MOORESVILLE, N.C. – The biggest prize on the IndyCar driver market will take his helmet to Arrow McLaren Racing next season.
Christian Lundgaard, currently with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will replace departing driver Alexander Rossi in the No. 7 Chevrolet in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Arrow McLaren issued a brief announcement shortly before 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
The driver from Denmark will join Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel on the three-car team next season.
Lundgaard is 11th in the NTT IndyCar Series standings.
The statement said Rossi and the team “mutually parted ways.” He is in his second full season at Arrow McLaren but so far has yet to win a race with the Zak Brown-owned team.
Lundgaard, 22, has had a strong start to his IndyCar career with a win on the streets of Toronto in 2023. He also has two poles and three podiums throughout his early career.
He is the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which he’s raced for through his three seasons in IndyCar.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Christian Lundgaard (45) talks with Bobby Rahal on Saturday, May 18, 2024, during qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Christian Lundgaard (left) with Bobby Rahal (right) Gary Mook/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
NBCSports.com tracked down team owner Bobby Rahal shortly after the announcement as he is losing one of his prized drivers to Arrow McLaren.
“Naturally, I’m disappointed,” Rahal said. “What I’m most disappointed about is, Christian obviously doesn’t think we can win together, which we’ve already done on a regular basis.
“We won more races than McLaren did last year. I’m not sure the logic with it all. This is not the first time it has happened and it’s not the last time it has happened.
“Drivers make changes and always think the grass is greener somewhere else and very rarely is it. All you have to do is look at Marcus Ericsson this year. I’m sure he is questioning why he made the change.”
Rahal was referring to the driver who won four races including the 106th Indianapolis 500 in 2022 and challenged for the NTT IndyCar Series championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Since joining Andretti Global this season, Ericsson’s record is not as impressive.
“We certainly don’t wish (Lundgaard) ill,” Rahal said. “We wish him success. We are focused on winning a lot of races both this year and next year. There are a lot of good guys who have already given us a ring about taking his place. We’re going to be fine. We’re going to have a driver of equal or better talent and see how it all plays out in 2025.
“In the meantime, we’ve got nine races to run yet this year. There is a lot of season left and hopefully, collectively we can win our fair share over those nine races.”
One of those races is the July 12-14 Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. Lundgaard drives the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda in IndyCar and is heavily featured and promoted in the supermarket’s stores in an eight-state area.
“Hy-Vee was our sponsor prior to Christian coming,” Rahal said. “We have a great relationship with Hy-Vee and we are doing everything we can to make sure it’s a successful weekend for them.
“I believe Christian will try to win the race for Hy-Vee, there.
“It’s a shame that this announcement came out as early as it has, but it’s out there now and we have to do our best with it.”
Rahal told NBCSports.com that the team has a list of impressive drivers, including one that is under contract, Juri Vips.
“Juri is a heck of a race car driver and has been very loyal to us and done a lot of work for us in the simulators,” Rahal said. “We like Juri a lot. He clearly has to be one of the main guys we are considering. We owe Juri a little bit in terms of opportunity because of his loyalty and hard work on our behalf.
“Juri is certainly one of the top candidates. I like Juri both as a person and he is a heck of a driver.”
Rahal expects Rossi to be a highly-pursued driver and admits the team has been in contact with the driver who won the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016.
“I’m sure everybody is pursuing Alex,” Rahal said. “Certainly, we have had discussions with his management. I like Alex a lot. He’s a heck of a race car driver. We want to ensure we have strong drivers in that seat and Alex is one of them.
“It has really been a little bit of talk.
“As you can imagine, my phone is blowing up today with all kinds of calls from Europe, from one who is a current Formula One driver and a bunch of Formula 2 drivers all asking about the current situation. It will take some time to determine the specific direction we are going to go, but clearly our commitment to our team and to our sponsors is to have the best drivers in our cars and that is what we are going to do.”
Lundgaard is from Hedensted, Denmark, and remains the only Danish driver in history with a race win.
Before launching a professional career in North America, Lundgaard was an Alpine development racer competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship where he earned two wins and nine podiums across the 2020-21 seasons. He also raced with Alpine in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship and produced a win, two podiums and two poles.
Arrow McLaren has one of the youngest teams in IndyCar with the addition of Lundgaard, who joins 25-year-old O’Ward and 19-year-old Siegel.
Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500