Rejoining Arrow McLaren “hardest decision” of Rosenqvist’s IndyCar career
- Archie O’Reilly
- Aug 6
- 5 min read
Felix Rosenqvist has labelled his choice to depart Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) in favour of returning to Arrow McLaren as the toughest he has made in his IndyCar career.
It was confirmed in late June that, after three years together, the Swede would be departing MSR at the end of this season upon the expiry of his contract, despite his career-defining Indianapolis 500 victory with the team in May. Within two weeks, a switch back to Arrow McLaren - with whom he competed from 2021 through 2023 - was formalised.
Those previous three seasons in papaya, which followed two years with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR), including a sixth-place championship finish as a rookie in 2019, offered mixed results. Rosenqvist achieved three podiums, four poles and a best of eighth in points in 2022, though this was sandwiched by a disappointing 21st and so-so 12th place.
“When I joined the team in 2021, that was probably one of my toughest seasons,” Rosenqvist, who missed two races through injury that campaign, said in a media call this week. “But I actually had a good year after that, finished eighth, got going pretty well.
“[It was] a little bit up and down but some great pace, a lot of pole positions, some podiums together. I don’t want to talk too much about [rejoining] now because we’re still in the middle of the season with Meyer Shank Racing. I think the future outlook, the new car [in 2028], things like that, it’s definitely an area where I expect them to be good.
“A lot of small things together made this decision. It was very hard. It was probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make. But that’s where it landed. I’m excited to join them next year.”
In returning to Arrow McLaren, as well as reuniting with fellow new addition Scott Dixon after their days together at CGR, Rosenqvist will rekindle with former teammate Pato O’Ward. The pair became close friends across their previous three years together, resulting in O’Ward even serving as best man at Rosenqvist’s wedding in 2024.
The building of a strong team chemistry has frequently been touted as a crucial part of Arrow McLaren’s revamping of their lineup for 2027, led by the O’Ward-Rosenqvist reunion.
“When I joined McLaren in ’21, I didn’t even know him,” Rosenqvist reflected. “I’d never even talked to him. I didn’t know if we were going to get along or not. [But] it was pretty quickly - probably the first test day - we already got along really well. He was like: ‘Do you want to join me for dinner?’ He was very inviting.
“Pato is a lot of fun. He brought me a different perspective when you go racing because we just had so much fun. You’re going to spend so much time with your teammate through the year. Sometimes you don’t get along. That’s fine. You can’t select your team.
“We still hang out. We work well together. We’re pretty simple guys when it comes to engineering and stuff. You just say it as it is. We don’t really try to play any games or keep stuff for ourselves; we just tried to give both a chance to go quick. Also with Dixon, we had a really good relationship too. It will be a lot of fun.”
There is, of course, bittersweetness at leaving MSR, who have been a team transformed since Rosenqvist’s addition in 2024. They had only recorded a single top-10 result the entire year prior, yet on debut for the team, Rosenqvist immediately finished fifth after qualifying a shock second place - only 0.006 seconds off pole.
Then, after recording a ‘podium’ in the Thermal Club exhibition event, he went one better by scoring the team’s first-ever pole position for Round 2 of the season in Long Beach. It was a flying start that revitalised the organisation.
“That was a really cool memory for me because we just hit it off straight away,” Rosenqvist said. “In the first couple of weekends, we were on the front row, we were fighting up front. This was a very different time for the team and for me. It’s easy to sit now and say: ‘Oh yeah, obviously we need to fight for poles and wins.’
“Back then, it wasn’t as obvious and it was very exciting for us. We definitely established ourselves as contenders at the front on a week-to-week basis.”
Indeed, Rosenqvist has elevated the team to new heights. A tail-off in 2024 - only one top-10 result in the final 11 rounds after five in the first six races - rendered a team-record 12th-place championship finish almost underwhelming. But a repeat of such fortunes was avoided in 2025, as Rosenqvist matched his personal-best finish of sixth in the standings.
Now, in 2026, even after a slow start to the season, he sits seventh with six rounds remaining as MSR continue to establish themselves as genuine front-runners. And regardless of what happens in the run-in of his time with the team - or even in the remainder of his career - Rosenqvist will always have his Indy 500 crown with MSR to cherish.
“It’s a great relief when you think about your career and your achievements,” he admitted. “One day, when you hang up the helmet, you’re going to be very happy you have that win. That’s a major relief. I know a lot of drivers have worked hard for it many, many years, have been close but never been the one that got to drink the milk. It also boosts your confidence.”
Indy 500 success weighed heavily in Arrow McLaren’s decision to enact a return for Rosenqvist, given their organisation-wide ambitions of winning the Triple Crown. But in the intervening years since his last stint with the team, he feels he has also developed as an all-round driver, even if performances at the Speedway have created the greatest appeal.
Rather than being somewhat the bridesmaid against a prodigious young talent like O’Ward or a legend of the sport like Dixon, he has been able to emerge as a genuine leader at what was an ailing MSR outfit in desperate need of inspiration. This experience gives belief that his second stint with Arrow McLaren could be one defined less by turbulence.
“When I look back to 2023, it seems like a lifetime ago,” he said. “Three years of working on all the little details, becoming a bit wiser, more experienced, hopefully faster, it all adds up to when you come back. You probably turn into a little bit of a different [driver].
“I think speed has always been the same for me in IndyCar; we’ve always been pretty good at qualifying. My race craft has improved quite a bit, especially this year. Those are the things you look forward to applying coming back there.
“You’re a more seasoned driver. You know more about how the car works, what you need from the car. You can probably lead the team a bit better than what I could have done three years ago. Just a better package in general.”
For now, Rosenqvist’s primary focus is bowing out on a high from MSR, given the life-affirming memories they have made together, especially in recent months. Even with his departure pending, he has remained on amicable terms with the team.
“Actually not,” he responded when asked if anything has changed inside the team over the past month. “It’s been kind of back to normal. [Making] these calls in the middle of the year is the way it works in IndyCar, unfortunately. Even with the long off-season we have, most of the deals are made in May, June, July.
“Obviously when the decision was made, it’s never a good thing. But everyone’s done a really good job looking forward. We still have a third of a season to go here. Everyone’s in good spirits. Everyone’s hungry to win. Same goes for me.
“Nothing really changes from my standpoint here going into the last bit. We have a lot to be proud of and also a lot more to accomplish together. Just going to keep rolling.”
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