NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 1
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (USA)
Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing proved a force to be instantly reckoned with as the new constellation laid down a new lap record on the streets of St. Petersburg and battled at the front of the field in a highly encouraging NTT INDYCAR SERIES season-opener.
Rosenqvist, who joined the MSR operation over the winter, proved immediately at home behind the wheel of his #60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda as the new season got underway – grabbing the headlines as he topped Friday’s first practice session by half a second.
That form carried across to Saturday, with Rosenqvist dancing between the barriers on the demanding Florida street course to set a new lap record of 59.270s in the second phase of the three-stage qualifying session. The Swede ultimately missed out on pole by an inconceivable 0.006s in the decisive Fast 6 segment, but still lined up on the front row of the grid for Sunday’s 100-lap curtain-raiser.
Once there, Rosenqvist remained in podium contention for much of the duration, eventually coming home a fine seventh after a strong – but not perfect – maiden race for his new outfit.
“I feel pretty pleased with seventh today – it’s a solid start to the championship,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “We said before coming here that a top ten finish would be a good foundation for us to build on, and we managed that with a bit of margin despite not having the perfect race. We weren’t on quite the right strategy, and we had an issue on the final pit stop. We also had to manage some power gremlins throughout the race.
“Overall, it has been a very encouraging first weekend with the team. The pace in practice and qualifying was really, really strong, and then in the race I think we executed well and picked the right battles to get ourselves on the board. The #60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda has been a pleasure to drive, we have learned a lot, and we have every reason to be optimistic heading into the rest of the season.”
Adding further glitz to the season-opening weekend, Rosenqvist enjoyed the support of rock legend Jon Bon Jovi in the St. Petersburg paddock, with Bon Jovi’s SiriusXM channel Bon Jovi Radio adorning the sidepod of his MSR machine.
”It was cool to have Bon Jovi here with us to see the car in person, and to meet one of the all-time greats of music,” Felix Rosenqvist concludes. “This is a great example of bringing together different worlds for the benefit and joy of everyone. It’s been a super weekend – big thanks to everyone at Meyer Shank Racing for such a superb job!”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES resumes in two weeks’ time for a special non-championship event – the $1 Million Challenge in Thermal, California. The next official, points-paying round of the season takes place in Long Beach on April 19-21.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 1
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Streets of St. Petersburg (USA)
1: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 100 laps
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, +7.912s
3: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, +8.457s
4: Will Power (AUS), Penske, +9.055s
5: Colton Herta (USA), Andretti, +10.257s
—
7: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, +14.404s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 1/17 races
1: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 54 p.
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, 40 p.
3: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 35 p.
4: Will Power (AUS), Penske, 32 p.
5: Colton Herta (USA), Andretti, 31 p.
—
7: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, 26 p.
