Felix Rosenqvist ran among the leading group in the early stages of Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Long Beach, but slipped out of podium contention when excessive tyre wear proved costly towards the end of a challenging first stint.
In front of packed grandstands at the ever-popular Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Rosenqvist hauled himself into the Firestone Fast Six to qualify a strong fourth on the grid around the legendary California street track, backing up his pole position from last time out at Texas Motor Speedway.
After leading the Arrow McLaren SP charge in qualifying, Rosenqvist appeared well-placed for a strong race, taking off cleanly on the first lap and maintaining P4 while putting the leaders under pressure.
His chances began to unravel deeper into the opening stint, however, as a tangible decrease in tyre grip caused Rosenqvist to slide around for adhesion, lose significant lap time, and tumble down the order.
“I had a horrible first stint with a lot of (tyre) degradation,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “I barely kept it on the track, and it was compounded by (Alexander) Rossi running into me and causing me to lose another three places. It was extremely difficult to drive.
“We had a very similar thing at the last event in Texas and we really need to solve it going forward, whether it’s driving-related, set up-related, or maybe a bit of both. We can’t afford to miss out on opportunities like today when we’re in top five contention.”
Rosenqvist eventually recovered some of the lost ground, finishing 11th. While not the outcome he had hoped for, it did at least mark the Swede’s best result so far this season.
“There are positives to take from the weekend, especially from our pace in qualifying once again,” Felix Rosenqvist concludes. “We have the speed, we remain as motivated as ever, but we just want to capitalize on it now and bring home a proper result. We’ll do everything we can to ensure we’re well-prepared for the next one in Barber.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES resumes at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama on May 1.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 3
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Long Beach (USA)
1: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 85 laps
2: Romain Grosjean (FRA), Andretti, +1.286s
3: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, +1.759s
4: Will Power (AUS), Penske, +2.965s
5: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren SP, +3.712s
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11: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren SP, +14.293s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 3/17 races
1: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, 118 p.
2: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 113 p.
3: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 103 p.
4: Will Power (AUS), Penske, 102 p.
5: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 83 p.
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17: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Arrow McLaren SP, 42 p.