Felix Rosenqvist scored his second consecutive top five finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES courtesy of fourth place in the 50th anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, although had to see a podium slip through his fingers in the closing stages.
One year on from qualifying on pole at the Long Beach street course, Rosenqvist yet again lined up near the front of the field in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, starting Sunday’s race from fourth on the grid.
A rapid start saw Rosenqvist immediately shoot up into third, where he then ran for most of the notably all-green 90-lap event.
Just five laps from home, however, the Swede ultimately had to yield to Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard, frustratingly missing out on the podium after a fuel miscalculation caused a late drop in pace.
Still, P4 marked yet another promising performance from Rosenqvist and the #60 crew, following on from a fifth-place finish last time out at The Thermal Club.
The effort sees Rosenqvist move up to fourth in the overall championship standings.
”It’s another good race and a solid start to the year in terms of points,” says Felix Rosenqvist. ”That said, I feel like we gave Christian a present today. We had an error on the calculations that suddenly got us into a massive fuel-save, which in the end proved unnecessary, so it was a bit annoying that we just gave it to him like that. A podium is a podium so it does stink a little bit extra.
“At the end of the day, these are solid points and in the grand scheme of things, it’s a pretty good result. Two top fives in a row, another strong qualifying performance, and almost a flawless race – we can be pleased with that.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES resumes on May 2-4 with the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 3
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Streets of Long Beach (USA)
1: Kyle Kirkwood (USA), Andretti, 90 laps
2: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, +2.685s
3: Christian Lundgaard (DEN), Arrow McLaren, +18.778s
4: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, +19.819s
5: Will Power (AUS), Penske, +23.364s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 3/17 races
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 142 p.
2: Kyle Kirkwood (USA), Andretti, 108 p.
3: Christian Lundgaard (DEN), Arrow McLaren, 96 p.
4: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, 88 p.
5: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 86 p.