4 Years After Missing Indy 500 With Alonso, McLaren Racing Very Much a Contender

Alexander Rossi (L) talks with Tony Kanaan of Brazil and his wife Lauren Bohlander during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 20, 2023. Darron Cummings/AP Photo

INDIANAPOLIS—It is hard to be an introvert among the bodacious characters of Arrow McLaren Racing.

But Felix Rosenqvist, who readily admits he “was closed as a shell” when he joined McLaren for the start of the 2021 season, is having a blast with firecracker teammate Pato O’Ward and wild-card boss Zak Brown as they rebuild the team’s brand in IndyCar after an absence of nearly four decades.