Felix Rosenqvist will start the Music City Grand Prix from the second row, and he points to improvements done by his engine manufacturer as the reason for his good form.
The Swede actually qualified with fifth fastest time, but a grid penalty for Alex Palou boosted him up to fourth, his best starting spot in quite some time.
The second-row start represents Rosenqvist’s best starting position since Toronto in 2019, when he qualified third for Chip Ganassi Racing and went on to finish in the top five.
A switch to Arrow McLaren SP this year, and a Chevrolet power plant, has not done him any favors, and he has been consistently outshone by his young team-mate Pato O’Ward.
Extra confidence this weekend from the power plant situated behind him helped greatly, however, and he was quick to point out the upgrade.
“I think Chevy has done a really good improvement for this weekend,” said Rosenqvist after qualifying. “We were working really hard the last couple weeks to improve some stuff.
“I think just drivability has been a little bit of an issue all season. I think we really made a good step.
“Yeah, from the moment we tried it in Portland [during testing], going here, it’s just been better. I think everyone’s been happy with it.
“It’s been way different car for me this weekend. So, yeah, really happy with our progress.
“I think it’s good to kind of bounce back inside a top five again. It’s been a while since we were there.”
Rosenqvist’s best start so far this season had been 13th, but he will now have a strong advantage heading into Sunday’s race around the tricky Nashville track.
The inaugural Music City Grand Prix takes place Sunday afternoon at 4:30 EDT, with high temperatures and high humidity forecast.
