- Oulton Park to stage season-opening round
- Chase for tradition-steeped title begins
Easter weekend marks the start of the 2018 BRDC British F3 Championship, with Linus Lundqvist setting out on his first season of Formula 3 racing as action gets underway at Oulton Park.
Graduating to F3 following his race-winning campaign in British Formula 4 last season, 19-year-old Lundqvist has enjoyed a strong winter of preparations, culminating in a chart-topping performance at last week’s concluding pre-season test at Spa-Francorchamps.
As testing now finally morphs into racing, Lundqvist – competing for Double R Racing – is hoping to carry that kind of form into the season-opener.
“I’m very excited about this weekend,” says Linus Lundqvist. “We’ve had a really productive winter and testing has gone well, but this is when it actually counts. I can’t wait for qualifying, I can’t wait for the races, and I hope I will be able to do a good job. My own personal target is to win races as soon as possible, and while the competition is certainly going to be tough, I’d like to think that’s a realistic ambition.”
Easter weekend at Oulton Park is a tradition-rich happening in British motorsport. Effectively marking the start of the domestic racing season, with British F3 and British GT sharing the bill, it also features a unique time table, with on-track action stretching from Thursday through to Monday.
Thursday and Friday are practice days for the F3 contingent, with qualifying and the first of three races then taking place on Saturday. Following a day of rest on Sunday, the final two heats are staged on Monday.
The 2018 BRDC British F3 Championship consists of eight rounds and a total of 24 races. 19 drivers from 12 different countries are set to do battle.
The season will conclude at Formula 1 venue Silverstone in October.
TIME TABLE
BRDC British F3 Championship
Round 1 | Oulton Park
All times local (GMT+01:00)
Thursday 29 March
Free Practice 1: 09.00-10.00
Free Practice 2: 11.00-12.00
Free Practice 3: 14.00-15.00
Free Practice 4: 16.00-17.00
Friday 30 March
Free Practice 5: 09.40-10.10
Free Practice 6: 10.55-11.25
Free Practice 7: 13.05-13.35
Free Practice 8: 15.25-15.55
Saturday 31 March
Qualifying: 11.10-11.30
Race 1: 15.20 (14 laps)
Monday 2 April
Race 2: 09.50 (14 laps)
Race 3: 14.40 (14 laps)