The 25-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing rookie twice narrowly escaped by the knockout segments and into the Quick Six shootout for pole.
On a soaking moist observe, he claimed the ultimate switch spot into the highest 12 from group qualifying by 0.3497s over Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Romain Grosjean. Then, within the ultimate moments of the highest 12 phase, his finest lap – which got here with beneath a minute to go – bumped out team-mate Alex Palou, the defending race winner, from transferring.
As a dry line developed across the 14-turn, 4.014-mile pure terrain circuit when the Quick Six commenced, Lundqvist was the one one to start out off on rain tires and needed to come into the pits to swap for softer alternate slicks on the finish of what was a throwaway lap.
When Workforce Penske’s Will Energy introduced out the crimson flag, nonetheless, it allowed an opportunity for him to get again into the identical cycle as his rivals.
And when the time got here to ship a giant lap on slicks, Lundqvist did simply that by nailing a 1m45.1519s and going to the highest of the leaderboard earlier than the crimson flag waved for Josef Newgarden’s large crash to prematurely finish the session.
“It was hectic,” stated Lundqvist, who scored his first IndyCar podium at Barber Motorsports Park in April. “It was loopy. I say one of many craziest qualifying periods I’ve had.”
Linus Lundqvist, Double R, leads BRDC British F3 race at Oulton Park
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Pictures
Lundqvist went on to notice how the session felt just like his time in British Method 3, the place he captured the championship in 2018 on the again of seven wins, 13 podiums and three poles.
“This appears like a median British F3 qualifying again within the day kind of favor, the place began off torrential rain, then the final half it dried up, we threw on the slicks,” he stated.
“It was sort of enjoyable going again to that, somewhat bit again to my roots. Even rising up again in Sweden, half the races we did was within the rain. I am fairly snug there.
“Clearly in direction of the top it was staying on-line, not touching the moist. That is principally what I had in my thoughts. It occurred to be adequate for pole.”
Linus Lundqvist, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Picture by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Pictures
Lundqvist, the 2022 Indy NXT champion, additionally shared how his confidence continued to develop as he superior all through the qualifying.
“I felt fairly good within the first qualifying phase,” he stated. “My final lap there wasn’t good. I had somewhat little bit of time to enhance. I used to be completely satisfied actually simply to switch from that.
“Within the Quick 12, I felt fairly assured that we may do a reasonably good job. That was a giant factor for me, simply transferring to the Quick Six for the primary time. I stated, ‘All proper, let’s attempt to go for it, see what we bought right here.’
“I knew it was going to come back right down to the final lap. Yeah, it was adequate.”
