Pre-season promise leaves Linus Lundqvist optimistic ahead of British Formula 4 debut

Reigning Formula STCC Nordic champion Linus Lundqvist showcased strong form in official testing for the F4 British Championship this week, the Swedish rookie consistently mixing it at the top of the timesheets as pre-season preparations intensified on the British isles.

17-year-old Lundqvist steps up from domestic Swedish motorsport this year with an attack on British Formula 4, teaming up with race-winning outfit Double R Racing.

This week saw two days of official, collective testing take place at Donington Park and Brands Hatch respectively, with Lundqvist regularly among the frontrunners as he completed a productive programme of more than 800 kilometres behind the wheel of his Ford EcoBoost-powered car.

Going second fastest overall at Donington Park on Monday, on his first visit to the Leicestershire track, Lundqvist went on to top the times in a rain-hit morning session at Brands Hatch on Wednesday, eventually ending up third-quickest on the combined times of the day as the track dried out in the afternoon.

“It’s been a good couple of days of testing, and I’m really pleased with how things are going at the moment,” says Linus Lundqvist. “I’ve adapted to the car and the tracks just as quickly as I was hoping to, and the guys at Double R Racing have been very professional and easy to work with. The pace seems to be there, even though we haven’t really focussed that much on one-lap performance to be honest. Testing is always testing and you never know what the others are doing, but I think we are genuine contenders. I’m feeling optimistic.”

The 2017 F4 British Championship is likely to boast a final grid of above the 20-car mark, with widespread competition from throughout the world. Linus Lundqvist forms part of a three-car line-up at Double R Racing, alongside Lebanon’s Karl Massaad and China’s Daniel Cao.

“The competition will be strong, we’ve already seen that in testing,” Lundqvist concludes. “It will be about having that final tenth or two on your side, and that’s what I’m working hard to achieve. We still have a few more tests to go before the first race, and hopefully we can make the most of them as well. I’m really excited and my target will be to win as many races as possible this year!”

The opening round of the season takes place at Brands Hatch on April 1-2, with another nine weekends of racing – all triple-headers – following suit. The finale will be staged on October 1.