British F3 champ aims to continue winning partnership with top team
Swede eyeing strong year after impressive Winter Series outing
Reigning BRDC British Formula 3 Champion Linus Lundqvist will reunite with title winning team Double R Racing for a championship challenge in the Euroformula Open this year, where the Swede will race a Mercedes-HWA powered Dallara F317.
Just three weeks after Woking’s Double R confirmed it was joining the pan-European category for 2019, Lundqvist – who will celebrate his 20th birthday later this month – returns to the British squad with which he has developed a superb relationship over the past two years.
“Everyone at the team is ecstatic Linus will be a Double R driver again this year”, said team principal Anthony Hieatt, “We’ve achieved so much together over the past couple of seasons, culminating in winning British F3 last year, so it’s going to be fantastic to continue that partnership together into the Euroformula Open.
“He’s a fantastic driver, bags of commitment and ability, and I’ve got every confidence he will be one of the true front-runners from the first round. With Linus joining Jack [Doohan] we’ve got a great line-up already for Euroformula Open, and we still have the third seat to confirm...”
Arriving on UK shores in 2017 as the Formula STCC Nordic Champion, where he joined Double R for the British Formula 4 Championship, Lundqvist quickly became a driver to watch and a driver to beat with five race wins, a total of 11 podiums, on his way to fifth in the standings.
He also posted the greatest number of fastest laps of any driver and secured more pole positions than the eventual champion. Midway through the year, Lundqvist debuted in British F3 machinery with Double R at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, impressing on his maiden outing.
Stepping up full-time into British F3 with the team for 2018, the Scandinavian set out his stall very early on with victory in the opening round at Oulton Park. He added six more wins on his way to claiming the coveted crown by 85 points and, as a result of his stunning season, also won the Sunoco Whelen Challenge which provided an incredible prize drive in January’s Rolex 24 Hour in the USA.
Additionally this year, Lundqvist achieved a podium during his maiden outing in the MRF Challenge in India before stepping-up into the Euroformula Open for the recent Winter Series where he became a category race winner at the wheel of a Dallara F312 in only his second race at Paul Ricard.
“I’m super excited to be back with Double R for a third year”, said the highly rated Swede, “I think we showed what we can do together last year [winning the British F3 title], and the target would be to fight at the top this year as well!
“I also want to say thank you to all of my backers and everyone who made this possible, I can’t wait to be back out on track. Obviously, a massive thank you to Boyo [Hieatt] and the whole of Double R for keeping me on for this year, let’s bring some more silverware home!”
Rounds one and two of the 2019 Euroformula Open will take place over the weekend 27th/28th April at Paul Ricard in southern France. The championship will reach its conclusion at Monza in Italy on 12th/13th October.
2019 Euroformula Open Calendar
27/28 April – Paul Ricard, France
18/19 May – Pau, France
25/26 May – Hockenheim, Germany
8/9 June – Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
6/7 July – Hungaroring, Hungary
13/14 July – Red Bull Ring, Austria
7/8 September – Silverstone GP, UK
21/22 September – Barcelona, Spain
12/13 October – Monza, Italy
