The Nordic 4 Championship kicks off its new season this weekend, boasting its largest field of participants since the series’ first season in 2017 under the Danish F4 banner. Here’s your guide to the season ahead and the drivers to watch.

By Paul Wehler

When the first of seven rounds of the 2024 season commences at Padborg Park this weekend, it will come with a significant change in nomenclature: the series known as Danish F4 is now history, having given way to the Nordic 4 Championship.

After narrowly losing out to Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen by just four points last year, runner-up Magnus Pedersen aims to seize the title in his one-man team, MP Racing. Additionally, a new team, RaceCraft, enters the fray this season, with drivers expected to rotate.

The change in name means that the series has become independent from FIA regulations governing F4 cars. Nordic 4 uses both the first-generation Mygale M14-F4 chassis – the only F4-level championship to continue using it – and Formula Ford–based cars in the Formula 5 class. A total of six F5 cars are set to compete in the first race weekend, bringing the total number of drivers to 17.

The calendar

This season will feature seven race weekends, one more than the previous season. The series kicks off on 27 April at Padborg Park. Five race weekends will be held in Denmark, with two in Sweden. The Falkenbergs Motorbana in June replaces the Scandinavian Raceway. Jylland-Ringen and Padborg Park will host two race weekends.

•        Round 1: Padborg Park (27–28 April)

•        Round 2: Jyllandsringen (11–12 May)

•        Round 3: Karlskoga Motorstadion (1–2 June)

•        Round 4: Ring Djursland (22–23 June)

•        Round 5: Falkenbergs Motorbana (13–14 July)

•        Round 6: Padborg Park (15–16 September)

•        Round 7: Jyllandsringen (28–29 September)

The format

Each race weekend includes a 15-minute practice session. A qualifying session determines the grid for race one. The starting grid for race two is determined by the results of race one, with the top eight in reverse order.

Points from the first two races determine the starting grid for race three, with the driver accumulating the most points starting from pole position. The point allocation for each race mirrors that of Formula 1.

Where to watch

The first races at Padborg Park will be streamed live on the Dansk Motorsport YouTube channel, and subsequent rounds are also expected to be broadcast. Live timing for all races will be available on raceresult.dk.

Teams and drivers (Formula 4)

STEP Motorsport

After having taken Julius Dinesen to the 2022 drivers’ title and fielded several frontrunners for part-time campaigns in 2023, STEP Motorsport enter the new season with a completely new line-up, boasting five seats, including two for female drivers.

Danish driver Mathias Bjerre Jakobsen (#21) makes the switch from Team Formula Sport to STEP Motorsport, bringing promise to his new team. In the previous season, Jacobsen secured an impressive third place overall in the championship standings. The 17-year-old clinched a remarkable eight podium finishes throughout the season, establishing himself as a formidable contender on track in his first full single-seater season. Jacobsen also competed in four rounds of F4 CEZ last year, finishing the year fifth with four podiums.

Lærke Rønn Sørensen (#13) also competed in the last three weekends of the previous season and was consistently among the top 10 finishers, demonstrating strong potential on track. The 17-year-old, one of four female competitors in the field, makes the switch to STEP from the privateer LR Racing team.

The sole non-Danish driver in the team is British racer Emily Cotty (#42). At just 14 years old, Cotty is one of the youngest in the field. Having recently transitioned from karting in the spring Cotty is set to embark on her first full season in single-seaters after having completed several test sessions in F4 cars, including with the British F4 field. She is not, however, racing in the opening round.

Also joining the team is Sebastian Bach (#88). The rookie is entering his debut year in a formula car, following a successful fourth-place finish in the DRMC Rotax Senior karting championship last season.

A last-minute announcement came in the form of Sebastian Schou (#38), who has been confirmed to be racing for STEP in the opening round. The 16-year-old Danish driver, who stepped up from karting over the winter, has done F4 testing with the team over the winter and says he aims to race in Le Mans by 2030.

MP Racing

MP Racing retains its lone driver, last season’s runner-up Magnus Pedersen (#12), who is undoubtedly the early-season favorite in Nordic 4.

Last season, the Dane proved to be the only real rival for eventual champion Mikkel Gaarde Pedersen, securing five victories and five additional podium finishes. Entering his third year in the series, the privateer aims to achieve the long-awaited title success he has been striving for.

FSP

FSP also enters the fray with four cars and welcomes a female driver in Swede Alexia Danielsson (#61), who, at just 14 years old, will embark on her first season in formula cars. Last autumn, she competed in the junior class of Aquila Formula 1000, a Sweden-based series using open-cockpit cars that blend go-kart and single-seater, and finished fourth overall.

Louis Leveau (#8) returns for his second season with FSP having spent the last three race weekends with the team last year. The Danish driver garnered attention with several strong results during his time with FSP despite having just turned 14.

Making his debut in the Nordic 4 series is Marius Kristiansen (#15). The 18-year-old Danish driver participated in the season finale last year and secured two sixth-place finishes.

The fourth driver in the team will be rookie Mads Kjeldtoft Ljungberg (#31). The 17-year-old from Odense has been karting until recently and will make his single-seater debut at Padborg Park.

Race Craft Driver Academy

New team Race Craft is overseen by 23-year-old Frederik Stenå, who competed in Danish F4 as a driver as recently as last year. The team fields two cars, with at least five drivers set to appear throughout the season. As the only new team in the F4 class, RaceCraft will exclusively field rookies, all hailing from Denmark.

At the season opener, Anton Morsing (#10) will take the wheel of the first car. The 16-year-old participated in various karting events last year, including races at the Daytona Kartbahn in Essen.

Alongside Morsing, Nikolaj Dyrved (#11) will also hit the track. The 18-year-old, also transitioning from karting, has already gained some experience in formula cars through various tests in the spring, including sessions with Audi.

Completing the team are William Kragelund and Carl Pramming. The timing of their appearances is currently uncertain, but neither will race at Padborg Park.

Teams and drivers (Formula 5)

In addition, several Formula 5 cars will once again compete. At the season opener, six drivers from four different teams will be in the mix. Multiple changes are expected throughout the season, although detailed information on what exactly they will be is not yet available.

Mads Hoe Motorsport

Mads Hoe (#47), at 26 years old, is the most experienced driver in the field and is likely to be the one to beat. After all, he was the 2021 outright champion of Danish F4 despite being in an F5 car, and he finished sixth in the overall standings last year and secured three podium finishes. Hoe had planned to retire from racing after his 2021 title but has continued to race while pursuing a master’s degree in information technology.

Also in the team is Mads’ younger sister Mille Hoe (#56), who competed in the F5 class last year and finished ninth in the overall points without securing a podium. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old aims to come out on top in the family rivalry against Mads this season.

Completing the lineup is Mads Kjelde Larsen (#16). The 15-year-old Danish rookie can finally celebrate his debut in a formula car after most recently competing in senior karting.

MT Motorsport

Joining the roster as a rookie for family-run MT Motorsport is Marcus Terkildsen (#222). The 14-year-old Danish rookie from Horsens aims to shake up the experienced competition right from his first races in single-seaters.

Leerskov Racing

Following a commendable 2023 season, Jorgen Leerskov (#4) makes his return with Leerskov Racing, aiming to build upon his previous progress. At Jyllandsringen last October, the father of two clinched his first podium finish.

Rytteriet

After participating in four race weekends last season, Niels-Ejnar Rytter (#49) has chosen to return for another campaign with Rytteriet. The 66-year-old brings to the track his wealth of experience dating back to Formula Ford in 2007, before several of his rivals were born.

Editor’s note, 27 April 2024, 12:36 CEST: This article was updated to include Sebastian Schou.

Header photo credit: Danish F4