Felix Rosenqvist says being involved in the development of a long-term project was part of the reason why he opted to switch to McLaren’s IndyCar programme.
Rosenqvist has spent the past two seasons with Ganassi but made the shock decision to switch from the title-winning outfit to the growing McLaren team at the end of the 2020 campaign.
Last season McLaren returned to IndyCar by linking up with Schmidt Peterson Motorsport, claiming four podiums and a pole position courtesy of Patricio O’Ward.
Despite having driven for one of IndyCar’s leading teams, 29-year-old Rosenqvist felt it was time to move to an outfit which he could help grow alongside his own ambitions of winning the title and the Indianapolis 500.
“When I started talking to Arrow McLaren SP, I think their interest in me is how much they’ve improved in the last couple of seasons, what they have in the pipeline, direct relationship to McLaren, things like that. It makes a difference,” said Rosenqvist.
“I think with a couple of years, this team is going to be really, really strong. That’s something I wanted to be part of.
“I’ve been in IndyCar now for two years, and I was ready to find where I want to be, find a family where I feel at home. I feel like I have the right tools to go and finish my goals, which is to win the championship and the [Indy] 500. I feel like I’m in a good spot for that.”
Rosenqvist claimed his first IndyCar victory with Ganassi at Road America last season via a penultimate lap wheel-banging duel with new team-mate O’Ward.
Now that the two share the same team Rosenqvist feels he and O’Ward can forge a formidable partnership.
“Me and Pato get along really well,” he added. “We’re a two-man team or two-car team, which is obviously a different dynamic than having three or four cars.
“I think it’s really important that you need to work in the same direction, you need to be able to share everything between you and not really hold any doors closed in terms of information or any ego trips or anything like that.
“I feel like we’re really good like that. I feel the whole team is really good like that.”
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