- Debut campaign off to victorious start
- Top rookie after round one
Linus Lundqvist holds a strong second place overall in the BRDC British F3 Championship following the opening round at Oulton Park on Easter weekend, having wasted no time to join victory lane.
The Swedish 19-year-old claimed victory in the very first race of the new season on Saturday, and followed up that performance with another two solid runs to significant points as racing resumed in treacherous conditions on Monday.
Lundqvist’s Race 1 triumph left him at the back of the field for the fully reversed-grid Race 2, which – to complicate matters further – took place in intermittent rain. Battling through the spray in highly limited visibility, Lundqvist managed to make up eight places on his way to P8, having run as high as sixth when the race was red-flagged and the results counted back one lap.
In the concluding Race 3, staged amid an increasing downpour, Lundqvist found himself on the front row of the grid alongside pole-sitting Dane Nicolai Kjaergaard. Initially running second, Lundqvist ultimately had to make do with fifth at the chequered flag, having dropped back after struggling for grip and missing a chicane.
Lundqvist’s set of results – P1, P8 and P5 – leaves him a convincing second overall in the British F3 drivers’ standings, where he trails sophomore racer Kjaergaard by 18 points. Lundqvist is the top rookie.
“This has been a really good way to start the season, with that win in Race 1 of course marking the highlight of the weekend,” says Linus Lundqvist. “The pace was very good in the dry on Saturday, which is a great sign for the year ahead, and I really want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Double R Racing for all the hard work they’ve put in. This is confirmation that we’ll be up there and fight for something really big this season.”
Never complacent, however, Lundqvist believes there is room for improvement in the wet.
“I demand a lot from myself and I’m not pleased with my performance in the rain today,” Lundqvist admits. “This is the first time I’ve driven the F3 car properly in the wet – I had something like half a day in testing – so there’s some work to do on that. With some more experience, it should be fine, and I’m not too worried about it. I’m glad to come away from here sitting second overall in the British F3 standings, especially after a weekend of such changeable conditions.”
The next round of the BRDC British F3 Championship takes place at Rockingham – where Linus Lundqvist won from pole in British F4 last season – on April 27-29.
RESULTS (top five)
BRDC British F3 Championship
Round 1 | Oulton Park
Race 1
1: Linus Lundqvist, Double R, 11 laps
2: Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +0.826s
3: Billy Monger, Carlin, +4.093s
4: Tom Gamble, Fortec, +4.898s
5: Krish Mahadik, Double R, +9.055s
Race 2 (reversed grid)
1: Manuel Maldonado, Fortec, 7 laps
2: Tristan Charpentier, Fortec, +0.393s
3: Jamie Chadwick, Douglas, +0.750s
4: Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, +2.469s
5: Kush Maini, Lanan, +2.849s
—
8: Linus Lundqvist, Double R, +4.016s
Race 3
1: Nicolai Kjaergaard, Carlin, 12 laps
2: Tom Gamble, Fortec, +0.814s
3: Kush Maini, Lanan, +17.187s
4: Clement Novalak, Carlin, +18.312s
5: Linus Lundqvist, Double R, +24.252s
Click here to view full results.