Most drivers remember their first win more vividly than anything else. For Linus Lundqvist, it came in a go-kart in 2010, and it set the tone for everything that followed.
Speaking exclusively to Pit Debrief, the Swedish driver is direct about what has driven him ever since.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love what I get to do. I love driving fast cars and you get to travel a lot and meet a lot of incredible people. But what I truly love is winning and that’s what I fell in love with.”
“And I remember because it was really my first ever race that I won in go-karts back in 2010. So I was 10 turning 11 years old and I fell in love with that feeling of winning a race, standing on top of the podium. And that’s kind of been my motivating factor ever since then.”
“And in a way, I love winning but I also hate losing. In a way, I hate losing more than I love winning. So I’m almost motivated more by not losing.”
“And that’s been that way no matter what I’ve done, whether it’s been racing or any other sports in the past that I’ve done as a kid. So yeah, that’s still my motivating factor here.”
It is a small but telling distinction, and one that defines how Lundqvist approaches not just racing, but competition as a whole.
More than Rookie of the Year
Lundqvist’s path to IndyCar was not straightforward. After winning the Indy Lights title in 2022, he spent a year without a full-time seat before earning his way in through sheer persistence. Three races with Meyer Shank Racing in 2023, setting the fastest lap on debut in Nashville and again in a second outing, caught enough attention to land him a seat at Chip Ganassi Racing for 2024. He took pole at Road America, stood on the podium twice, and won Rookie of the Year by 97 points. For most drivers, that would feel like arrival.
For Lundqvist, it was a step. Not the destination.
For Lundqvist, it was a step. Not the destination.
“It was great to win. I was very proud of winning Rookie of the Year because it’s a championship that you can only win once. So I’m happy to have done it.”
“But at the same time, you know, you do your best. But at the end of the day, you want to win championships, period. You don’t want to win a sub championship of Rookie of the Year or whatever it might be.”
“You’re there to fight for wins and podiums at the end of the day, you know, championships and stuff like that. So it was cool to have done. But obviously, I want to do more. And I want to win the big thing.”
That refusal to settle runs through his entire career. Achievements are acknowledged, but they are never enough on their own.
A necessary mental reset
Stepping into IndyCar with a career built on winning created its own problem. Lundqvist had never really learned how to measure success any other way, and at Ganassi, alongside Scott Dixon, Álex Palou, Marcus Armstrong and Kyffin Simpson the gap between expectation and reality hit hard.
When asked about his biggest development during his rookie IndyCar season in 2024, Lundqvist doesn’t point to a lap time or a result. He points inward. “I think, ironically, because I was just saying that you want to win championships, but a big thing for me was honestly the mentality of it. And I think it’s a big change,” he said.
“I think every driver kind of goes through this at some point where in the junior series, usually, you know, you might be accustomed to fighting at the front and fighting for championships straight away. And that’s kind of how it’s been my whole career. You know, every single year that you’ve taken a step up or entered a championship, you know, I’ve had race wins and either won or fought for the championship.”
“And that’s something that I was accustomed to, you know, for the past eight years or so, whatever I spent in the junior series. So going into IndyCar, I think my mentality was the same. I’m here to win. I want to fight for championships, which, I think, is generally healthy for a driver to have that. But I think as well, a realisation that this is one of the most difficult championships in the entire world.”
“So to come in as a rookie and expect to be fighting at the front straight away, it’s tough. It can be very hard. And I think when I wasn’t, you know, winning races or consistently being on the podium at every single race, my mentality took a hit.”
“And I think that was one of the biggest things that I learned was that, okay, well, we go from the expectation to winning every race to make sure that, okay, we can be consistently in the top 10 and qualify, you know, fast 12 and stuff like that.”
“So you have to take your expectations down a notch, which can sometimes be a little tricky to do, like I said, because I’m a person that loves winning and hate losing. Tweaking your goals to saying that a win is not winning the race, but it’s a top 10 or a top five. So I think that was one of the biggest things that I learned throughout the year.”
Staying ready
IndyCar’s charter system forced Ganassi to cut two cars for 2025. Lundqvist lost his seat not through any failing on track, but through the financial mechanics of a sport that does not always reward performance with continuity.
Now heading into 2026, Lundqvist finds himself in a position he knows well. On the outside looking in, despite having proven his pace at the top level.
His approach, however, has not changed.
“Well, it’s, it’s a little bit different. Now, I’ve actually been in Europe for the past three months or so. And it’s mostly been because I’ve gotten some opportunities over here to drive race cars, which is the best thing to do to stay in shape.”
“So I’ve been very fortunate enough to do plenty of days testing, just keeping my neck strong and keeping the drivability sharp and doing whatever I can to spend as much time as I can behind a race car, because obviously I haven’t done a full championship since 2024.”
“And I was at St. Pete, I’m going to be at Barber here in a couple of weeks, and the rest of the races, almost every one of them. And I know that I am ready for the opportunity if it does arrive. But that doesn’t happen by, you know, staying at home being on your couch, you got to be out and obviously working out staying in shape, but also drive your shape.”
“And then obviously, alongside of it, I’ve picked up some, some fighting some Muay Thai. So, you know, the mentality of being in a competition is still sharp. And my love for winning is still very much there. So yeah, I’ve done what I can to kind of stay sharp in every aspect of it.”
In motorsport, opportunities rarely come with warning. Lundqvist is making sure that when one does, he does not need time to catch up.
Speed above all else
When asked what he would bring to a team that people on the outside might underestimate, his answer is immediate and unadorned.
“I think the best thing a driver can bring to a car is speed. And that’s what I would bring. Obviously, I’ve done what I can to stay sharp. And I haven’t forgotten how to drive,” he stated.
“I think that would be the biggest thing, speed. And obviously, the experience that I do have. But I wouldn’t claim that to be one of my biggest strengths. Instead, I would say that the biggest thing I bring is my speed.”
Lundqvist’s IndyCar fight is far from over
From the outside, Lundqvist’s career can be read as a series of interruptions. He won Indy Lights and waited. He proved himself in IndyCar and lost his seat anyway, this time to forces entirely outside his control. It is the kind of pattern that wears people down.
Lundqvist is aware of how it looks. He simply does not see it that way.
When asked about what resilience personally means to him, he said, “What it means to me is basically just not giving up.”
“And obviously, I’ve now been around both in 2023 when we didn’t get a ride after winning the Indy Lights title. Obviously, for 2025 and now 2026, it looks to be rough to find at least a full-time ride.”
“But to me, it’s always been, like I said, my road has never been straight. It’s always hit many bumps and weird turns. So for me, this is not super unusual.”
“And to be honest, I don’t know any other way. I don’t know to quit or give up. The only way for me is forward and through. Because like I said, I feel that we deserve to be here. And I feel like we deserve to get another shot at IndyCar. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to be there.”
For Lundqvist, that is not a rallying cry. It is simply a statement of intent.
The results are there, the mindset is unchanged, and as he makes clear, the only thing missing is the opportunity.
