Rosanne den Drijver claims maiden Nordic4 victory, Milla Sjöstrand secures double podium as female drivers shine at Karlskoga
- RACERS
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Rosanne den Drijver secured her first Nordic4 Championship victory while fellow rookie Milla Sjöstrand collected two podium finishes, in another landmark weekend for the series' female drivers at Gelleråsen Arena.
Rosanne den Drijver headlined a breakthrough weekend for the female drivers in the Nordic4 Championship at Gelleråsen Arena, claiming her maiden single-seater victory and leading a strong showing from the championship’s growing group of female racers. Alongside den Drijver’s historic win, fellow rookie Milla Sjöstrand secured two podium finishes, while Janine Wermuth, Mille Hoe and Michella Rasmussen continued to gain valuable experience in one of Scandinavia’s junior formula series.
The third round of the 2026 Nordic4 Championship took place at Sweden’s Gelleråsen Arena near Karlskoga and followed another milestone event for female drivers at Jyllandsringen. At the previous round, Mille Hoe and Milla Sjöstrand had in fact already written themselves into the championship’s history books by finishing first and second in Race 2 - the first time in Nordic4 history that the top two positions had been occupied entirely by women.
Five female drivers were once again entered on the grid at Karlskoga: Rosanne den Drijver, Milla Sjöstrand, Janine Wermuth, Michella Rasmussen and the more experienced Mille Hoe.
The signs of another successful weekend for the female drivers appeared early as qualifying produced an impressive result for several of the championship’s leading women.
Richard Olson secured pole position in his Aquila Formula Nova, but Rosanne den Drijver delivered another superb performance to qualify third. Milla Sjöstrand also continued her strong form by securing fifth on the grid, placing two female drivers inside the overall top five.
The opening race produced an early opportunity for den Drijver to fight at the front. While pole-sitter Richard Olson suffered a false start and dropped to the rear of the field heading into Turn 1, Matteis Stigsen initially assumed control of the race. Den Drijver quickly moved forward by overtaking Elias Adestam and appeared set to help secure a STEP Motorsport one-two finish alongside her teammate.
However, a close battle between the two teammates allowed the recovering Olson to close the gap and eventually retake the lead. Olson held on to secure victory, while den Drijver remained in the fight for the top positions throughout the race, eventually finishing third.
Meanwhile, Sjöstrand was fifth, Michella Rasmussen brought home sixth place, ahead of Janine Wermuth in seventh as they adapted to the new track.
Saturday afternoon’s second race brought the breakthrough moment of the weekend. Following changing weather conditions throughout the day, the race began on a mixed and evolving track. Matteis Stigsen endured a difficult start and dropped to the back of the field, while Leonel Skaar led the opening stages. Behind him, Milla Sjöstrand and Rosanne den Drijver immediately established themselves as front-runners.
Although Richard Olson once again fought his way into the lead, the drying track conditions increasingly favoured den Drijver. The Dutch racer seized her opportunity, overtook Olson and moved into first place.
Sjöstrand followed her through and also passed Olson, giving the two female drivers first and second positions on track during the race.
Den Drijver maintained her advantage to secure her first-ever Nordic4 victory and the first win of her career in F4 machinery, while Sjöstrand completed another outstanding performance by finishing second. Matteis Stigsen charged back through the field to claim third, but the spotlight belonged to the two female drivers who occupied the top two steps of the podium. Michella Rasmussen also had a good run to complete the top-five.
For both den Drijver and Sjöstrand, the achievement was particularly remarkable as they are competing in their first season of F4 racing.
Sunday’s final race presented fresh challenges; Richard Olson made a strong start and controlled the race from the front, successfully resisting pressure from Matteis Stigsen. For den Drijver, however, misfortune struck when an electrical issue developed on her car. The problem forced her into the pits and cost valuable laps while repairs were carried out. Once back on track, the Dutch driver demonstrated impressive pace, matching Olson’s lap times despite the earlier setback and showing the speed that had resulted in her maiden victory just one day earlier.
While den Drijver’s race was compromised, Sjöstrand emerged as the leading female finisher: the Swedish rookie produced another mature performance to secure third place overall, collecting her second podium finish of the weekend. Rasmussen took the chequered flag in sixth, ahead of Wermuth in sixth.
By the conclusion of the Karlskoga weekend, the female entries of Nordic4 had once again been among the championship’s highlights: Den Drijver celebrated a breakthrough maiden victory, while Sjöstrand added a second and third-place finish to continue an impressive rookie campaign.
The championship now heads to Sturup Raceway, located just east of Copenhagen, for the next round on 27–28 June, where the female drivers will look to continue their strong momentum.
