Viktor Andersson is a 17-year-old racing driver from Linköping, Sweden. He has raced with Kiwi Motorsport in the last F4 US round of the year. I had the chance to chat with him.
youngdriversmonthly:
Hi Viktor! How are you doing? What have you done this weekend?
Viktor Andersson:
Hi. I’m fine thanks. This weekend I’ve been home in Sweden practicing on my simulator. I also spent some time with the family.
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YDM:
When and where did you fall in love with racing?
VA:
It’s difficult to say a specific age or year but my dad has raced touring cars my entire life and my grandfather has also raced. So you can almost say I’ve grown up in a racing paddock. I have enjoyed racing as long as I can remember but as I said it’s difficult to say a specific year.
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YDM:
What is your favorite moment of your racing career so far?
VA:
Winning the Swedish Championships in Formula Nordic, similar to F4. But testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and racing at Circuit of The Americas was also awesome.
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YDM:
You‘ve competed in some iRacing series during lockdown earlier this year. What do you like most about online races?
VA:
Yes I have. The things I like most about online races are that you can practice your driving skills whenever you want. In the races, you compete against both racing and simracing drivers so you always know if you’re fast or not.
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YDM:
The plan was to race in F4 US for a full season this year. But due to the corona pandemic you only managed to start at the last round of the season at COTA. What where the biggest difficulties to make racing in the US happen for you?
VA:
The main difficulty was the travel restrictions to USA. For the final raceweekend I managed to get on an exemption list for athletes and that’s the reason why we were able to the races at COTA.
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YDM:
Are you happy with your performance and the results at the F4 US weekend at COTA?
VA:
Yes I’m very happy with my performance. Many drivers had driven several years in F4 US and plenty of times at the circuit. It was the first time for me in that car and at COTA. The results could have been better if we didn’t the technical problems that we had in the first two races. But I’m happy with my performance and I showed that I had the pace by being fastest overall in practice and fighting for victories in my first ever F4 weekend.
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YDM:
Are you still in the United States or back at home in Sweden currently?
VA:
I’m currently in Sweden but the plan is to travel back to the United States in February for some testing.
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YDM:
Why do so much swedish racing drivers decide to race in the US?
VA:
I think the fact that we have two swedes Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist racing in Indycar has made the racing community in Sweden more interested in American racing.. But also the unique ladder system they have in America, that you can achieve scholarships to advance to the next series and eventually to Indycar.
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YDM:
In which racing series would you like to end up some day?
VA:
My goal is to race in Indycar.
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YDM:
How have you celebrated christmas this year?
VA:
Like everyone this year, as normal as possible but with less people.
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YDM:
What are your hobbies aside from racing?
VA:
Everything I do is connected to become a better racing driver so physical training and sim racing are the two main things I do when I’m not in the car. Like everyone I also enjoy spending time with my family.
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YDM:
What are your goals for next season? Will we see you in F4 US again?
VA:
My goal for the next season is to become champion and fight for victories no matter what series I race in. Nothing is signed yet but a full season in F4 US is one of the options that we’re working towards.
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YDM:
How can fans support & where can they follow you?
VA:
Fans can follow me on my social media. I’m active on Instagram and my Facebook page.