The team went out with a bang, as Blomqvist, Braun and Castroneves won the Petit Le Mans again on Oct. 14 to end the season.
How long has Blomqvist been working on an IndyCar deal?
“I have to admit, not that long,” he said at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September. “I didn’t think it would be a realistic opportunity for me. It’s only since I joined Mike (Shank)’s team where I believed it could become an opportunity. About a year ago Mike asked me if I’d be interested in going that route, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ But I had to prove that I deserved the opportunity by my performance in sports cars, so I’ve been working very hard to make it happen. IndyCar is the second-biggest single-seater series in the world, and you can make a good living from it. I am trying hard to prove that I should be given this opportunity.”
Blomqvist’s first IndyCar race came July 16 at Toronto as a substitute for Pagenaud, who was injured in a crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 1. Blomqvist also competed in IndyCar races at Portland Int’l Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in September.
Although his initial results generated the not-so-amazing results of 25th, 24th and 26th, Blomqvist is uniquely poised to become a star in North America’s premier formula car series due to his well-rounded experience.
“Sports cars come very natural to me; they suit my driving style,” he said. “In sports cars you can’t be egotistical; you must work together well with one or more co-drivers. There are many compromises, including something as simple as not sitting in a seat that is perfect for you. You have to be very willing to put your co-drivers and the team ahead of your own agenda. And in long races you can’t make silly mistakes. Working well with other people is very important.
“Formula E is a whole different car and the technique of driving it is very specific,” he continued. “There is not a lot of grip at all on those cars; not a lot of downforce. The racing isn’t flat-out. You have to be very connected to your team and your engineer, and it’s a completely different type of racing because you have to be very efficient with your driving in order to save energy. Experience really pays in that championship.”
What about IndyCar?
“It’s the most competitive series in the world,” he said. “It’s spec cars and it’s sprint races, really. You need to be good in every single area. You have to understand how to drive the car fast, how to do three or four pit stops, have good out laps; really you have to be good at everything. Your race craft is very important. There is a mix of tracks, which adds to it. You need a large skill set to be competitive in IndyCar.”
He acknowledges next year will be a learning season for him. He’s never raced any type of car at 10 of the 16 tracks on the IndyCar schedule. He got his first taste of an oval when he tested at Texas Motor Speedway in September. He competed in IMSA’s Battle of the Brickyard on the IMS road course in September, and he completed his rookie orientation program on the IMS oval on Oct. 11.
“I still have a lot of work to do; for me, it’s all about being competitive,” Blomqvist said. “I’m pretty confident that I can do it. I just have to trust the process, and eventually I’ll get there. An Indy car is quite a physical car, and the way it reacts is different, and the speeds are higher.
“When I got my first taste of an oval, it was weird at first but I enjoyed it,” he said of his test at Texas. “I was on my own, but actually racing on an oval is going to be a new challenge … understanding how the dirty air works, and doing pit stops; it’s going to be a whole new discipline for me, but it’s part of IndyCar and I’m looking forward to it.”
Next year he and Felix Rosenqvist will be MSR’s full-time IndyCar drivers. Castroneves will also buckle in for the Indianapolis 500 while being a minority team owner, driver coach and team ambassador.
Having the “Qvist boys” — Blomqvist and Rosenqvist — on the same team is a nice development, as they competed against each other in the European junior formulas for many years.
“I know Felix really well,” Blomqvist said. “We grew up competing against each other since 2009, which was my first year in cars, and we raced together on and off for years.”
Like most of the drivers from Europe’s junior formulas, Blomqvist’s initial goal in racing was to make it to Formula 1. He’d like to keep that door open, but he’s committed to IndyCar success.
Although he’s never actually attended an Indy 500, he has been watching.
“I watched Helio climb the fence,” he said.
“And when I was growing up, Scott Dixon was always the guy, since he’s from New Zealand,” he continued. “I’ve followed IndyCar since an early age. It’s a fantastic opportunity, and I’m grateful for the trust and the belief Meyer Shank Racing and our sponsors have in me. I can’t wait to get started.”
This story appeared in the Nov 8, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
