Felix Rosenqvist hopes Long Beach pole kickstarts IndyCar season turnaround

Meyer Shank driver delivers breakthrough result after difficult start to 2026 season

There was a look of relief on the face of Felix Rosenqvist after snatching pole position for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Sitting 14th in the championship standings with zero top 10 finishes through the opening four rounds of the 2026 IndyCar season, there was a sense of urgency for the 34-year-old Swedish driver to simply find a way to get a breakthrough and help boost the confidence for both he and Meyer Shank Racing. He did just that with an inch-perfect flying lap of 1m07.4635s on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit, which was good enough to dethrone reigning and four-time series champion Alex Palou, and fend off a challenge by close friend Pato O'Ward.

Read Also:

IndyCar2026 IndyCar Long Beach starting lineup: Felix Rosenqvist beats Pato O’Ward to pole

“It was exactly what we were looking for,” said Rosenqvist, driver of MSR’s #60 Honda. “I think when you're struggling, it doesn't come easy, like it's kind of between the races where you find the problems. You show up and hopefully it's better. We were quick from the get-go here.

“I feel like the confidence you get from something like this, it's obviously huge not only for me but everyone in the team after having a bit of a drought, in terms of results.

“Yeah, super happy with it.”

It was the seventh pole of Rosenqvist’s career and second-ever for MSR, with his 2024 Long Beach pole standing as the team’s first.

One of the unique challenges the field faced this time around was an updated version of the single-car, single-lap Fast Six qualifying format for street circuits. Unlike Arlington where the format debuted, the new tweak allowed the fastest driver from Segment 2 to choose when to make their pole-trying run, with the subsequent choices made for the remaining positions based on Segment 2 results. Additionally, each team was required to make tire choice before getting to their place in line.

Rosenqvist went out third for his Fast Six run and was left watching the drama unfold with uncertainty if he had done enough to secure the top spot.

Felix Rosenqvist - Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Photo: Travis Hinkle

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

“We actually didn't change anything during qualifying,” he said. “We did quite a lot of changes going into it.

“The first run we had a real good run. We kind of nailed our tire prep. Then we just focused on executing what I could do in the car, kind of improved and improved. Yeah, it was pretty dialed in. Felt confident.

“I love the one-lap shootout. When they announced it, I was like I really want to be part of that because I think it's such a cool thing when you're doing the one-lap dash. Watching it was nerve-wracking. That was probably the worst part of it.”

The outing by Rosenqvist elevated an already stellar day for MSR, which saw its Acura-supported program convert its pole into a victory (with Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande) in Saturday afternoon’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 100-minute sprint race at Long Beach.