Pole Position and five podium finishes are the result of STEP Motorsport’s first race weekend in Formula 4.
With preparation, one can go far. But to achieve a season start like the one Julius Dinesen, Victor Nielsen, and STEP Motorsport had during the weekend’s race at Padborg Park, several ingredients must be added.
Julius Dinesen started strong by securing Pole Position for the first heat with a margin of 0.067 seconds over the two nearest competitors, including teammate Victor. And that set the tone.
From the front starting position and with Victor right behind him, Julius got off to a good start and led the field. However, after a couple of laps, he had to relinquish the lead to a competitor, but he kept the pace high and secured both his and the team’s first F4 podium finish. Right behind him was Victor Nielsen, who finished in third place after an impressive debut race.
In the second heat, the starting order was reversed among the top eight finishers from the first heat, allowing Victor and Julius to fight their way up from sixth and seventh places, respectively. A small beginner’s mistake cost Julius a few positions, but he battled through an intense heat with many position changes. When the finish line was crossed for the last time, Julius took third place and Victor finished in sixth.
The final heat featured another exciting race, where the two STEP drivers maintained a strong pace and managed to secure another second and third place.
-It has been an awesome weekend, and I had hoped to fight for a top position, so in that way, it has been a fantastic start to the season! I need to work much more on my starts, and I still lack a bit of race pace, but we’ll find that, says a happy Julius Dinesen. Victor Nielsen also leaves his first Formula 4 race with a big smile:
-I’m super happy. Two third places are more than I had hoped for, so it has been a positive weekend! I have gotten many good laps in and learned the car better, and although I need to practice a bit on various aspects, I think we’re already in a good place, says Victor Nielsen.
For the team principal, the weekend has brought positive surprises and perhaps a bit higher expectations for the season:
-I knew we had two good cards in our hands for our debut season, but that both boys would go out and perform so well right away… I didn’t expect that, says Morten Dons, who enjoyed his first weekend as a Formula 4 team principal:
-To achieve five podium finishes in our first race weekend exceeds all our expectations, but the team has functioned as one cohesive unit all weekend, working purposefully to give Victor and Julius a strong foundation. We have succeeded in that, and I’m grateful to have such competent and great people on the team.