Linus Lundqvist Shows Encouraging Pace on Formula 3 Debut

Linus Lundqvist demonstrated sparks of highly promising pace on his Formula 3 debut at Spa-Francorchamps, the Swede working his way down to lap times which eventually proved a match for the established frontrunners.

Lundqvist, whose main 2017 programme is in British Formula 4 where he currently holds third place, was handed the opportunity of a one-off appearance in the BRDC British F3 Championship as the series set camp in the Belgian Ardennes for round five out of eight this weekend.

“This has been an amazing experience,” says Linus Lundqvist. “Getting to drive a Formula 3 car, here at Spa-Francorchamps at that, is the most fun I’ve ever had behind the steering wheel. I’m pleased with my performance considering the circumstances, and I’ve learned so much on every level.”

Lundqvist got off to a strong start at the Belgian Grand Prix track, which he visited for the first time of his life, by going seventh quickest in opening practice on Thursday. He carried the same kind of prowess into Friday’s qualifying session, lapping just a second off pole at the longest (7.004 km) and most demanding track on the British F3 calendar – despite a complete lack of slipstreaming, interestingly enough valued at around a second if perfected, along the vast forest straights.

Lundqvist’s qualifying performance would later gain further weight when his Double R Racing team discovered a leaking cylinder at the end of Friday’s running, necessitating an engine change to overcome a power shortage. With a new powerplant installed, Lundqvist ran competitively throughout the final day of the event on Saturday, although results-wise the meeting generally left him with an overhanging feeling of what could have been.

Starting from 11th on the grid in the opening race, Lundqvist made a decent getaway and came storming into the first corner – the La Source hairpin – three wide alongside Omar Ismail and Nicolai Kjaergaard. With Lundqvist squeezed on the inside, however, the left endplate of his front wing took a hit in the congestion as the trio negotiated the tight right-hander, derailing the wing and later forcing the Swede into the pits for a replacement. As it was, he languished home a distant 16th, which unfortunately had a negative knock-on effect on his Race 2 hopes with the results of the opening heat used to shape the grid for the second encounter. Lundqvist made the most of the situation, however, hauling himself from 16th to ninth by the chequered flag.

In Race 3, Lundqvist started from tenth on the grid but quickly moved into eighth on the opening lap after picking off Tristan Charpentier and Jordan Kane in swift succession. He then out-braked Formula Renault 2.0 graduate Callan O’Keeffe for seventh at Les Combes on lap five, and immediately set off in pursuit of sixth-placed Chase Owen. That was as far as he would get, however, with the short nine-lap race providing little room for further advancement – although Lundqvist took comfort from some very competitive late-race times which even saw him lap a tenth quicker than Race 1 winner Ben Hingeley (who finished third in Race 3).

On his maiden weekend in the championship, Lundqvist emerged as the top Double R Racing driver in two out of the three races.

“The main thing I take away from here is the actual pace we’ve had, especially in the last two races on Saturday,” Lundqvist sums it up. “In terms of results, unfortunately we were always going to fight an uphill struggle after what happened in Race 1. With a better result there, anything could have happened really, but I don’t want to make any excuses. At the end of the day, I was here primarily to see and learn and to prove that I’ve got what it takes at this level too. Big, sincere thanks to Double R Racing for giving me this great opportunity!”

Linus Lundqvist will be back in his normal environment in the F4 British Championship, where he has scored three race wins so far this season, on 29-30 July at Snetterton.