Linus Lundqvist

Road to the IndyCar Series

After winning the American Formula Regional championship (2020) and the Indy Lights championship (2022), Linus Lundqvist initially failed to make the step up to the IndyCar Series in 2023. The Swede even returned to his home country to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup Scandinavia, until he received a phone call from America.

Impressive IndyCar Debut

Later in the season, Lundqvist received a call asking if he could replace the injured Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing. He made a strong impression by qualifying in eleventh, and was on his way to a top-ten finish before crashing late in the race. That year, he raced two more times for Michael Shank's team, finishing twelfth on the infield circuit of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Rookie of the Year in First Full-Time Season

Lundqvist's debut was so impressive that Chip Ganassi Racing offered him a full-time seat for the 2024 season. Throughout the season, Lundqvist alternated between brilliant races and completely anonymous performances, with the latter occurring more often. The standout moments were remarkable: he secured his first pole position in drying conditions at Road America and finished third at both Barber Motorsports Park and WWT Raceway at Gateway.

However, the many anonymous races prevented a strong championship result, leaving Lundqvist in sixteenth place in the standings. Nevertheless, it was enough for him to convincingly claim the Rookie of the Year title. Despite this, it seems Lundqvist is set to lose his seat at Ganassi, as the team has made the decision to downscale from five to three cars.