Lasse Sorensen
French F4, Val de Vienne
Pulling off a hat-trick of wins in Formula 4 racing is no easy task. F4 championships are one-make, usually filled with inexperienced, unpredictable rookies and often include a reverse-grid race every weekend.
Yet, in 2014, hat-tricks in F4 just kept popping up. Sennan Fielding became the first BRDC F4 racer to lock out a round of the series, mastering wet and dry conditions to dominate Silverstone. Mattia Drudi, having already forfeited the Italian F4 title to Lance Stroll, bossed the field around Monza, winning all three races ? something neither Stroll nor his experienced squadmate Maisano could manage over the year. F4 Sudam part-timer Agustin Lima showed up the field at Taruma with three wins out of three.
And French F4 champion Lasse Sorensen? He did it twice. And while his brilliant Nogaro sweep virtually put the title beyond doubt, it’s his Val de Vienne exploits that were most impressive.
He showed up to Val de Vienne third in the standings after two rounds of the championship. A wet practice saw him beat the field by more than a second and, while that was overselling his real advantage, he did go on to claim his first pole.
A straighforward race one, where Sorensen briefly fended off sophomore Felix Hirsiger, saw the Dane claim a maiden win and the points lead.
But his victory also meant starting tenth in race two and, despite getting a good start, he was just eighth early on. However, reverse-grid poleman Valentin Hasse-Clot was in full defensive mode, holding off a lot of drivers and allowing Sorensen to overtake them left and right.
He passed Le Mans race winners Bryan Elpitiya and Joseph Mawson in one lap, before closing in on the lead battle between Hasse-Clot and Dorian Boccolacci. Under pressure, Hasse-Clot eventually spun and, as Bocolacci had to hit the brakes, Sorensen was there to pounce and steal both spots.
After winning race two, he was rather slow off pole in race three, but held on to the lead. The intrigue was over by turn one and, after the 14-lap race was concluded, Sorensen had gained 13 seconds on his nearest chaser Boccolacci.
It is worth noting that French F4 awards points for setting the fastest lap ? Sorensen picked up that honour in all three races.
Not all entry-level champions go on to greatness in junior single-seaters, but Sorensen’s hat-trick at Val de Vienne shows how special he can really be. If he can pull off performances like that in the future, the Dane should go all the way up the ladder.
Valentin Khorounzhiy