Felix Rosenqvist is aiming to draw on the momentum of his best NTT INDYCAR SERIES result of the season as the championship settles at California’s Laguna Seca this weekend for the penultimate round of the campaign.
With P4 in qualifying and P6 in the race, Rosenqvist delivered his strongest showing so far in 2021 last weekend at the Grand Prix of Portland, further underpinning his performance with the outright fastest lap of the event.
As America’s top-tier single-seater series moves down south along the U.S. west coast, preparing for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, the Arrow McLaren SP man is determined to build on the tangible promise as he bids to verify recent advances.
“I think the main thing right now for me is consistency, and seeing that the changes we’ve made actually work from track to track,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “We’ve worked hard to find the right feeling in the car, and recently we’ve made some important breakthroughs.
“Portland is one good example of that, but also Nashville, Indy GP and Gateway, where we’ve been hamstrung by various incidents but have had serious pace. It would mean a lot to see that trend continue across these last two races heading into the winter break.”
Famous for its unmistakable Corkscrew section, Laguna Seca holds special memories for Rosenqvist: it was here, after powering through the field following a controversial qualifying penalty, that he sealed his 2019 Rookie of the Year title to cap off an explosive debut INDYCAR season.
The Californian track was not part of the 2020 schedule due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I had one of my strongest weekends pace-wise at Laguna Seca in 2019,” Felix Rosenqvist remembers. “It felt like I was headed for my first win at the time (it later came, instead, at Road America in 2020). I really like the track and it is not easy to get right. I have to say I missed it last year and I’m looking forward to finally getting back this weekend.”
Running at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey begins on Friday with an opening free practice session. Qualifying takes place on Saturday, while the 95-lap race goes green at 12:30 pm Pacific time on Sunday.
TIME TABLE
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 15
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
Laguna Seca (USA)
All times local (U.S. Pacific)
Friday 17 September
Free Practice 1: 2:30-3:15 pm
Saturday 18 September
Free Practice 2: 10:45-11:30 am
Qualifying: 2:05-3:20 pm
Sunday 19 September
Warm-up: 9:00-9:30 am
Race (95 laps): 12:30 pm
TIMING: INDYCAR App / racecontrol.indycar.com
ENTRY LIST: view here
TRACK DATA: view here
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 14/16 races
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 477 p.
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), AMSP, 452 p.
3: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 443 p.
4: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 428 p.
5: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Ganassi, 402 p.
—
21: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), AMSP, 177 p.
View full standings