Best Norwegian Drivers In Motorsports

Norway in Formula 1 - When Will It Happen?

 
F1, or Formula 1, is one of the most followed motorsports globally. This sport involves open-wheel single-seater car racing and is held in different parts of the world. Formula 1 races are called Grand Prix, and the cars are known for their aerodynamics, speed, and cutting-edge design.
 
Formula 1 drivers are sponsored by various companies globally. Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari are some of the biggest names in the F1 space. Ideally, a company like Mercedes develops a car for F1 racing and then recruits a team to fly its flag.
 
Despite Norway carving its way into motorsports like rally driving, no one from Norway has ever competed in a Formula 1 race. Isn't it about time? It is hard to answer this question since we haven’t seen a Norwegian driver in F1 so far. Luckily, we have several drivers in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 Championships. These are some of them:

Dennis Hauger in the Formula 2 Championship

21-year-old Dennis Hauger was born in Oslo and raised in Aurskog. His love for motorsport and racing started early, as his parents bought him a quadbike when he was two. He was driving cross bikes when he was four. Hauger started karting when he was five and won his first race when he was eight.
 
By 2014, Hauger had completed 62 out of 70 national races. After this achievement, he decided to go international. He participated in various Formula 4 and Formula 3 races before joining Formula 2.
 
His start of the Formula 2 career was when he partnered with Jehan Daruvala at Prema Racing in January 2022. However, he had a shaky start in Bahrain, where he was number 9 in the Sprint Race. He participated in various races from 2022 to 2024, like FIA Formula 2 Championship, where he finished 10th; Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia where he finished 12th, and Red Bull Junior Team Drive. He also participated in the 2023 Macau Grand Prix as a replacement for an injured Franco Colapinto and was number two in the main race.
 
His biggest victory is the Formula 2 Sprint Race in Jeddah. In this race, he was initially number 2, but Richard Verschoor got disqualified for technical infringement, handing victory to Hauger automatically.

Martinius Stenshorne in Formula 3

Martinius Kleve Stenshorne is an 18-year-old Norwegian racing driver in the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship. He started his racing career in karting in 2016 and has made commendable progress in motorsport. 
 
His debut professional racing was in 2022 when he had a full season in Formula 4 UAE and finished 10th overall. In the same year, he competed in the Italian F4 Championships and became seventh overall. Other major competitions he participated in in 2022 were the F4 Spanish Championship, where he was 15th, and the ADAC Formula 4 Championship.
 
Formula 3 races, like Formula 1 and 2 races, attract many gamblers who explore various betting markets in the car racing niche. Stenshorne’s young age is of interest to gamblers as he seems to have a bright future. He is consistently featured as one of the online betting options by reputable and safe betting providers as his driving career advances.
 
Stenshorne participated in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023, finishing second. He became the highest-placed rookie in that competition. The other major races he competed in were the Formula Regional Middle East Championship certified by FIA, where he was 18th, and the Macau Formula 4 Race.
 
His first motor race in 2024 was the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship. However, he only participated in the first three rounds. He is also a part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme Member.

Roar Lindland in the Porsche Supercup

Roar Lindland is a 47-year-old Norwegian racing driver who competes in the Porsche Supercup. His first major competition was the Norwegian Cup National Racing in 2005. He competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavian from 2008 and 2011. In these races, he finished fourth two times and sixteenth twice. He won the Carrera GT Cup – Category 1 in 2012.
 
Lindland joined the Porsche Supercup in 2012. However, he just made guest starts in the first season. It took him one year to score two points, an achievement that saw him ranked 23rd in the general classification.
 
Roar Lindland has had 22 career wins across different competitions. His most recent race was the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup where he was 24th. He joined the Pro class in the Porsche Supercup in 2023 after winning the ProAm title four times.
 
What About Female Norwegian Drivers?
Norway does not have big female names in car racing. However, the narrative is changing with organizations such as F1 Academy embracing women car racers. The F1 Academy is in its second season, and we can only wait to see the kind of female car racers it will produce in Norway and beyond.

Norwegian RacingTracks

Norway has several motorsports racing tracks. The first one is the Rudskogen Motorsenter, which is considered the national center for motorsport. Other honourable mentions are the Motorcenter Norway (FIA Grade 3 race circuit), Grenland Motorsportsenter, Arctic Circle Raceway  (FIA Grade 3 race circuit).
 
However, Norway doesn’t have any FIA Grade 1 circuits, the recommended racing tracks for Formula 1 races. Such circuits are built and designed to meet the rigorous performance and safety standards for Formula 1 races. The closest F1 racing tracks are Ring Djursland in Denmark  and Scandinavian Raceway in Sweden.
 
Even though Norway doesn’t have drivers competing in the Formula 1, it still have big names in other motorsports. Dennis Hauger and Martinius Stenshorne are already flying the Norwegian flag high in in Formula 2 Championship and Formula 3, respectively. Roar Lindland, despite being in his late 40s, is also in the Porsche Supercup lineup.