Felix Rosenqvist looks to turn things around for himself and Meyer Shank Racing (Photo: Sierra Allmon | The Podium Finish).
Felix Rosenqvist, entering his sixth season in the NTT INDYCAR Series, will be driving for his third race team.
This time around, Rosenqvist is driving Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 60 entry. Compared to his time at Chip Ganassi Racing and Arrow McLaren, the Swede is now with a team where he’s the focal point.
After years of being second or even third fiddle, Rosenqvist is the most experienced among the organization’s full-time entries.
Before joining MSR, Rosenqvist had not built a relationship with Helio Castroneves, the four-time Indy 500 champion. However, excitement is apparent in the shop and Rosenqvist is thrilled about what the Month of May will look like for the organization and having Castroneves as a teammate.
“He’s a great character to have in our team, a great leader. I think his energy spreads in the team, and in a good way,” said Rosenqvist. “I think for him to step back a little bit into that role but still — I mean, I want to lean on him for the 500. He’s one of the all-time best at the 500, and I’m going to pick his brain at that place for sure.
“I think it’s kind of the best of two worlds having him there as a team leader and then that huge help at the 500 where he’s going to be a contender like he always is. I can’t wait. I haven’t spent that much time with him yet and still haven’t done a lap actually with Meyer Shank. So still many things to be excited about and getting to know Helio is one of those for sure.”
A year ago, Rosenqvist was fast all month and a contender to win the 500. However, the Indy glory was dashed in a late-race crash where he and Kyle Kirkwood tangled in Turn 1, becoming the first of three red flags in the race.
Rosenqvist qualified third and led 33 laps in last year’s Indianapolis 500 (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish).
In many ways, the rocketship is strapped on the 32-year-old to elevate the team to its potential. MSR had a disastrous 2023 campaign where they only scored a single top-10 finish with Castroneves struggling across the board and Simon Pagenaud’s season ending prematurely due to a crash.
Suffice it to say that Meyer Shank Racing will be in the midst of a rebuilding year.
Struggles aside, MSR is in it for the long haul, and based on Rosenqvist’s conversations with Mike Shank, it is evident that he wants the INDYCAR program to thrive.
After seeing what Linus Lundqvist was able to do a year ago in place of Pagenaud, Rosenqvist knew the team’s pace was promising. When it came down to finding a new ride after Arrow McLaren decided to move on from him in favor of David Malukas, MSR was the right fit.
“When I looked at the options I had, I think this was probably the most underrated team in the field last year,” said Rosenqvist. “I think Linus proved that when he jumped in for Nashville, St. Louis, and Indy GP. He did really well. He was straight up in the top-10 on speed in qualifying.
“I thought that was an opportunity. Also looking at Meyer Shank Racing and their commitment to the future, the partners’ commitment, I think that’s something you want to be part of. They’re not here to just participate.”
Rosenqvist observed how Shank is not here to own a multi-car INDYCAR team for simple pleasures.
“Speaking about Mike before, he’s not a guy who just does this because it’s fun,” he said. “He wants to be there. He wants to be up there with Roger Penske, Chip Ganassi, and all those guys. He wants to put his name there.
“It’s going to take some time, but we have the opportunity to be there eventually and to start building that up from the point we are now. It’s a very interesting thing. It’s something I think I’m capable of helping with, and I want to be part of that journey. I think it was the right fit for me and the right timing to be in that position for me in my career.”
For Rosenqvist, being in a team where he is the main driver has brought optimism. The last time Rosenqvist was in such a role was when he drove for Mahindra in Formula E.
Given his experiences driving for top teams, Rosenqvist is ready to utilize what he has learned and put it into practice at MSR.
“I look forward to being in that role. It’s a role I haven’t really been in for six years since I drove Formula E, where you can kind of call the shots a little bit more,” said Rosenqvist. “Maybe get your engineering team to build a car more around you, like the foundation of the car setup, kind of getting — if we need — hiring people and that kind of stuff.
“I’ve been to a lot of good teams at this point in my career, not only in INDYCAR but outside, as well, and I think I have a good eye for what a team needs, both when it comes to resources, personalities, team leadership and stuff like that.”
Challenges are part of the game and Rosenqvist knows this. As an example, he will have a rookie teammate — Tom Blomqvist — but someone who’s familiar to the organization from the IMSA side.
The British standout filled in for Pagenaud three times and is no stranger to Rosenqvist either with the two competing in Sweden’s Formula Renault back in 2009. In that campaign, Rosenqvist won the championship while Blomqvist ended up third.
“It’s always complex, but I feel like I can really provide in that sense, and I look forward to being in that role. Having Tom with me, he’s a rookie this year. He kind of dipped his toes a little bit into the INDYCAR world last year, and we go way back,” said Rosenqvist. “I’ve known Tom for a long time. He’s probably one of the drivers I’ve raced out there most in the world. I’m going to be an open book with him and try to get him up to speed as quickly as he can and as I can. It’s going to be really fun working with him.”
Tom Blomqvist is one of four INDYCAR rookies in 2024 (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish).
Patience is important for the organization and Rosenqvist seeks to maximize everything he has on his pedestal. That was something he struggled with at Arrow McLaren a year ago when he was blistering quick but unable to put complete races together.
Although he won two poles and finished on the podium twice, five retirements and six finishes outside the top 20 derailed Rosenqvist’s campaign. Consequently, he finished 12th in points while Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi finished fourth and ninth, respectively.
It is a trait Rosenqvist hopes to fix in his new home at Meyer Shank Racing this season and beyond.
“I think maximizing myself, the car, the team, the whole package over a season is something I want to accomplish. I think I didn’t do that last year, and there’s always reasons and things to blame and all that stuff,” Rosenqvist explained. “I think finishing races has always kind of been a topic for me. I think I’m probably one of the highest DNF scorers in the field. If you look back to the last two, three years, and that’s something I want to change. I think it’s probably both down to driver and reliability.
“But that’s something I want to see this year. If you can take a P12, you take a P12. You don’t have to risk everything to get one more spot. And there will be times when you have chances for big results, and I think you always have to go for it. But it’s more about not improving the peaks but improving the valleys, so to speak. That’s my plan.”
