Written by Jake O'Callaghan
Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team have confirmed today that Christian Lundgaard will join the team from 2025, driving the No. 7 car in place of Alexander Rossi. The Danish driver has impressed many since his debut in the series back in 2021. Lundgaard’s stats are solid for a driver with such little experience at American racing tracks, with three podiums across three full-time seasons, chief of which was an odds-defying win at Toronto in 2023. He has consistently been the best performer at the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team over those seasons, at times outshining even his veteran teammate Graham Rahal.
He now joins an Arrow McLaren team that has recently been plagued by instability and embroiled in controversy due to a number of harsh decisions regarding its drivers in the past few months. First, the team terminated David Malukas before the American-Lithuanian had even turned a lap with the team after he had missed the first races of the season with a biking injury. His replacement at the No. 6 team, Théo Pourchaire, was then announced for the rest of the season. That plan lasted just a few weeks, before Pourchaire himself was terminated and replaced with fellow IndyCar rookie Nolan Siegel.
Lundgaard’s focus will be to calm that instability and prove his place in the team, one that is historically tough on young drivers. Looking further back into history, Arrow McLaren’s track record is not great when it comes to retaining a stable lineup. Only once in the past decade has the team had a consistent full-time driver roster between seasons, that being between the 2021 and 2022 seasons with Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.
Lundgaard replaces Alexander Rossi in the No. 7 car, who leaves after two seasons with the team. Rossi struggled to put in consistently good results, but had begun to find his feet in recent times. This season, he has finished in the top 10 in seven out of nine rounds, with a season-best finish of third in the most recent race at Laguna Seca. Some would view this change as another feature of Arrow McLaren’s ruthless approach towards drivers, while some may argue that this is the team trying to set themselves up for the future. With the youngest lineup in IndyCar (25 year-old O’Ward, 22 year-old Lundgaard, and 19 year-old Siegel), Arrow McLaren have the opportunity to shed their reputation of being a carousel of drivers, and go into the distant future with a stable and consistent squad.
In a press release today, Lundgaard stated:
“I’m excited to have my plans set for 2025 and beyond, and I’m thrilled it’s with Arrow McLaren. I have a lot of respect for Zak, Gavin, Tony and the team, and I think Pato, Nolan and I will work well together. I’m focused 100% on finishing this season strong with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. We have a lot of the season left, but this is a huge weight off my shoulders that will hopefully let me compete at my best the next nine races.”
Alexander Rossi made his own statement:
“My time at Arrow McLaren, while it’s been only short two seasons, has been rewarding in many ways. I’m grateful to have been part of the team’s internal growth. The No. 7 crew is fantastic, and I’ve built a lot of long-lasting friendships with the team. Zak, Gavin, Tony and I had many conversations over the last several months on my future with the team. We were not able to come to terms on a new deal, so the mutual decision to part ways is amicable. I’m very confident with current discussions in the paddock to land a new spot. I’ll have good news to follow soon, and meanwhile I’m focused on a top-five finish in the 2024 championship and a strong conclusion to my time in papaya.”
Alexander Rossi will look to prove Arrow McLaren wrong with consistently strong finishes. He will also need good finishes to solidify a good seat next season. The American driver has said he is confident in achieving a seat, and his options are open. Favourites to win the Indy 500 winner's services include Lundgaard's previous team Rahal Letterman Lanigan as well as newcomers Prema, alongside more unlikely teams such as AJ Foyt Racing and Dale Coyne Racing.