Franchitti Excited by Prospect of Rosenqvist in IndyCar

Will Rosenqvist turn the #10 from a losing car to a winning car?

Chip Ganassi Racing’s driver advisor Dario Franchitti says he’s excited by the prospect of Felix Rosenqvist on the team next year, but has also defended the departed Ed Jones who endured a difficult 2018 season.

Franchitti, who claimed three of his four IndyCar titles and two of his three Indy 500 wins with Ganassi’s team has filled an advisory role for the squad since his enforced retirement from the cockpit over five years ago. He will therefore be working closely with Rosenqvist who joins CGR as a rookie for 2019, but has won races in almost every open-wheel category in which he’s competed, including in a part-time Indy Lights campaign in 2016.

Said Franchitti: “He’s a different character [than Jones]. Felix is feisty and I don’t think he’s intimidated by much.

“He’s got a lot to learn, no question about it, but he’s clearly got loads of talent. He’ll have to work hard to learn about the ovals, but he’s absolutely more than capable of it. He’ll be fun, and it’ll be exciting to watch how he develops.

“Obviously as a TV commentator for Formula E, I’ve been watching it carefully and he did a phenomenal job there. And he impressed everyone at Ganassi in the two tests he did with us at Mid-Ohio.

“Yes, those tests were with the manufacturer aerokits, but Felix was also very good at Barber last month with the current car, so I don’t anticipate any issues for him. The thing is, it’s up to every driver to develop a driving style that works with the car they’re given and I think he will. He’s used to driving all kinds of cars – F3, SuperFormula, Indy Lights, Formula E, GT cars, and so on – and he’s been impressive in all of them, and those experiences will be very helpful.

“Also, because the manufacturer aerokit tests were quite a while ago, he’s coming to this car with not much experience but also no preconceived ideas and without a lot to un-learn. So listening to his feedback after that Barber test was pretty interesting, because of the things he was picking out to highlight as a rookie."