2021 GMR Grand Prix – Arrow McLaren SP Practice & Qualifying Report

#7: Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Date: Saturday, May 15 Round: 5/17 Race laps: 85 laps Total race distance: 207.32 miles/333.6 km Length: 2.439 miles/3.92 km Number of turns: 14 Remaining session start times: Warm Up: Saturday, 10:45 – 11:15 a.m. ETGreen Flag: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ETTUNE IN:Saturday, 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC
Felix Rosenqvist – No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Practice 1: 20th, 1:10.9655
Practice 2: 10th, 1:09.7749
Qualifying: 
Round 1, Group 1: 7th, 1:09.8243
Starting Position: 13th  
“We were 13th in qualifying, just missed out on Round Two so that’s a shame. I think I put a pretty good lap together, but it just wasn’t there. Qualifying is always tight but we were just missing three to four tenths to the front, so we have to figure out how the other teams did it. We made good strides throughout the day though. We started off the day pretty far back in the field but we were competitive in qualifying, but it’s always close so if you’re not on it, you’re going to miss out. We’ll get them in the race.”
Pato O’Ward – No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet
Practice 1: 18th, 1:10.8131
Practice 2: 9th, 1:09.7395
Qualifying: Round 1, Group 2: 9th, 1:10.0726
Starting Position: 18th  
“Qualified 18th for the GMR Grand Prix, it didn’t really roll off how we wanted it to. We just didn’t have the pace today but I think we can work to find it for tomorrow. It’s a long race, strategy windows are going to be pretty different from one to another, so there are some chances and opportunities there to make up some good positions. Let’s see what we got!”

Juan Pablo Montoya – No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet

Practice 1: 21st, 1:11.4833
Practice 2: 25th, 1:11.8081
Qualifying:
Round 1, Group 2: 13th, 1:11.1370
Starting Position: 25th 
“It’s been a difficult day to say the least. It’s hard because in practice we had two or three runs with two or three laps. First practice, we started where I thought we were going to be, a little off but competitive. Second practice, we lost the car with the changes and it really hurt us. Qualifying, we came back a bit and the car felt a little better and I did a better job. There’s a lot of things I need to improve myself but coming to the road course and understanding the bigger picture, it’s a great exercise in preparation for the Indianapolis 500.”

Taylor Kiel – President, Arrow McLaren SP

“It was definitely a learning day for Arrow McLaren SP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We came into the day looking to get Juan Pablo and the No. 86 crew up to speed and I think we were able to accomplish that. It was his first time in an Indy car since 2017 so I think it was good to spend the day getting reacquainted with everything. I think Pato and Felix definitely showed some speed throughout the day but we were just off the pace in qualifying. We will work hard as a team tonight to determine what we can do better and hopefully look to make up positions for all three drivers tomorrow. A lot can happen in 85 laps and I have a lot of confidence in this team and our drivers.”