INDYCAR: Rosenqvist impressive at Mid-Ohio test

Indy Lights race winner Felix Rosenqvist got his first taste of IndyCar power and downforce at Mid-Ohio on Thursday as he split the test day with Scott Dixon in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevy. According to multiple sources, the 24-year-old set the fastest unofficial lap among the first-time Verizon IndyCar Series drivers during his morning outing.

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A Team Penske driver is said to have led that morning sessions with a lap of 1m04.5sec around the 2.3-mile road course and Rosenqvist was recorded as fourth with a 1m04.8sec lap.

"I think he did a really good job," Dixon told RACER. "If he's placed in the right situation, I think he can really thrive. The cool thing is he has a ton of experience; he's driven a lot of open-wheel cars and a lot of sports cars, so for a young guy, he's got a lot of miles under him. He didn't fall off at all, and was better than some of the Penske guys. He's well-rounded and picks things up quickly. I think he's a heck of a talent and I hope he finds something."

Rosenqvist turned 93 laps – more than a full race distance – during a busy half-day of activity.

"It's the quickest car I've ever driven with the most downforce," said the promising Swede. "It's very grippy and physical. Ganassi have a great car and everything is done in a very professional way so you can just concentrate on driving. It's been really good to work with their team."

The reigning European Formula 3 champion says the extreme cornering speeds and physical demands that came with lapping Mid-Ohio in Dixon's car were impossible to ignore.

"I haven't seen any official times, but we were not far away in terms of speed," he added. "The first step was to make sure I was comfortable in the car, and then the next step was to push. For a first day in a new car on a new track, it went very well. It wears you out a little bit; your neck most of all. I spoke with [Chip Ganassi Racing's] Tony Kanaan, and he said it's the worst place for physical demands. You feel it after getting out of the car, but it's this way for every [rookie] driver."

With three Indy Lights race wins for Brian Belardi’s during his American debut, Rosenqvist has been a breakout star in IndyCar’s top feeder series. Although he’s been forced to miss some rounds due to a full-season sports car commitment in Europe, Rosenqvist has made enough of an impression to earn a testing invite from Ganassi and hopes it will lead to more opportunities.

“I think it’s every driver’s dream to be in one of these cars for a living,” he said. “It’s quite early in the silly season, and I have some talks in Europe, but now I know this team and put my name on the IndyCar radar. I’ve been a formula driver for some time now and I’ve never had a chance to drive something in Formula 1 or IndyCar, and it’s really cool to do this and know that I can be fast. Hopefully the test today can help me somehow.”