Lundgaard leads ART 1-2 on first day of F3 testing
Renault Formula 1 junior Christian Lundgaard topped the first day of FIA Formula 3 post-season testing at Valencia.

Lundgaard – who finished sixth in the F3 standings this season for ART Grand Prix – remains with the same team for the test.
It rained early in the morning session, but the teams were still able to net significant mileage on the first day of the three-day test, which concludes on Tuesday.
Lirim Zendeli set the fastest time in the morning session once the rain dissipated, having switched from the Sauber Junior Team he competed with in FIA F3 this season to Jenzer Motorsport, but the times tumbled in the afternoon as the track rubbered-in following the downpour.
Lundgaard was the first driver to dip below the 1m22s with just over an hour remaining, and most drivers set their best times in the afternoon session.
Zendeli once again went top in the last hour, but Lundgaard soon pounced to head Sebastian Fernandez by just over two tenths.
Fernandez was impressive throughout Sunday, having left Campos Racing to join Lundgaard at ART in a strong showing for the French team.
Alexander Smolyar was the top true rookie, the SMP Racing-backed Russian taking second in the morning session before a late leap in the afternoon meant he rounded out the top three in the times for the Sauber Junior Team.
Zendeli was relegated to fourth in the final hour, ahead of Alessio Lorandi, who missed this season through injury but came back to test with Trident, with which he raced for in F2 and F3 in 2018.
Lornadi’s teammate Devlin DeFrancesco was just behind, as the rest of the top 10 also cracked the 1m22s barrier.
Red Bull and Honda junior Yuki Tsunoda switched from Jenzer to Hitech Grand Prix for the test and wound up seventh, ahead of FIA F3 rookie Ferdinand Habsburg, who finished last in the DTM standings this year.
Dan Ticktum – who will race with Carlin at Macau and is targeting an F2 seat next year – took ninth, having finished third in the morning session, ahead of the first car of FIA F3 teams’ champions Prema, driven by ex-Carlin man Logan Sargeant.
While most drivers got more than 30 laps in the afternoon, Billy Monger was only able to net 10 laps after the lunch break on his way to 28th place. It was Monger’s first experience of the FIA F3 car on track.
Read Also:
Test results:
Pos. | Driver | Entrant | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Christian Lundgaard | ART Grand Prix | 1'21.370 | |
2 | Sebastian Fernandez | ART Grand Prix | 1'21.599 | 0.229 |
3 | Alexander Smolyar | Sauber Junior Team by Charouz | 1'21.613 | 0.243 |
4 | Lirim Zendeli | Jenzer Motorsport | 1'21.685 | 0.315 |
5 | Alessio Lorandi | Trident | 1'21.776 | 0.406 |
6 | Devlin Defrancesco | Trident | 1'21.819 | 0.449 |
7 | Yuki Tsunoda | Hitech Grand Prix | 1'21.858 | 0.488 |
8 | Ferdinand Habsburg | ART Grand Prix | 1'21.867 | 0.497 |
9 | Dan Ticktum | Carlin Buzz Racing | 1'21.914 | 0.544 |
10 | Logan Sargeant | Prema Racing | 1'21.992 | 0.622 |
11 | Linus Lundqvist | HWA Racelab | 1'22.011 | 0.641 |
12 | Richard Verschoor | MP Motorsport | 1'22.105 | 0.735 |
13 | Oscar Piastri | Prema Racing | 1'22.122 | 0.752 |
14 | Jake Hughes | HWA Racelab | 1'22.177 | 0.807 |
15 | Lorenzo Colombo | MP Motorsport | 1'22.315 | 0.945 |
16 | Jonathan Hoggard | Sauber Junior Team by Charouz | 1'22.420 | 1.050 |
17 | David Beckmann | Trident | 1'22.428 | 1.058 |
18 | Jack Doohan | Hitech Grand Prix | 1'22.435 | 1.065 |
19 | Max Fewtrell | Hitech Grand Prix | 1'22.443 | 1.073 |
20 | Lukas Dunner | MP Motorsport | 1'22.492 | 1.122 |
21 | Yu Kanamaru | Campos Racing | 1'22.565 | 1.195 |
22 | Theo Pourchaire | Carlin Buzz Racing | 1'22.576 | 1.206 |
23 | Federico Malvestiti | Jenzer Motorsport | 1'22.591 | 1.221 |
24 | Fabio Scherer | HWA Racelab | 1'22.670 | 1.300 |
25 | Enaam Ahmed | Prema Racing | 1'22.927 | 1.557 |
26 | Calan Williams | Jenzer Motorsport | 1'22.993 | 1.623 |
27 | David Vidales | Campos Racing | 1'23.164 | 1.794 |
28 | Billy Monger | Carlin Buzz Racing | 1'23.507 | 2.137 |
29 | Joao Vieira | Sauber Junior Team by Charouz | 1'23.542 | 2.172 |
30 | Alessio Deledda | Campos Racing | 1'24.218 | 2.848 |

Monger, Ticktum on FIA F3 test entry list
Lundgaard stays on top in Valencia F3 test

How the ultra-tight F3 title fight is taking shape
With just five points separating the top five after two rounds, FIA Formula 3 looks set for another thrilling season in 2022. But who stands the best chance of pulling away from that pack, and who are the contenders bubbling under?
Gregoire Saucy: How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
His career has been a slowburner but Gregoire Saucy trounced a collection of F1 juniors in Formula Regional by Alpine last year, and now he’s preparing to do it again in FIA F3. Here’s how the Swiss caught the world by surprise in 2021 and how he plans to do it all over again.
The hardships that haven’t dented Logan Sargeant's F1 dream
Faced with “no options” for 2021, Logan Sargeant’s Formula 1 dream looked set to crumble. But a last-minute Formula 3 seat and a strong season secured him a Formula 2 drive for 2022. He told Motorsport.com how his transformative season affected both his personality and his future.
From zero to hero: How F3's 2021 champion bounced back
After a disastrous 2020 in FIA Formula 3 with Hitech, Dennis Hauger began to doubt himself - with the self-belief he had built through success in junior series evaporating. But after regrouping, he stormed to the F3 title in 2021. Here’s how he did it...
How Campos Racing has bounced back from its devastating loss
After the sudden death of its founder in January, Formula 2 stalwart Campos Racing was left facing its hardest season to date. But new team boss Adrian Jr is determined to honour his father’s legacy and has returned the team to its winning ways
How F2 and F3's flawed format changes could prove shortlived
After a chaotic 2020, marred by the coronavirus pandemic, the FIA brought in radical changes to Formula 2 and 3. But less than 12 months later, there are talks of them being reversed after all did not go to plan…
How the latest 'son of' youngster found his feet in F3
After a promising start to his single-seater racing career, life in the Formula 1 feeder series gave Jack Doohan a reality check. But, following a year of learning and toiling, the driver with one of the most famous surnames on the Formula 3 grid isn’t feeling the weight of expectation pushing down too hard on him any longer
The Monaco win that started another triple crown
30 years ago, victory in the Monaco Grand Prix-supporting Formula 3 race – then a showpiece invitational event – began a young Jorg Muller’s pursuit of a unique set of street circuit wins that he’d later complete at Macau and Pau.