The beginning of the 2025 IndyCar Sequence season has been a really promising one for brand new star .
Having claimed three podiums within the opening 5 rounds, he’s third within the championship and sits only one level behind whereas is the runaway chief.
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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 automobile [Palou] has accrued 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 dangerous weekends. They will’t win each weekend. I do know that’s what it seems to be like proper now. However on the finish of the day, we have to give attention to what we will management.
“After that, I’m fairly assured that we will be within the combine on the finish of the yr, and that’s all we will hope for.
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi RacingPenske Leisure
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“I believe it’s making an attempt to not get caught up in what the #10 automobile 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 combating. However I positively at all times suppose that there’s an opportunity.”
Lundgaard even revealed his shock at having such a begin to the yr, 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 had been by no means actually anticipating this, clearly we had 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 most of the time.
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“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 effectively. It simply feels so good to lastly really feel such as you get rewarded for the work that’s been put in.”
Earlier than making the transfer to Arrow McLaren for 2025, Lundgaard spent three full seasons at , 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, occasions within the automobile, it was a bit of 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 automobile,” he added.
“The primary, I’d say, two-and-a-half weeks, weekends, we had been within the automobile, it was one clear route. We have to resolve this drawback for me to really feel way more comfy.
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“When you might have a muscle reminiscence and also you instantly are being thrown into one thing completely different, you must type of alter to that, and I’m now at some extent the place I’m at peace, and I’m comfy with the fabric and the way the automobile 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 sincere opinion has actually been: going into the season, you’re coming right into a staff that’s type of often known as ‘Pato’s staff’, proper?,” he stated.
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLarenPenske Leisure
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“Pato and I’ve had that dialog previous to even becoming a member of the staff. 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 type of eye-level of, ‘hey, we all know we’re each quick. Let’s not simply struggle one another, however let’s attempt to convey the staff ahead and make these vehicles as quick as we will’.
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“I believe already at this level we’ve seen that.”
Lundgaard defined that if “we make a mistake on the #7 automobile, the #5 automobile picks up the items”.
“I believe that’s simply confirmed to be a really robust pairing,” he added. “As a result of, we will struggle, 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 , who stepped full-time into the #6 automobile 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.
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“He’s younger, he’s nonetheless 20-years-old. He can’t purchase a beer within the States but! At some point, he can be there, and he can be as aggressive and as robust as we’re in the mean time, and he will certainly be one to look out for.”
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLarenPenske Leisure
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Within the lead-up to this weekend’s Indianapolis 500, Lundgaard defined, “I’m calm proper now. I believe that the weekend goes to convey what it’s going to convey, and I believe that’s in the end simply my method to it.
“I modified my perspective utterly after the [Indy] GP to only 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 end result can be what will probably be.
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“The McLaren vehicles have been robust 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 staff, saying: “They believed in what I used to be able to doing and I believe already we’ve type of confirmed to each of us, to ourselves, to one another, that it was the correct determination.
“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 automobile has been very easy.
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“Simplicity is vital, 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.”
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