British F3 king Lundqvist stars on US debut

Less than two years after taking the British Formula 3 crown, Linus Lundqvist made the perfect start to his assault on the US singleseater ladder by dominating the opening Formula Regional Americas doubleheader at Mid-ohio.

The Swede had only two short test sessions with his Global Racing Group-run Ligier-honda in preparation, as he was forced to quarantine in Mexico for two weeks before being allowed to enter the US. Nevertheless, he claimed both pole positions, led every lap of each race and set two fastest laps.

The series, formerly known as F3 Americas, is offering an Indy Lights scholarship for the champion and has attracted some Lights drivers following the cancellation of their series for 2020. One of these, David Malukas, chased Lundqvist home to finish second in each race. South Americans Victor Franzoni and Santiago Urrutia – each a veteran of the US scene – each scored a third position.

“This has been the perfect weekend,” said Lundqvist. “I’ve been in the country for less than two weeks so this kind of result is incredible.”