Felix Rosenqvist, driver for Meyer Shank Racing, experienced a day of mixed emotions at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where, despite having an almost flawless race, he finished in second place.
From pole position, Rosenqvist dominated the competition, keeping the defending champion of the IndyCar Series, Alex Palou, at bay. However, on lap 57, a gravel accident at turn 3 caused a safety car that wiped out his 3-second lead and changed the course of the race.
During the finalization of the pit stops, Rosenqvist, despite a smooth entry, emerged just ahead of Palou’s car, thus losing the lead. Despite his efforts during the final restart, he could not regain the top position, finishing 3.9663 seconds behind the Spanish driver.
“I’m glad the pit stop didn’t ruin our race,” Rosenqvist declared. “Situations like these can affect the entire day. We had good pace and our work paid off in large part, but it’s frustrating not to achieve victory when it’s so close.”
Rosenqvist led the race for a total of 51 laps, the highest number he has led in a single event in his IndyCar career. With the season starting with poor positions, he sought a good result but ending in second place leaves a bittersweet feeling.
He added: “Although it’s a mixed feeling, we have to evaluate the weekend as a whole. We achieved a victory in IMSA and a pole, so we can’t complain too much. It is true that we wanted the victory in this event, but for us, the work done has been positive.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
