NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 3
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (USA)
Felix Rosenqvist raced to his first proper finish in the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES with a solid drive to seventh place in Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, leading the way for Arrow McLaren’s three-car attack.
Rosenqvist made up three places from tenth on the grid at the California street track, finishing second among the Chevrolet-powered contingent of cars just half a second down on reigning series champion Will Power.
“P7 from P10 on the grid is a solid day – not fantastic, but we’ll take it,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “It brings us back in the game a little bit in the championship. I feel bad for my team-mates today – it was a tough race for them – but I’m happy to have at least brought the #6 car home in a decent position.”
Rosenqvist had suffered a difficult start to the season after a pair of incidents in the opening two races, but rebounded with a straightforward afternoon in Long Beach that saw the Swede run consistently in the top ten and ultimately reap the rewards of patience on his final stint.
“It was a big fuel-save race,” Rosenqvist concludes. “I got stuck a little bit in the first stint, but then the second and third were really strong and we managed to make up some positions. At the end of the day it was good fun out there, good racing, and I’m happy to be back in the proper points.”
Felix Rosenqvist is back on track this coming week as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES stages two days of pre-event Indianapolis 500 testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday-Friday, April 20-21. The next race takes place at Barber Motorsports Park on April 30.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 3
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Long Beach (USA)
1: Kyle Kirkwood (USA), Andretti, 85 laps
2: Romain Grosjean (FRA), Andretti, +0.990s
3: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Ganassi, +2.058s
4: Colton Herta (USA), Andretti, +7.637s
5: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, +8.777s
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7: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren, +30.974s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 3/17 races
1: Marcus Ericsson (SWE), Ganassi, 110 p.
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, 95 p.
3: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 91 p.
4: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 89 p.
5: Kyle Kirkwood (USA), Andretti, 74 p.
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16: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren, 44 p.