Linus Lundqvist Takes Race-Winning Momentum into Thruxton High-Speed Thriller

Three weeks ago, Linus Lundqvist powered into victory lane for the first time in the F4 British Championship. This weekend sees the pursuit of further success continue in top gear – literally – as the field sets camp at the ultra-fast circuit of Thruxton.

Lundqvist’s maiden season of F4 racing has featured what is probably best described as a roller-coaster start. After technical problems forced him out of each of the opening three races at Brands Hatch, the Swede struck back with a milestone triple last time out at Donington Park; sealing his first F4 podium, victory and pole positions.

While those results saw Lundqvist emphatically open his 2017 points account, the Double R Racing youngster still has plenty of work to do as he bids to overcome the opening round retirements, currently sitting down in ninth in the overall standings.

Heading into round three of the season, therefore, Lundqvist is aiming to slowly but surely make up lost ground.

“There is just one thing to do at the moment, and that’s giving it everything I’ve got in every race,” says Linus Lundqvist. “In a way, it’s a pretty comfortable position to be in. We know that we have the pace and it was good to prove that at Donington. Now, I want to continue to win races and make inroads in the championship. I’m really looking forward to the weekend and I can’t see why we shouldn’t be competitive.”

Hosting this weekend’s races is the 3.8 km Thruxton circuit north of Southampton – a track well-known for its quick layout. Boasting average F4 speeds of 115 mph and featuring just two braking zones, Thruxton races are often characterised by intense slipstreaming battles and close, wheel-to-wheel duels.

As part of the preparations for this weekend, an official day of testing took place at Thruxton on April 20, with Lundqvist setting the pace on that occasion.

“I’m really fond of Thruxton,” Lundqvist continues. “I like fast tracks and we had a really good car there in testing. If we can replicate that this weekend, we will be strong – although I think being quick at Thruxton doesn’t automatically translate into good results. The slipstreaming will make it very hard for anyone to break free from the pack, and I suspect we will see three pretty special races. I’ll do my utmost to cross the line first!”

Unusually, this weekend will feature no free practice sessions, with Lundqvist and his competitors instead heading straight into qualifying on Saturday morning. The first of the three races will follow in the afternoon, with the remaining two taking place on Sunday.

Following the sad events three weeks ago at Donington Park, in which Billy Monger suffered serious injuries, all F4 cars will sport prominent #ForzaBilly branding at Thruxton.