Felix Rosenqvist is starting from pole for Sunday’s IndyCar race at Portland International Speedway, but he is not confident of an easy strategy call.
Historically, drivers could maintain advantage by staying up front. Even if other drivers behind attempted an alternate pit strategy, a caution falling at the right time to make an off-cycle strategy work was a rare occurrence.
Earlier in the year, however, IndyCar officials were called out for their decision to delay a full course yellow when Alexander Rossi was stranded on the track.
In response, officials updated their policies and now throw cautions more quickly where there is an incident.
The resulting higher rate of cautions has Rosenqvist worried that he could get caught in a compromising situation if he runs a traditional pit strategy.
“Since the whole Rossi and Rasmussen situations in Road America and the Indy GP, when they changed the rules, you’re more exposed, right,” said Rosenqvist.
“If this was before that, you would probably just try to go along, try to control the race that way, which is historically, at least the last couple seasons, the way to do it, if you look at especially Alex [Palou].
“But yeah, I think now you have to play it a little bit differently, try to cover yourself more. I think luck is more of a factor in general, which I’m not a fan of.
“It’s been a bit of probably 50/50 in the field what drivers have been thinking about it. It is what it is. We probably have to cover ourselves more. Hopefully get clean air. That was always a key here in Portland.”
Regardless of his worries, Rosenqvist is seemingly in the most favorable position to attempt to earn his and his team’s first win outside the Indianapolis 500.
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