The run in: Assessing Lundgaard’s chances

Stepping up to Formula 2 in 2020 after a sixth-place finish in Formula 3, few expected much from Christian Lundgaard in his first season at this level, but the Danish driver has been amongst the very best on the grid.

Two wins, one pole and a further four podiums have the ART Grand Prix ace in fourth as things stand, just two points of fellow rookie Yuki Tsunoda in third.

With two rounds to go, and 45 points separating him from Championship leader Mick Schumacher, we evaluate Lundgaard’s season so far and look ahead to the finale.

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DOMINATING RACES

Lundgaard’s second victory in F2 was special for multiple reasons, but more than anything because it showed his inner steel. The Danish driver had impressively taken his first pole in the Championship at Mugello but saw his Feature Race fall apart. Having dominated nearly the entire race, he lost the lead late on to Nikita Mazepin and fell back to sixth, due to his heavily degraded tyres.

With the bit between his teeth, he made an impressive recovery in the Sprint Race on the Sunday. Leaping from third to first when the lights went out, he crossed the line with a 14s advantage, with the win never once looking in doubt.

It is this type of domination which has seen Lundgaard really stand out in 2020. On his day, the Dane looks truly unstoppable, while these performances have also been backed up by plenty of solid points’ finishes.

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MAXIMISING RACE WEEKENDS

More often than not, if Lundgaard is in the points, he’s scoring strongly. The only issue has been the regularity at which he has missed out on scoring anything at all. Eight pointless races – including four in a row between rounds 6 and 7 – could prove to be his downfall, in an otherwise awesome debut season.

Even scoring lowly in each of these races would have boosted his tally significantly come the end of the season. This can be excused given his inexperience at this level, while at just 19-years-old, time remains on his side.

Scoring points in all four of the remaining races would go some way to making amends and give him a solid grounding ahead of a potential second season in F2. While, a late tilt for the title is most definitely not out of the question if results go his way.

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FROM THE GRID

"The test in the RS.18 at Bahrain has given me a boost," Lundgaard said. "If I had not had this test with Renault, then I would never have driven in Bahrain before the round there. As you will remember, I unfortunately missed the pre-season test there earlier this year.

“Going there for the final two rounds will be exciting. It has been a long while since we have been in the F2 cars and I am looking forward to getting in and racing.

"The second round in Bahrain could be interesting with the different track layout and I think that it will bring something different to the Championship. I hope that we can put on a good show and take the title fight to the end of the campaign. It would be cool if we could make it a big battle for the Championship."