Sweden’s Linus Lundqvist is a quadruple single-seater champion, clinching the 2022 INDY NXT championship, the 2020 Formula Regional Americas title, the 2018 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and the 2016 Formula STCC Nordic crown. In 2024, he will race the #8 American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
Linus Lundqvist clings on for dramatic flag-to-flag victory
Linus Lundqvist took over the lead of the Indy Lights championship standings after clinging on to a flag-to-flag victory on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, staving off a late charge on the final lap as he slid home on heavily worn wet-weather tyres…
Maximum score in Alabama: leads every lap from pole position
Swede snatches Indy Lights championship lead with first win of season
Linus Lundqvist took over the lead of the Indy Lights championship standings after clinging on to a flag-to-flag victory on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park, staving off a late charge on the final lap as he slid home on heavily worn wet-weather tyres.
Lundqvist stormed to maximum points at the Alabama circuit, leading every lap of the race from pole position in round two of the INDYCAR support series.
The Swede, who has now won five races in six career starts at Barber Motorsports Park, topped the times on a dry track in qualifying on Saturday, but was faced with entirely new conditions come the race following an overnight thunderstorm.
Treading into the unknown on wet-weather Cooper tyres, Lundqvist kept his lead at the start, gradually pulling away from second-placed HMD Motorsports team-mate Benjamin Pedersen until the safety car was triggered following an off from Christian Bogle.
As racing resumed, Lundqvist and Pedersen again drove off into the distance, often lapping a second or more clear of the competition.
Lundqvist stretched his lead to four seconds in the wet, but as the race neared its end, Pedersen found fresh pace on a rapidly drying track while Lundqvist struggled for grip as his tyres began to wear out.
It all came down to the very last second of the very last lap, with the pair frenetically scrapping for victory all the way across the line – even making slight contact when sprinting to the flag.
Lundqvist managed to hold firm, however, eventually winning by a mere 0.178 seconds to snatch his fourth Indy Lights victory.
“That was as close as it gets! This is one of the sweetest wins I’ve had,” says an elated Linus Lundqvist. “There wasn’t much left of the tyres in the last 15 laps; I even had chunks of rubber striking my visor as they started to give way!
“Benjamin didn’t make it easy for me today, but I knew I had track position and luckily I managed to fend him off. I’m incredibly happy for my first win of the season and I can’t thank the team enough for giving me such a fast car this weekend, wet or dry.”
Thanks to Sunday’s victory, Lundqvist takes over the Indy Lights championship lead, nine points clear of Pedersen.
The next Indy Lights round takes place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the scene of one of Lundqvist’s three 2021 Indy Lights wins – on May 13-14.
1: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 89 p. 2: Benjamin Pedersen (DEN), 80 p. 3: Matthew Brabham (AUS), 77 p. 4: Sting Ray Robb (USA), 67 p. 5: Danial Frost (SGP), 62 p.
