-Leo undoubtedly has great talent, but he is also a dedicated and hard-working young man who strives to achieve his goals. He showed good promise before the weekend, but it has been a pleasure to watch him develop almost lap by lap. There is more in him than we have seen so far, so I believe we will see something special in the last two races of the season, said Morten Dons.
Fortunately, there are only two weeks until the next race in the Formula 4 championship. The Night Race will take place at Padborg Park on Saturday, September 16.