Arrow McLaren Racing is planning another driver lineup change, replacing former Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi with Christian Lundgaard next season.
The 22-year-old Danish driver will depart Rahal Letterman Lanigan, which moved him from Formula 1 to IndyCar for one race in 2021 before signing him to a full-time deal in the American open wheel series. Lundgaard has one win, three podiums, and two poles in 43 career starts and was ranked first among this year’s IndyCar free agents.
Rossi won the Indy 500 as a rookie with Andretti Global in 2016, and he joined Arrow McLaren following year. He achieved only his second podium since joining the team earlier this season at Laguna Seca; many believed it had saved the former F1 driver’s employment.
Finally, team principal Gavin Ward and Rossi’s manager father, Pieter, told The Associated Press that they were unable to reach an agreement.
“We talked for months,” Pieter Rossi told the Associated Press. “We just, quite simply, couldn’t come to terms on a lot of the bits, and that’s OK.”
The driver change was confirmed on Tuesday, while Rossi was testing at Gateway outside of St. Louis. McLaren offered the Associated Press a statement on his behalf: “My experience at Arrow McLaren, albeit being only two seasons, has been gratifying in many ways. I am grateful to have been a part of the team’s internal development.
“The No. 7 crew is fantastic, and I’ve made a lot of long-lasting friendships with the team,” Rossi said, noting that he’d had numerous conversations with team leaders in recent months. “The joint decision to part ways was cordial. I’m extremely convinced that the current conversations in the paddock will result in a new spot. I’ll have excellent news shortly, and in the meantime, I’m aiming for a top-five result in the 2024 championship and a successful finale to my time in papaya.”
Rossi is presently sixth in the IndyCar standings, while Lundgaard is 11th.
The shift will be McLaren’s fifth since two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou breached his contract with the team late last season and chose to stay with Chip Ganassi Racing. McLaren is suing Palou for over $30 million.
Meanwhile, Palou was set to replace Felix Rosenqvist, who left to join Meyer Shank Racing, where he is tenth in the standings and enjoying a career renaissance.
McLaren then hired David Malukas to fill the vacated seat, however Malukas fractured his hand before the season began, forcing the team to utilize a combination of former IndyCar driver Callum Ilott and F2 champion Theo Pourchaire as replacements. When Malukas skipped his fourth consecutive race, a clause in his contract enabled McLaren to terminate him.
Pourchaire was then chosen as the team’s driver for the remainder of the season. But McLaren announced this month that 19-year-old Nolan Siegel will drive the No. 6 car on a multi-year contract, replacing Pourchaire.
The Siegel hire has generated criticism of McLaren CEO Zak Brown’s cycle of drivers as Arrow McLaren attempts to catch Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing as the best teams in IndyCar. McLaren has plenty of team resources and depth, but its single win this season came from Pato O’Ward, who finished second to Josef Newgarden in the season opener before being disqualified.
McLaren’s squad for next year will include O’Ward, Siegel, and Lundgaard.
“I think Pato, Nolan, and I will work well together,” Lundgaard told the Associated Press. “I’m completely committed on finishing the season strong with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. We still have a long season ahead of us, but this is a great weight off my shoulders, and I aim to compete at my best in the remaining nine races.”
Ward, the team’s principal, took objection to the criticism the team has gotten for its driver carousel, citing the incidents with Palou and Malukas.
“Because of the decisions made, we have found ourselves in a tough situation. Then, given the uncertainty around Malukas’ injury, we had to let him go,” Ward told AP. “The irony is that people will use this to make us look bad.” We employ over 100 people, and while the decision with David was not pleasant, when seen pragmatically, you have a driver for 2025 (Siegel) who is eager to get started, which is logical.
“We continue to fully honor Theo’s contract. Everything is above board. On Alex, we did not reach an agreement on a new contract. I believe there is a sense that we are breaking up contracts, which is simply not true. But you won’t always make everyone happy.”
He stated that Lundgaard’s youth and early success made him an obvious target to pursue.
“Christian has had proven success in his few seasons racing in the series, and he checks the boxes for what we’re looking for in speed and potential alongside Pato and Nolan,” according to Ward. “The three make up the youngest trio on the grid, and we know that direction has been paying off for our F1 counterparts.”
