Lundgaard will take over the #7 Chevrolet entry which the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner has driven this year and last, although the term of the contract has not been disclosed.
Pato O’Ward was already locked in under a three-year deal signed in 2022, while Nolan Siegel was picked up in recent weeks and immediately displaced Theo Pourchaire from Car #6.
“Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team announced today that its 2025 driver lineup is confirmed with the addition of Christian Lundgaard who will join Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel in the team’s three-car lineup following the close of this season,” began a statement from the team.
“Christian, who is currently 11th in the NTT IndyCar Series championship standings, will pilot the No. 7 Velo Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, as the team mutually parts ways with Alexander Rossi, who is in his second season with the team and finished ninth in the championship in 2023.
“Christian, 22, has had a strong start to his campaign in the NTT IndyCar Series earning a win, two poles and three podiums throughout his early tenure.
“He made an immediate splash as the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which he’s raced with through his three seasons in IndyCar.”
Lundgaard’s current team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, issued a brief statement of its own.
“Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is looking forward to closing out our working relationship with Christian Lundgaard as successfully as possible and thank him for his past efforts on behalf of the team,” it read.
“We are proud to have brought him into the NTT IndyCar Series and wish him well in the future,” concluded the RLL communication.
With 25-year-old O’Ward, 22-year-old Lundgaard, and 19-year-old Siegel, McLaren is proclaiming “one of the youngest teams in the NTT IndyCar Series.
“Each driver has proven success on his resume that warrants a promising outlook for the Arrow McLaren team in the seasons to come.”
RLL, which currently fields Lundgaard alongside Graham Rahal and Pietro Fittipaldi, now has room to promote Juri Vips to a full-time IndyCar drive should it choose.
As for Rossi, he had already been mentioned as a possibility for Prema Racing, which is set to join the North American category next year.
The 2024 IndyCar Series resumes this weekend at Mid-Ohio, the first event of the hybrid era.
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