Linus Lundqvist had a very impressive first full season in IndyCar and the Swedish driver won the Rookie of the Year award.
He was very competitive for Chip Ganassi Racing and scored two podium finishes as the 25-year-old adapted to a new series.
Lundqvist suffered a difficult opening round of the campaign on the streets of St. Petersburg, finishing in 21st. He then improved to sixth place at the $1 Million Challenge, qualifying for the final.
The month of May is often a difficult time for rookies who are faced with the Indy 500 for the first time and the added media attention.
Lundqvist admitted to the IndyCar YouTube channel that he may have been underprepared heading into his first full season and that he wasn’t overly knowledgeable about some things.
Linus Lundqvist had ‘no idea’ about how IndyCar worked before St. Petersburg
Lundqvist stepped up to IndyCar this season after competing in three races in 2023 for Meyer Shank Racing.
This offered a chance to sharpen his skills before a full season, but Lundqvist suffered a difficult start to his cameo. The MSR driver hit the wall at Nashville and failed to finish.
Despite the setback in Nashville, Lundqvist returned for two more races in 2023 including at Gateway to gather experience on an oval.
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The Swedish driver has now explained how those three races potentially gave Lundqvist a false idea of what racing in IndyCar was like and caused him to struggle early on in 2024.
He said: “I think that the Olympic break was good for me. I think mostly mentally to create a little bit of distance to the season because it’s so hectic.
“I think with the races I did last year, it was almost like a false pretence that I was like, ‘All right, I know what IndyCar is about’. I had no idea.
“No idea. Because then as well, we had St. Pete, and then a long break, and then we had Thermal, [and then] a long break. I was like, ‘All right, I got the hang of this’.
“Then the season really got going and it did not stop. And then the whole Month of May. I think I was just mentally drained when we came to the Olympic break.”
Linus Lundqvist won’t continue at Chip Ganassi Racing next season
Lundqvist is having to look elsewhere for a seat in IndyCar despite a successful season and taking the Rookie of the Year award.
Chip Ganassi Racing are competing with three cars instead of five next season as Scott Dixon and Kyffin Simpson join Alex Palou.
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There are still seats available for the Swedish driver at Meyer Shank Racing and RLL, but nothing is confirmed for Lundqvist ahead of 2025.
Lundqvist missed out on a seat at IndyCar newcomers PREMA, whose preparations are nearly complete for their first season next year, with Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman driving for the Italian team.