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 returns to scene of victorious U.S. arrival
Almost exactly one year ago, Linus Lundqvist set off on a journey into the unknown. Arriving on the U.S. single-seater stage with a clean sheet of paper, the Swede has since established himself as one of the stars of tomorrow on the road to INDYCAR – and this weekend, he returns to where it all began those 12 months ago…
Swede back at Mid-Ohio one year on from explosive U.S. single-seater debut
Last round of Indy Lights before summer hiatus
Utah Airguns takes up position of Event Title Sponsor
Almost exactly one year ago, Linus Lundqvist set off on a journey into the unknown. Arriving on the U.S. single-seater stage with a clean sheet of paper, the Swede has since established himself as one of the stars of tomorrow on the road to INDYCAR – and this weekend, he returns to where it all began those 12 months ago.
As Lundqvist drives into the paddock at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this week as an Indy Lights title contender, it marks a drive down memory lane in many aspects.
The Lexington, Ohio, track was the site of Lundqvist’s first foray onto the American single-seater arena last summer – amid the added complexity of the pandemic – as he stormed to a headline-grabbing on-debut double win in Formula Regional Americas to sweep the opening round of the campaign.
“Mid-Ohio is a special place to me,” says Linus Lundqvist. “That’s where this whole American adventure started last year, and I think that opening weekend in FR Americas was a cornerstone for everything that’s happened since. I like the track, and it’s one of just two on this year’s calendar that I’ve actually driven before, so all in all I’m feeling good about the weekend ahead.”
His defining Mid-Ohio wins proved the first of a total 15 triumphs from 17 races in 2020, with Lundqvist sealing the FR Americas title in style and using a Honda / HPD scholarship as foundation for his rise to Indy Lights in 2021.
Lundqvist instantly proved a frontrunner in the Road To Indy top tier, too, winning the very first race of the season at Barber Motorsports Park and then taking the flag again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Adding a further four podiums to his two victories, Lundqvist currently sits a tied second in the overall Indy Lights standings, tied on points (227) with quadruple U.S. junior single-seater champion Kyle Kirkwood (USA).
Leading the charts at the halfway point of the season, just eight points ahead, is David Malukas (USA) – Lundqvist’s team-mate at Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports, and moreover his main title rival last year in FR Americas.
“This is the last round before a summer break of almost two months, so you definitely want to do well here,” concludes Linus Lundqvist. “It makes life a lot easier mentally if you can take a good result into a break like that. I struggled a bit last time out at Road America, but we think there were specific reasons for that, and I am confident we’ll be back where we belong this weekend fighting it out up front.”
Linus Lundqvist will be supported at Mid-Ohio by new partner Utah Airguns, which takes up the position of Event Title Sponsor. The Utah Airguns logo will be featured prominently on the sidepods of Lundqvist’s Dallara IL-15 car throughout the meeting, which begins with testing on Thursday and culminates with two races on Saturday and Sunday.
