Sweden’s Linus Lundqvist will get his first taste of Formula 3 competition when he takes part in next weekend’s BRDC British F3 Championship round at Belgian Grand Prix venue Spa-Francorchamps.
18-year-old Lundqvist is contesting his first season of international single-seater racing in 2017, currently holding third place overall in British Formula 4 with three wins to his name.
The opportunity to make an in-season appearance on the higher-level F3 arena comes courtesy of Lundqvist’s F4 team Double R Racing, with the Woking squad’s British F3 arm currently having a vacancy in its line-up due to an injury sustained by regular driver Harry Hayek.
Next weekend’s meeting in Belgium marks round five out of eight on the 2017 British F3 Championship calendar, and the only time this season that the series races outside the British Isles.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be making my Formula 3 debut at Spa next weekend,” says Linus Lundqvist. “It was not something I expected to be doing this year, and I really want to thank Double R Racing for putting their trust in me for this. I’ve never been to Spa before and it will obviously be difficult to go up against the F3 guys in the middle of the season, but I will do my best and try and learn as much as possible. I also wish Harry all the best in his continued recovery.”
British Formula 3 features single-make cars built by Italian chassis constructor Tatuus and powered by 230-bhp spec Cosworth engines. Combined with sophisticated aerodynamics, the technical package ensures lap times significantly faster than those attained in Formula 4.
“Linus has been massively impressive this year in his first season of Formula 4, and he thoroughly deserves this opportunity,” comments Double R Racing team principal Anthony “Boyo” Hieatt. “His pace is clear for everyone to see, as demonstrated by numerous pole positions, fastest laps and victories for us already this season, and I’m confident that he’ll grab this chance in F3 with both hands. I believe that we’re in for a few very interesting days at Spa.”
As part of his preparations for the Spa-Francorchamps outing, Lundqvist has recently completed a limited programme of F3 testing with Double R Racing – and the Stockholm resident has been left excited to say the least.
“I’ve had a few days of running, and I just simply loved every single minute of it,” Lundqvist enthuses. “It’s unbelievable how good the grip is, and you’re carrying so much more speed than in Formula 4. It will take a while to explore the limits, especially at such a fast and challenging track as Spa, but I will enjoy it to the maximum. It’s going to be an amazing experience!”
Much like in Formula 4, the British F3 event structure boasts one qualifying session and three 20-minute races per weekend. Lundqvist, who won the Swedish-based Formula STCC Nordic championship in 2016 before setting out on his British adventures this season, will take to the track at Spa-Francorchamps for the first time in practice on Thursday (6 July), with qualifying and Race 1 following suit on Friday and races two and three completing the weekend on the Saturday.
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