The beginning of the 2025 IndyCar Sequence season has been a really promising one for brand spanking new Arrow McLaren star Christian Lundgaard.
Having claimed three podiums within the opening 5 rounds, he’s third within the championship and sits only one level behind Kyle Kirkwood whereas Alex Palou is the runaway chief.
Such type has led to Lundgaard labelling it as a “rocket begin to the season”, with the fourth-year IndyCar driver now assured of contending for a maiden crown in 2025 regardless of a 98-point hole to Palou.
“The quantity of factors the #10 automotive [Palou] has gathered already, they’ll lose them as quick as they’ve gained them,” the 23-year-old Dane instructed Motorsport.com.
“They’re going to have unhealthy weekends. They will’t win each weekend. I do know that’s what it appears to be like like proper now. However on the finish of the day, we have to give attention to what we are able to management.
“After that, I’m fairly assured that we will be within the combine on the finish of the 12 months, and that’s all we are able to hope for.
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Picture by: Penske Leisure
“I believe it’s making an attempt to not get caught up in what the #10 automotive is doing, as a result of on the finish of the day, we have to run our personal races, our personal season.
“As soon as we get to the top of the season, we’ll see who we’re preventing. However I undoubtedly all the time suppose that there’s an opportunity.”
Lundgaard even revealed his shock at having such a begin to the 12 months, saying: “When you would have instructed me six months in the past that that was the case, I don’t suppose any of us would actually have believed it.
“We have been by no means actually anticipating this, clearly we have been hoping for it. I don’t suppose it was ever actually an expectation.
“It’s simply good. Coming from the place I’ve been the previous three years, it’s been a battle as a rule.
“And I believe now, I’m very a lot at peace, simply having fun with driving, and I believe you’re seeing that from the outcomes as properly. It simply feels so good to lastly really feel such as you get rewarded for the work that’s been put in.”
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Penske Leisure
Earlier than making the transfer to Arrow McLaren for 2025, Lundgaard spent three full seasons at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, attaining three podium finishes together with a win at Toronto in 2023. So, simply 5 races into his Arrow McLaren stint, he has already equalled his earlier podium rely.
“The primary couple of weeks, instances within the automotive, it was a bit little bit of a – not essentially a battle – it was simply very completely different, and it was one thing to get used to with the automotive,” he added.
“The primary, I’d say, two-and-a-half weeks, weekends, we have been within the automotive, it was one clear path. We have to resolve this drawback for me to really feel far more snug.
“When you may have a muscle reminiscence and also you abruptly are being thrown into one thing completely different, you need to sort of modify to that, and I’m now at some extent the place I’m at peace, and I’m snug with the fabric and the way the automotive handles, and it’s extra to my liking.”
Lundgaard additionally spoke about his relationship with team-mate Pato O’Ward, and the way it has been for him adjusting to a brand new surroundings.
“My private trustworthy opinion has actually been: going into the season, you’re coming right into a group that’s sort of often called ‘Pato’s group’, proper?,” he stated.
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Penske Leisure
“Pato and I’ve had that dialog previous to even becoming a member of the group. Not all people knew on the time, we had a brief little dialog about it, and we’re each very a lot in the identical sort of eye-level of, ‘hey, we all know we’re each quick. Let’s not simply battle one another, however let’s attempt to carry the group ahead and make these vehicles as quick as we are able to’.
“I believe already at this level we’ve seen that.”
Lundgaard defined that if “we make a mistake on the #7 automotive, the #5 automotive picks up the items”.
“I believe that’s simply confirmed to be a really sturdy pairing,” he added. “As a result of, we are able to battle, one weekend I’m sooner, one weekend he’s sooner, and we’re pushing one another in that sense.”
He additionally spoke about his relationship together with his different team-mate, 20-year-old Nolan Siegel, who stepped full-time into the #6 automotive on the ninth spherical of the 2024 season, the Firestone Grand Prix.
“I believe Nolan is studying so much from us in that sense, and I believe Nolan has an amazing quantity of potential,” Lundgaard stated. “He’s going to be a really, very quick aggressive driver sooner or later.
“He’s younger, he’s nonetheless 20-years-old. He can’t purchase a beer within the States but! Sooner or later, he might be there, and he might be as aggressive and as sturdy as we’re in the intervening time, and he will certainly be one to look out for.”
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Penske Leisure
Within the lead-up to this weekend’s Indianapolis 500, Lundgaard defined, “I’m calm proper now. I believe that the weekend goes to carry what it’s going to carry, and I believe that’s in the end simply my method to it.
“I modified my perspective utterly after the [Indy] GP to simply be: ‘hey, simply exit and have enjoyable, exit and luxuriate in, take all of it in, be taught as a lot as you’ll be able to’, and the consequence might be what will probably be.
“The McLaren vehicles have been sturdy on the Indy 500, so now I must exit and ship with that.”
He additionally spoke in regards to the future with the Arrow McLaren group, saying: “They believed in what I used to be able to doing and I believe already we’ve sort of confirmed to each of us, to ourselves, to one another, that it was the appropriate choice.
“I don’t suppose we’re going to see weekends the place we’re, to say it straight out loud, going to shit the mattress!
“I believe from an general consistency standpoint, I believe we’ll be there each weekend. I believe their method and their mentality within the #7 automotive has been very easy.
“Simplicity is essential, and don’t actually let something have an effect on us. Simply drift. And it’s helped us to this point, proper? And I don’t see it altering within the close to future.”
On this article
Hannah Newman
IndyCar
Christian Lundgaard
Arrow McLaren
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