Felix Rosenqvist will join Arrow McLaren SP for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, driving the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.
Rosenqvist will partner with Mexico’s Pato O’Ward on the team’s line-up, and is set to get his first taste of the car in an up-coming test at Barber Motorsports Park on November 2.
“I can’t wait to take the next step in my career and join Arrow McLaren SP,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “The team has shown itself to be a consistent challenger this year and I’m looking forward to working with Pato to help take it forward. I want to thank Sam (Schmidt), Ric (Peterson), Zak (Brown), and the entire team for giving me this opportunity and I’m already working to be as prepared as possible for next season.
“I also want to thank Chip Ganassi Racing for our two years together. It’s been a wonderful experience in which I’ve learned a lot, but I feel now is the right time to take up this highly exciting new venture. It is going to be fun.”
Combining three different entities – Arrow Electronics, McLaren Racing and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports – Arrow McLaren SP recently completed its first season of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition, with O’Ward taking fourth in the drivers’ standings.
The team also capped off a promising campaign with second place in last weekend’s season-finale on the streets of St. Petersburg.
“It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to combine two young, established talents like Pato and Felix,” says McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “I think this pairing gives us a strong driver line-up and I’m excited to see what they can do together on and off the track.”
Rosenqvist joins Arrow McLaren SP on the back of a 2020 campaign in which he scored a breakthrough maiden win at Road America, becoming the first Swedish INDYCAR winner since 2002.
“We’ve been watching Felix since he came over to Indy Lights in 2016 and have been constantly impressed by his performance over the past two years,” says Arrow McLaren SP co-owner Sam Schmidt. “We think that he and Pato complement each other well and together we believe they will help us on our journey forward as a team.”
The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES is scheduled to begin with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 7.
