Felix Rosenqvist says becoming a father has changed the way he thinks about racing, life and risk just days before Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. The 34-year-old from Värnamo, Sweden, said the birth of his daughter Stella has given him a sense of purpose and perspective that he believes will help him on track as well.
Stella was born May 4, 2026, at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital outside Indianapolis, and Rosenqvist and his wife Emille announced the birth in a joint Instagram post. The couple, who married in Sweden on Sept. 21, 2024, had become engaged in Tanzania in November 2023.
“Normally I prefer to separate racing from my private life, but this is just such a big moment for us,” Rosenqvist said. “It fills me with a sense of purpose and perspective that I genuinely believe will only do me good on the track as well.”
He added that “everything else kind of pales in comparison for sure,” and said even being present for the birth brought emotions he had not expected. “It definitely gives you perspective in life,” he said.
The timing matters for Rosenqvist, who enters Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his eighth Indianapolis 500 start and one of the sport’s most demanding events. He was fastest on Fast Friday alongside Scott McLaughlin, a reminder of the speed he and Meyer Shank Racing can bring to the 2.5-mile oval.
Rosenqvist has built a career that includes wins in the Macau Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de Pau, the Masters of Formula 3 and the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He had three Formula E wins before making his IndyCar debut in 2019, when he was named Series Rookie of the Year.
The Indianapolis 500 has given him strong runs and hard lessons. He finished fourth in 2022 and again in 2025, crashed out while running in contention in 2023 and saw a mechanical failure end a promising 2024 attempt. Last year, he posted the fastest single lap of the entire Month of May at 234.176 mph.
That history is part of why fatherhood feels different now. Rosenqvist said the birth of his three-week-old daughter has changed how he views racing and risk, and even a veteran as decorated as Helio Castroneves offered a familiar warning about the first months of parenthood before the bond fully takes hold.
“The first nine months, forget about it. You don’t even exist,” Castroneves said. “But after that, you’re going to fall in love. It is the best feeling in the world. It’s not like when you win a race.”
Rosenqvist said he feels the Indianapolis 500 more deeply this year than ever before. He described a kind of bond with other fathers on the grid, saying there is “like this club that you can only access once you have a child,” and that conversations with them have gone in places they had not before. He also said Meyer Shank Racing has reason to believe this is one of its strongest events of the year.
“The Indy 500 is such a special race,” Rosenqvist said. “I now genuinely think this is one of our strongest races on the calendar. I feel like I’ve got the experience, the knowledge and everything in place.”
For all the speed, the close calls and the disappointment that have marked his recent Indianapolis 500 history, Rosenqvist said one memory will remain different. “I have 500s that I’ve probably completely put behind me for different reasons,” he said. “But this one will definitely stay with me forever.”
