Linus Lundqvist targets return to winning ways at Croft
With summer taking a warm and welcome grip on Europe, the 2017 F4 British Championship is approaching half time. The fifth round out of ten takes place this weekend at Croft Circuit not far from Newcastle, and Sweden’s Linus Lundqvist arrives in high spirits as he bids for his second win of the season.
Since romping to victory at Donington Park back in mid-April, 18-year-old Lundqvist has remained a regular frontrunner over the subsequent events, gracing the podium at both Thruxton and Oulton Park.
As the field sets camp at Croft, however, the Double R Racing rookie is eager to raise the bar further still. A successful day of official testing at Snetterton last week saw Lundqvist top the times by nearly half a second, indicating continued strong form – and now, in the final round before a seven-week summer break, it’s time to reap the rewards of that promise.
“I think that we can, and should, be aiming for victory this weekend,” says Linus Lundqvist. “I know very well just how competitive this championship is and I have the utmost respect for all of my rivals, but I’ve felt for quite a while that we haven’t maximised our full potential. That’s been partly circumstantial, partly down to pure bad luck, and partly down to me. Whatever happens this weekend, I want to know that I did the best job possible and squeezed everything out of whatever performance we have.”
The F4 field heads to Croft with fresh knowledge of the track, having tested at the venue a couple of weeks ago. Lundqvist, on that occasion, was second quickest.
“Croft is a technical track with a wide variety of corners,” Lundqvist concludes. “It’s got a little bit of everything. You have some really fast turns at the back, a relatively long straight, and a very slow complex towards the end of the lap. It’s actually one of the most enjoyable circuits I’ve driven at. It’s quite narrow and overtaking might prove a bit difficult, but I think we’ll be in for some really good racing this weekend!”
Lundqvist – the reigning Formula STCC Nordic champion – currently holds fifth in the F4 British Championship standings, a mere 5.5 points adrift of third-placed Logan Sargeant (USA) in a close scrap over championship positions.
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