- Swede fights back in Euroformula Open curtain-raiser
- Fastest lap indicates strong race pace
Linus Lundqvist brought home a brace of top five finishes as the Euroformula Open campaign kicked off at Circuit Paul Ricard this weekend, indicating yet stronger potential by setting the fastest lap of Sunday’s concluding race.
Lundqvist and his team, Double R Racing, showcased imposing pace in both of the weekend’s two races in France, but were held back by less impressive performances in qualifying – where main rivals Motopark and Teo Martin Motorsport instead laid down the marker.
As a result, Lundqvist found himself down in tenth and seventh respectively on the two grids, but recovered in style to finish fourth (Race 1) and fifth (Race 2) in the 21-car field.
The fastest man on track in the closing stages of each event, Lundqvist demonstrated his race pace by setting the second-fastest lap of Race 1 and the ultimate best lap of Race 2; recorded on the very final tour around the French Grand Prix venue.
With the fastest lap earning him a bonus championship point, Lundqvist leaves the curtain-raiser sitting fifth in the overall Euroformula Open standings, 21 points behind leading Red Bull junior Liam Lawson (Motopark).
Lundqvist, the reigning British F3 champion, was the top Double R Racing driver in both races at Paul Ricard.
“It was an OK first round of the season, although I’m never going to be pleased until I win,” says Linus Lundqvist. “We had great pace in the races but were not quick enough in qualifying, and that’s what cost us a better result here. We need to work on that and make sure we find a solution – otherwise we’re going to give away too many points. On a weekend where we didn’t get the car to work 100 %, and where we had to come back from the midfield, I think we can be fairly pleased with a couple of top five finishes. It’s definitely a platform to build on going forwards.”
The next Euroformula Open round will add to the challenge for Linus Lundqvist, as he prepares to tackle a street circuit for the first time of his career. The esteemed Grand Prix de Pau (France) marks the occasion, taking place on May 17-19.
RESULTS (top five)
Euroformula Open
Round 1/9 | Circuit Paul Ricard (FRA)
RACE 1
1: Liam Lawson (NZL), Motopark, 17 laps
2: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN), Motopark, +1.247s
3: Lukas Dunner (AUT), Teo Martin, +1.642s
4: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), Double R, +4.275s
5: Marino Sato (JPN), Motopark, +7.201s
RACE 2
1: Marino Sato (JPN), Motopark, 15 laps
2: Liam Lawson (NZL), Motopark, +3.530s
3: Guilherme Samaia (BRA), Teo Martin, +4.415s
4: Lukas Dunner (AUT), Teo Martin, +5.850s
5: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), Double R, +10.500s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (top five)
Euroformula Open
After 2/18 races
1: Liam Lawson (NZL), 44 p.
2: Marino Sato (JPN), 35 p.
3: Lukas Dunner (AUT), 28 p.
4: Yuki Tsunoda (JPN), 26 p.
5: Linus Lundqvist (SWE), 23 p.