Felix Rosenqvist qualifies third for season-opening NTT IndyCar Series race
• Teammate and defending series champion Scott Dixon to start fourthRookie Felix Rosenqvist started his NTT IndyCar Series career on a strong note, advancing to the Firestone Fast Six final round of knockout qualifying to claim the third starting position in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda for Sunday's season-opening race.
Rosenqvist's teammate – and defending series champion – Scott Dixon will start fourth after a hectic qualifying effort that saw his team make chassis setup changes to Dixon's Honda prior to each round of qualifying. Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi will start fifth and sixth, respectively, as Honda drivers claimed four of the Fast Six qualifying positions.
Jack Harvey was another Honda driver to start his 2019 season with an excellent qualifying effort, and he will start seventh in his Meyer Shank Racing entry. James Hinchcliffe and Graham Rahal round out the top 10 for Honda; while another impressive rookie, Colton Herta appeared headed to the Fast Six final round until he was penalized for impeding a competitor during the second round. He will start 11th in his Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda.
Sunday's 110-lap season-opening race starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT, with live network television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
Felix Rosenqvist (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified third for first NTT IndyCar Series race: 'I'm pretty happy. I'm not even sure yet what feedback to give to the team in qualifying, so I didn't want to change anything on the NTT DATA Honda. I guess when I get comfortable enough we can have those conversations, which is something to look forward to. We Rosenqvist and Dixon are starting side by side as teammates. I just can't wait to get going tomorrow for the race here at St. Petersburg.'
NTT IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Circuit: Bayfront Park (1.8-mile temporary street circuit) St. Petersburg, FL
2018 Winner: Sebastien Bourdais (DCR with Vasser-Sullivan Honda) 86.207 mph average
Weather: Mostly sunny, warm, 82 degrees F
Top-12 Qualifying Results Results:
| Ps. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Best Time | Notes | |
1. | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:00.4594 | xxx.xxx mph average | |
2. | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 1:00.5570 | +0.0976 seconds | |
3. | Felix Rosenqvist-R | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 1:00.6884 | Fast Six Final Qualifying | |
4. | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 1:00.8544 | Fast Six Final Qualifying | |
5. | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:01.0784 | Fast Six Final Qualifying | |
6. | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:01.7739 | Fast Six Final Qualifying | |
7. | Jack Harvey | Michael Shank Racing | Honda | 1:00.9531 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
8. | Charlie Kimball | Carlin Racing | Chevrolet | 1:01.0146 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
9. | James Hinchcliffe | Arrow Schmidt Peterson | Honda | 1:01.0185 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
10. | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 1:01.0944 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
11. | Colton Herta-R | Harding Steinbrenner Racing | Honda | 1:01.4182 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
12. | Ben Hanley-R | DragonSpeed Racing | Chevrolet | 1:02.3703 | 2nd Round Qualifying | |
Other Honda Results
14. | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 1:00.9061 | 1st Round, Group 2 |
18. | Marcus Ericsson-R | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Honda | 1:01.1345 | 1st Round, Group 2 |
19. | Sebastien Bourdais | DCR with Vasser-Sullivan | Honda | 4:58.5395 | 1st Round, Group 1 |
20. | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Honda | 1:01.1511 | 1st Round, Group 2 |
21. | Santino Ferrucci-R | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | No time | 1st Round, Group 1 |
23. | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | Honda | No time | 1st Round, Group 1 |