Felix Rosenqvist made a long-awaited return to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES podium with a strong drive to third place on the streets of Toronto, finally gracing the rostrum for the first time with Arrow McLaren SP.
On INDYCAR’s popular return to Canada, Rosenqvist finally broke his duck and delivered just the sort of retribution he was looking for after retiring from the previous race at Mid-Ohio while running in the lead group.
On the pace throughout the three days of action, Rosenqvist’s strong record around the twisty Toronto street track – where he won twice in Indy Lights in 2016 and finished fifth in the 2019 INDYCAR race – continued with a sturdy rise from eighth on the grid.
“What a fun race, and such a great feeling to finally be back on the podium,” says an elated Felix Rosenqvist. “We had to fight really hard today. The way the race turned out, you had to do the overtaking on the track and do quick pit stops, and we nailed both of those. We took the opportunities we got and that slowly moved us forward.”
At the end of an 85-lap race that featured four caution periods, Rosenqvist had navigated his way into third, eventually finishing just fractions behind pole-sitter Colton Herta and a mere 1.3s adrift of winner Scott Dixon.
“If it wasn’t for that last yellow (caution period), I think we’d be in the best position on fuel out of anyone, but that sort of enabled Colton and Scott to also do a flat-out race to the line,” Rosenqvist explains. “I almost got Colton on the last lap, but anyway, I’m pleased with P3 and this does mean a lot to me and all the guys on the #7 car after all we’ve been through.”
The outcome marks Rosenqvist’s first podium with Arrow McLaren SP since arriving at the team ahead of last season. It also sees the Swede – who finished as the best-placed Chevrolet-powered runner in the race – move back into the top ten in the overall standings, where he now sits ninth.
“Big thanks to Arrow McLaren SP, our partners, and Chevrolet – it’s my first podium with the team and it’s been long overdue,” Felix Rosenqvist concludes. “We’ve had the pace on so many occasions but always missed out for various reasons. It’s been a lot of fun driving here in Toronto this weekend and I hope this is just the start of a competitive run to close out the season.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to action next weekend (July 23-24) for a double-header event at Iowa Speedway.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 10
Honda Indy Toronto
Toronto (Canada)
1: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 85 laps
2: Colton Herta (USA), Andretti, +0.810s
3: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren SP, +1.349s
4: Graham Rahal (USA), RLL, +4.483s
5: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Ganassi, +5.126s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 10/17 races
1: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Ganassi, 351 p.
2: Will Power (AUS), Penske, 316 p.
3: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 314 p.
4: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 307 p.
5: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 307 p.
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9: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren SP, 244 p.