Christian Lundgaard is preparing for a new chapter in his NTT INDYCAR career as he joins Arrow McLaren for the 2025 season alongside Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel. After three years with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), Lundgaard is ready to take on the challenges that come with his switch to a new team and a new car. The 23-year-old Danish driver is eager to build on his experience and compete at the front.
A smooth transition to Papaya
The Dane says the transition to Arrow McLaren has been smooth, despite the challenges that come with changing teams within the same series. Having spent his previous years with Honda, Lundgaard now switches to Chevrolet power for 2025.
“The transition has been very smooth, to be honest,” Lundgaard shared with Pit Debrief and other media outlets on Tuesday. “I did the test in October, and it was exciting to feel the car on an oval. I’m just excited to see how the car behaves in different circumstances.”
Lundgaard admits that the switch from Honda to Chevy has been relatively seamless, though there are obvious differences in car behavior.
“There were a few differences, but a lot of them turned out to be more about the philosophy of the cars than the manufacturer itself.
“At the end of the day, I’m excited to see where Chevrolet will take us, especially considering how strong they were at Indy in 2024. I’m confident it will be a positive change.”
Focusing on ovals and road courses
While Lundgaard’s career has featured solid results, including two Indianapolis 500 runs, the Danish driver recognises that ovals remain a key area for growth. Having raced from the back in both of his previous 500-mile races, Lundgaard is eager to showcase his skills in a car with more pace and stability at McLaren.
“I’ve learned to race from the back with the most turbulent air. Obviously I don’t necessarily have the benefit of the more clean air, but I think from a race craft standpoint, I feel very confident in that.“
Lundgaard notes that his main goal for 2025 is to be competitive on all types of circuits. “The ovals are something I need to improve on,” he admits.
“But I’m excited for that challenge. I felt much more competitive at the 500 in 2024, and we were leading at one point, so I think we’ve made progress. The goal for 2025 is to be as competitive as possible on every racetrack.”
Embracing change
Switching teams and adapting to a new car philosophy is never easy, but Lundgaard is ready for the challenge at McLaren.
“It’s how life goes, man. There’s always changes. I mean, it’s been a smooth transition so far. I enjoy it — I think change is good at times.
“When things are working, never change them, obviously, but it was time for a change, and we were all up for the challenge. Race engineer, the entire team, me, everybody behind me. I think we’ll make the most of it for sure.”
Lundgaard emphasises that adapting to McLaren’s international presence and the pressure that comes with it is part of the deal. “Everybody loves papaya,” he jokes, referencing the team’s iconic color.
“I’ve been a part of another Formula 1 team in the past, so I understand the importance of all the media that we have to do. And that was the big question that I was asked at first, and I’m like, well, I’m used to it, I don’t mind. It’s a part of the world.”
Looking ahead: Gaining insight from team veteran Pato O’Ward
With a new teammate in Pato O’Ward, a proven front-runner in the series, Lundgaard sees an opportunity to learn and grow.
“I think what Arrow McLaren and Pato did through the 2024 season, especially in Mid-Ohio with the hybrid being introduced, being the first winner also showed me that they’re up for the challenge and they’re ahead of everybody else.”
Pit Debrief asked him about carrying his road course successes into the next season with the McLaren car.
“At the end of the day, my previous position has always been — well, for the past three years, have been we know what we had on certain types of tracks and we knew that we [RLL] were struggling an ovals. Obviously we were trying to improve.
“We didn’t improve as much as we would have liked in the time frame, but we also didn’t improve enough on road and street circuits where I think the potential that Arrow McLaren has is massive. I’m not even in doubt that we will have all of those nailed.”
A focus on consistency
Lundgaard’s approach for the upcoming season is one of consistency and competitiveness. Having already secured podiums in the series and a win in Toronto, his focus is now on building a solid foundation across all types of tracks.
“I already have podiums, I have a win, funnily enough it’s a P1, P2 and P3. I don’t have multiple of any of them yet.”
The Danish driver understands that competitiveness on all tracks is key to achieving his goals. At RLL, they struggled massively on ovals.
“I think our main goal for 2025 specifically is to make sure that we’re as competitive as we can be on every single racetrack.”
IndyCar: The ultimate racing home
For Lundgaard, INDYCAR feels like home. Despite his past in Formula 1 as a Renault/Alpine junior, Lundgaard has found his passion again in INDYCAR, which he likens to the grassroots nature of go-kart racing, where pure racing is the focus.
“INDYCAR reminds me of go-karts, which is what I fell in love with in the sport.
“It’s the atmosphere, the way everything works around. It’s more — it’s about the racing rather than everything else. Yes, everything else comes with it, but it’s ultimately whoever finishes — crosses the start-finish line first is who wins. It’s just pure racing.“
Lundgaard shut down any rumours about a potential Formula 1 test when asked Tuesday.
“INDYCAR is where I want to be. Obviously I’ll never say no in the sense that it’s not a possibility, but it’s certainly not where my intentions are. It’s here in INDYCAR.”
A global opportunity
With a growing European presence in INDYCAR, Lundgaard is proud to be part of a shift in perception about the series.
“It’s obviously growing a lot more now, but I think me and Callum sort of opened the doors for Europeans to okay, this is an actual option, and because we were followed from Europe, I think it opened a lot of eyes of how amazing INDYCAR actually is.”
As more former European-based drivers including Marcus Armstrong, and Robert Shwartzman join the ranks, Lundgaard is optimistic about the future of the series and the role he can play in its expansion.
2025: The year to prove himself
The focus for 2025 is clear: to be competitive at every race and consistently fight for podiums and wins. With the backing of McLaren and a strong team behind Lundgaard, he is ready for his best season yet.
“For me going into this season, it’s not to take the first couple of races getting up to speed. We want to be ready to fight for podiums and wins from the get-go.
“At the end of the day, I want to win all races. We all do. But I think by doing that, you have to be competitive in every single event and put yourself in the best position to have a good result. Again, by doing that, you need to be competitive from the get-go.“
