Felix Rosenqvist overcame a string of setbacks to perform a late recovery in Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, battling back to a top ten result.
On a less-than-perfect day of execution at the IMS road course, Rosenqvist faced an uphill challenge to claw back lost ground after a pair of slow pit stops and two off-track excursions, but eventually bagged his fourth top ten finish from the opening five NTT INDYCAR SERIES races of the season.
Already on the back foot following an initial off in qualifying, Rosenqvist was restricted to 12th place on the grid for Saturday’s 85-lap race, where all the aforementioned drama played out to hamper the Swede’s progress.
Briefly running outside the top 20 after a costly fuel issue on his first stop and a coming-together with rival Rinus Veekay in the early stages, Rosenqvist ultimately performed a strong fightback in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, overtaking several cars following a late restart to come home in P10.
“I made too many mistakes today, to be honest,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “I went off twice and lost my cool a little bit after our first pit stop. We recovered well in the end with a top ten, but it was not my greatest race and I feel like we had pace for more. The same goes for qualifying where I made another mistake as well.
“Being in the top ten with such a poor race probably says something, I guess, and it’s on me to do better next time. I am extremely motivated to do so, especially given what’s waiting around the corner here at the Speedway.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES now shifts firmly into Indianapolis 500 mode, commencing practice for the blue-riband oval event on Tuesday (May 13). Qualifying plays out next weekend, and the race itself takes place on May 25.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 5
Sonsio Grand Prix
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – road course (USA)
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 85 laps
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, +5.484s
3: Will Power (AUS), Penske, +8.452s
4: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, +10.539s
5: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, +11.264s
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10: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, +23.231s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 5/17 races
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 248 p.
2: Kyle Kirkwood (USA), Andretti, 151 p.
3: Christian Lundgaard (DEN), Arrow McLaren, 150 p.
4: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, 148 p.
5: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 137 p.
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8: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, 125 p.