Felix Rosenqvist announced earlier this week that he’ll be leaving Arrow McLaren Racing this offseason and joining Meyer Shank Racing for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign and beyond.

Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, INDYCAR Radio Network) will mark his 48th and final start with the team.

However, some may be wondering why leave a team like McLaren for MSR. Nothing against MSR either, but McLaren is a brand. Since they’ve come back over here, they have 4 wins compared to just 1 at MSR.

I feel like Rosenqvist is leaving for stability. At McLaren, it had to get old with this every year uncertainty. Is he staying or going?

Last year it was Alex Palou was coming and Rosenqvist was going to end up in Formula E. That’s the worst spot he felt he could go but being with McLaren on a multi-year deal was something he was okay with. Then with Palou’s saga taking a turn that he may have to stay with Ganassi for 2023 and McLaren allowing Rosenqvist to search the paddock to stay here, they felt like they should just keep him in place for 2023.

So that’s what happened. However, Palou was coming for 2024 right? Now he’s not. Rosenqvist was sick of being put in this position each season for factors outside of his control.

He admitted that to be a problem last season.

“Yeah, I think it’s mainly distracting for the team, for the engineers, mechanics. They’re all asking questions,” he said in Nashville last August. “They’re part of this team as much as I am. Obviously without the driver, it’s a big part of what makes their day. They want to know, are they going to continue with me next year? What’s going to happen?

“It’s not the optimal case. I think we’ve done a good job focusing. But as I say, we had a run of mechanical failures, a bit of slipups here and there. I’m sure these things doesn’t help.

“Yeah, it’s not optimal. I think I’m always for negotiating or doing deals here and there. The thing I think is that’s for the off-season, not the season. Obviously this whole thing has opened very early in the year. I think it’s not optimal for our team. I think it affects people in the organization. It’s not good.

“During the week there’s a lot of talks. It’s not optimal. I’m sitting here instead of being in my engineering room. I’m talking about Formula 1 stuff. I think that’s where it’s not optimal.”

This year he’s looked just as strong if not better than 2022. But his future was once again in question.

“I mean, first of all, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. That’s a long time until next year,” he noted on media day this past winter too.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m in a good spot. I’m in a well-performing team, not only in Arrow McLaren but my 6 car I think is going to be strong this year. I feel well with everyone around me. I feel like I have a good support from the team to go and perform.

“I don’t really think too much about that stuff. I just try to do what I can do, which is go fast forward and try to win races.”

He said he felt like he handed it pretty well in 2022 and it went as good as it could. Which is why he was back in 2023. Now, after another solid 2023, what more do you want him to do?

While he was happy to have a foundation with the team for 2023 and the longest he’s been with a team in a while, he was down the line in talks with MSR with this Palou news coming around again. Why go through this again next year?

MSR was offering multiple years. It was all that he was after from the get go.

“I’m super excited to start the next chapter of my INDYCAR career together with MSR,” said Rosenqvist. “This will be a great opportunity for myself and MSR to elevate and get to the next level together. I’m also pretty excited to get to work with my old friend Tom (Blomqvist) again. I’m ready to start working together and getting the next season started.”

Now, with one race left, he wants to go out the door of McLaren a winner. Something he hasn’t done yet.

Still, he’s got a great shot of doing so. He was runner-up last week in Portland. He has 2 top 5’s in 3 tries at Laguna Seca including 4th last year.

The time is now.

“I’m pumped for the last race of the season,” Rosenqvist said. “Laguna is a place where I’ve enjoyed a lot of success, and coming off a strong result in Portland, the only aim for me will be to try and get that first win of the season for Arrow McLaren.”

In his first 18 starts with McLaren, Rosenqvist had just two top 10 finishes and an average finishing spot of 16.33. Over the last 29 races, he has 18 top 10 finishes with an average finish of 12.48.

He gives MSR the veteran leadership needed and is finding his stride in the sport too.