Linus Lundqvist moves on from trying Hockenheim races

• Leading practice pace goes largely unrewarded
• Saturday top five finish adds valuable championship points

Linus Lundqvist did not reap the rewards he had been hoping to from some highly convincing practice pace at this weekend’s Euroformula Open event at Hockenheim.

Lundqvist ended Friday’s three practice sessions in second, first and third respectively, lending hopes of a strong weekend ahead at the German Grand Prix track.

Come Saturday’s first qualifying battle, however, the reigning British F3 champion was not quite able to join the pole position fight, instead ending up fourth on the grid for the opening race of the meeting. He would finish the 19-lap encounter in fifth.

In the second and final race on Sunday, Lundqvist again held P5 on the opening lap, putting pressure on a quartet of Motopark cars ahead. Exiting the final corner to start lap two, however, Lundqvist ran wide, damaging the front wing and suspension of his Double R Racing machine and bringing it into retirement. 
 
“Definitely not the weekend we wanted, especially considering the pace we had on Friday,”says Linus Lundqvist. “Somewhere along the way we lost it and we simply couldn’t keep up with the Motopark guys this time. The Race 2 mistake was a case of me running into the dirty air behind the car in front and just washing out into the grass, where I hit a bump that destroyed the suspension. Not the best of weekends for sure, but all we can do is leave it behind and keep pushing on.”
 
The next Euroformula Open round takes place at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps – where Linus Lundqvist won twice in British F3 last year – on June 7-9.

 

RESULTS (top five)
Euroformula Open
Round 3/9 | Hockenheim (GER) 

RACE 1
1: Marino Sato (JPN), Motopark, 19 laps
2: Jack Doohan (AUS), Double R, +5.221s
3: Liam Lawson (NZL), Motopark, +6.468s
4: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN), Motopark, +8.778s
5: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), Double R, +13.430s

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RACE 2
1: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN), Motopark, 19 laps
2: Marino Sato (JPN), Motopark, +4.654s
3: Julian Hanses (GER), Motopark, +9.176s
4: Lukas Dunner (AUT), Teo Martin, +9.707s
5: Liam Lawson (NZL), Motopark, +14.255s 
—
DNF: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), Double R, + 17 laps 

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CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (top five)
Euroformula Open
After 6/18 races

1: Marino Sato (JPN), 104 p.
2: Liam Lawson (NZL), 89 p.
3: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN), 80 p.
4: Lukas Dunner (AUT), 74 p.
5: Julian Hanses (GER), 49 p.
6: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 43 p.

View full standings