Felix Rosenqvist hopes Lengthy Seashore pole kickstarts IndyCar season turnaround

There was a glance of reduction on the face of Felix Rosenqvist after snatching pole place for the Acura Grand Prix of Lengthy Seashore.

Sitting 14th within the championship standings with zero high 10 finishes by way of the opening 4 rounds of the 2026 IndyCar season, there was a way of urgency for the 34-year-old Swedish driver to easily discover a solution to get a breakthrough and assist enhance the boldness for each he and Meyer Shank Racing. He did simply that with an inch-perfect flying lap of 1m07.4635s on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile momentary road circuit, which was ok to dethrone reigning and four-time sequence champion Alex Palou, and fend off a problem by shut buddy Pato O’Ward.

“It was precisely what we have been in search of,” stated Rosenqvist, driver of MSR’s #60 Honda. “I believe whenever you’re struggling, it would not come simple, prefer it’s form of between the races the place you discover the issues. You present up and hopefully it is higher. We have been fast from the get-go right here.

“I really feel like the boldness you get from one thing like this, it is clearly big not just for me however everybody within the workforce after having a little bit of a drought, when it comes to outcomes.

“Yeah, tremendous pleased with it.”

It was the seventh pole of Rosenqvist’s profession and second-ever for MSR, together with his 2024 Lengthy Seashore pole standing because the workforce’s first. 

One of many distinctive challenges the sphere confronted this time round was an up to date model of the single-car, single-lap Quick Six qualifying format for road circuits. In contrast to Arlington the place the format debuted, the brand new tweak allowed the quickest driver from Phase 2 to decide on when to make their pole-trying run, with the following decisions made for the remaining positions primarily based on Phase 2 outcomes. Moreover, every workforce was required to make tire alternative earlier than attending to their place in line.

Rosenqvist went out third for his Quick Six run and was left watching the drama unfold with uncertainty if he had achieved sufficient to safe the highest spot.

“We truly did not change something throughout qualifying,” he stated. “We did numerous adjustments going into it.

“The primary run we had an actual good run. We form of nailed our tire prep. Then we simply centered on executing what I may do within the automotive, form of improved and improved. Yeah, it was fairly dialed in. Felt assured.

“I really like the one-lap shootout. After they introduced it, I used to be like I actually need to be a part of that as a result of I believe it is such a cool factor whenever you’re doing the one-lap sprint. Watching it was nerve-wracking. That was most likely the worst a part of it.”

The outing by Rosenqvist elevated an already stellar day for MSR, which noticed its Acura-supported program convert its pole right into a victory (with Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande) in Saturday afternoon’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 100-minute dash race at Lengthy Seashore.

“Superb day for us at Meyer Shank Racing,” Rosenqvist stated. “They acquired the pole yesterday in IMSA and the win right now on the #93 automotive. Big congrats. We’re rocking the Inexperienced Day Acura livery. Big day for Acura. Tremendous completely satisfied to be right here.

“It is wonderful how I went into this weekend (and) we stated we would have liked somewhat turnaround, form of flip the 12 months round somewhat bit as a result of we’ve not been fast. Actually labored effectively. Higher than I dare anticipated.”

And Rosenqvist, whose lone profession win got here at Highway America in 2020 (Race 2), has a primary spot to assist in giving MSR a clear sweep of the weekend.

“Full deal with the race now,” he siad. “Attempt to soak up the second somewhat bit, simply push ahead.”

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