- Belgium’s Ardennes forest to kick off second half of the season
- Lundqvist out to defend championship lead
Following a lengthy six-week break, the 2018 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship finally springs back to life this weekend. The second half of the season gets underway not in the UK, ironically, but at Belgium’s daunting Grand Prix venue Spa-Francorchamps – with Linus Lundqvist arriving as championship leader.
Having won one third of the opening 12 races of his rookie F3 campaign, Lundqvist currently enjoys a 56-point lead over main rival Nicolai Kjaergaard (Denmark) in the battle for the prestigious title.
The Double R Racing Swede, however, is well aware that winds can change quickly in the heat of international single-seater competition. Heading into this weekend’s races at Spa, the longest circuit on the calendar at 7.004 km, there is also the added uncertainty of just how the long summer break may have affected the established balance of power – although Lundqvist remains confident.
“It’s going to be so much fun to finally get back to racing again,” says Linus Lundqvist. “It’s been such a long break, these six weeks. It’ll be one of the most important weekends. Things have run very well until now, but this is where the season sort of starts over a bit and we don’t know what our rivals have been up to during the break. No one have been resting on their laurels, that’s for sure. I think it will be an interesting weekend that might well shape the rest of the year, but I’m up for the challenge and good to go!”
While watching out for the potential progress of rival teams, especially reigning European F3 champions Carlin which field Kjaergaard among others, the signs are certainly positive for Lundqvist heading into Spa after he topped the official pre-season test at the Ardennes venue this winter, dipping below the existing track record.
“I love Spa,” Lundqvist continues. “It’s where I made my British F3 debut in a one-off last year, and we were really strong in testing there before the season. The track is very fast and flowing, it’s a long and demanding lap, and I enjoy every inch of it. I would never take anything for granted at this level, but leading the championship our target has got to be to fight for wins again and try to maintain our points advantage.”
Running at Spa gets underway on Friday with free practice and qualifying. The first of the weekend’s three races is staged on Saturday, with the final two scheduled in for Sunday.
TIME TABLE
BRDC British F3 Championship
Round 5 | Spa-Francorchamps
All times local (GMT+02:00)
Friday 20 July
Free Practice 1: 09.00-09.45
Free Practice 2: 12.40-13.25
Free Practice 3: 15.25-16.10
Qualifying: 16.50-17.10
Saturday 21 July
Race 1: 13.30-13.50
Sunday 22 July
Race 2: 11.45-12.05
Race 3: 16.00-16.20
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (top five)
BRDC British F3 Championship
After 12/24 races
1: Linus Lundqvist, 324 p.
2: Nicolai Kjaergaard, 268 p.
3: Kush Maini, 227 p.
4: Tom Gamble, 203 p.
5: Jordan Kane, 159 p.
Click here to view full standings.
HOW TO FOLLOW LINUS
Website: www.linuslundqvistracing.se
Facebook: LinusLundqvistRacing
Live timing: http://www.britishf3.com/live-timing/