It was one of the most bizarre qualifying rounds Linus Lundqvist has ever seen. And it provided one of the greatest moments of the 25-year-old Swede’s IndyCar debut season. On a soggy Sunday (AEST) at Road America, Lundqvist secured his first career pole position with a lap time of 1 minute, 45.1519 seconds on the 6.45km, 14-turn course.
Since Romain Grosjean at the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May 2021, he is the first rookie to win a pole. “Growing up in Sweden, half the races we did were in the rain,” remarked Lundqvist.
The drivers encountered difficulties due to the erratic weather. Josef Newgarden, the winner of the Indianapolis 500, skidded off the track late in the last qualifying session and slammed the side of his Chevrolet into a barrier on turn two. Prior to being freed, Newgarden made a visit to the IndyCar medical unit. On Monday (AEST), he will utilise a backup vehicle, although he keeps his sixth-place qualifying finish. “I feel like an idiot,” Newgarden remarked.
“I kind of came in wanting to rebuild my confidence.” Lundqvist’s best IndyCar starting position prior to this past weekend was 17th. Colton Herta of Andretti Global, who started first at Road America the previous year, will start second this round. Marcus Armstrong of Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Kirkwood of Vasser Sullivan Racing, and Will Power of Australia of Team Penske completed the top five qualifying. The race forecast does not include rain, which is in contrast to what the drivers experienced during qualifying.
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