Felix Rosenqvist secured pole position for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, marking a crucial moment in his challenging 2026 IndyCar season. Currently 14th in the standings, he aims to turn his season around after four races without a top 10 finish.
Key points
Felix Rosenqvist secured pole position at Long Beach
He is currently 14th in the championship standings
Rosenqvist has zero top 10 finishes in the first four races
His lap time was 1m07.4635s
He dethroned Alex Palou for pole position
Felix RosenqvistAlex PalouPato O'WardAcura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Motorsport photo
Motorsport photo
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.
âIt was exactly what we were looking for,â said Rosenqvist, driver of MSRâs #60 Honda. âI 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.
âI 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.
Q&A
What did Felix Rosenqvist achieve at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach?
Felix Rosenqvist achieved pole position at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
How has Felix Rosenqvist performed in the 2026 IndyCar season so far?
Felix Rosenqvist has struggled in the 2026 IndyCar season, sitting 14th in the championship standings with no top 10 finishes in the first four races.
Who did Felix Rosenqvist dethrone for pole position at Long Beach?
Felix Rosenqvist dethroned reigning champion Alex Palou for pole position at Long Beach.
What is the significance of Rosenqvist's pole position for his team?
Rosenqvist's pole position is significant as it aims to boost the confidence of both him and Meyer Shank Racing amid a challenging season.
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âYeah, super happy with it.â
It was the seventh pole of Rosenqvistâs career and second-ever for MSR, with his 2024 Long Beach pole standing as the teamâs 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
Felix Rosenqvist - Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Photo: Travis Hinkle
Felix Rosenqvist - Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Photo: Travis Hinkle
âWe actually didn't change anything during qualifying,â he said. âWe did quite a lot of changes going into it.
âThe 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.
âI 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.â
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 afternoonâs IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 100-minute sprint race at Long Beach.
âAmazing day for us at Meyer Shank Racing,â Rosenqvist said. âThey got the pole yesterday in IMSA and the win today on the #93 car. Huge congrats. We're rocking the Green Day Acura livery. Huge day for Acura. Super happy to be here.
âIt's amazing how I went into this weekend (and) we said we needed a little turnaround, kind of turn the year around a little bit because we haven't been quick. Certainly worked well. Better than I dare expected.â
And Rosenqvist, whose lone career win came at Road America in 2020 (Race 2), has a prime spot to help give MSR a clean sweep of the weekend.
âFull focus on the race now,â he siad. âTry to take in the moment a little bit, just push forward.â
