Lundqvist’s dream Ganassi ride: 'My life turned upside down in 2 weeks'

On IndyCar’s most treacherous street circuit, Lundqvist qualified 11th out of 27 cars, ahead of his vastly experienced four-time Indy 500 champion team-mate Helio Castroneves, and set the race’s fastest lap before crashing out.

Spectacular in every sense, Lundqvist had well and truly caught the attention of IndyCar’s biggest bosses.

“After harassing team principals, each and everyone of them, making timely run-bys outside their trailers for two and a half years, at Nashville it was the other way around,” he says.

“All of a sudden they were calling me instead of me calling them, and obviously that kept on happening throughout the first race and after Indianapolis and into Gateway, as well.”

It appears after just a second Meyer Shank substitute ride at the Brickyard, where the Swede put in an assured drive to beat Castroneves and finish 12th, Chip Ganassi had seen enough. Lundqvist was promptly snapped up to a multi-year drive with Chip’s eponymous and massively successful team, which is currently leading the championship 1-2 with heavyweights Alex Palou and Scott Dixon.

It’s the IndyCar equivalent of last year’s F2 champ Felipe Drugovich suddenly being announced at Red Bull for next year – and Lundqvist himself says he can scarcely comprehend what’s happened.

“Firstly, it’s a dream to even be an IndyCar driver, but to be able to do it with a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, it’s unbelievable,” he enthuses.

“Still today I have difficulty to put into words how much this means. I’m incredibly thankful.”

Like many young hopefuls, Lundqvist’s junior career has been one of living hand-to-mouth, hoping for the next opportunity to keep the dream alive. The difference is that the Tyresö native has done a lot of winning on his journey – he claimed the 2018 British F3 and 2020 Formula Regional Americas titles, as well as Indy NXT – without much reward.

“This is the first time ever in my career that I’ve actually known that I’m going to be racing full time next year, and obviously as part of a multi-year deal,” he says, almost emphasising the words as if it’s still not true yet.

“To know that I’m going to be racing for a few years ahead of me is something unbelievable. Every year that I’ve gone into in the past has been like, ‘I don’t even know if I’m going to finish the season.’

“To be in this position, to be racing in IndyCar together with this team, yeah, my life has made a drastic change in the last couple of weeks.”

However, despite his brilliant performances in one of the world’s most competitive championships, Lundqvist is aware the margin between hero and zero in IndyCar are extremely fine.

Romain Grosjean, often thought of as one of F1’s fastest men in terms of pure speed, has never quite cracked IndyCar, while Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta – two of the championship’s brightest stars – haven’t even been able to win a race this season.

“You’re always going to have to up your game, especially when you’re going to have Scott Dixon as a team-mate,” says Lundqvist. “There’s no stopping how much you need to improve.

“I believe in myself that I’m a fast racing driver, and I’m going to do my best to perform, but I also know that I am going in as a rookie against the very best in the sport.

“Obviously a lot of learning and asking is going to be done in especially the first part of the season, but I know that once I’m comfortable with the car and getting to feel right at home, I know that the results and the speed is going to be there, so I’m not overly worried about that. I’m just going to try to learn as much as I can.”