Swedish driver Linus Lundqvist controlled the first of two days of testing at Snetterton ahead of the third round of the year.
It’s the first time many have sat in the BRDC British F3 Championship car since last round at Rockingham and the Double R Racing driver was determined to maintain his momentum having collected three podiums last time out.
As the current championship leader, Lundqvist comes into the weekend with the largest expectations on his shoulders, especially with Nicolai Kjaergaard just eleven points behind. Both Scandinavians topped one of the four sessions, with Kjaergaard showing more pace during the afternoon, while Lundqvist’s day topping time came at the end of the first session.
They weren’t the only drivers to top the leaderboard, with Kush Maini the man to beat in the second test before ending the day fastest in a rain-laced final session. The Indian had been competitive all day, never finishing outside of the top six.
To complete the breakaway set of four was Jordan Cane. The Douglas Motorsport driver had finished second for three of the four sessions, only dropping off the pace when the heavens opened. With two of his three victories coming at Snetterton last year, he’ll be the one to watch come Saturday.
Lundqvist thus ended fastest with a time of 1min 43.688s, a mere 0.135 seconds ahead of Cane, while Kjaergaard and Maini were all within half a second of the leader.
Tom Gamble and Billy Monger were the only drivers in the top ten to set their fastest times outside of the first session, with Gamble’s third in practice 2 enough for fifth overall, as Monger went seventh. The pair was split by Jamie Chadwick in the overall classifications as Krishnaraaj Mahadik completed the top eight.
Harry Webb to Debut
Making his F3 debut this weekend will be Harry Webb, the Norfolk racer was unable to start the season, but finished Thursday tenth overall ensuring he may still be one to watch. He steps up to Chris Dittmann Racing after finishing runner-up in the Ford F4 Challenge Cup last year with four class wins.
“I’m exceptionally pleased to be on the grid this weekend, I’ve been aiming to get out at Snetterton, my home track, and I can’t wait to get started,” he enthuses.
