Season Preview: Christian Lundgaard and the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLAREN Chevrolet
“I don’t want to sit around, taking my time getting up to speed”
Join our season preview series where we break down storylines to watch out for in 2025 with each of Arrow McLaren’s three drivers.
The series starts with the pilot of the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and newcomer Christian Lundgaard.
One big thing: starting strong
Though he’ll be hitting the grid in papaya for the first time this weekend, it seems like Christian’s been with the team for awhile. It may feel that way because of the timing of last year’s announcement, which was revealed about eight months ago in late June 2024.
Christian, a 22-year-old from Hedensted, Denmark, then completed the 2024 campaign with an INDYCAR competitor before jumping over to the Arrow McLaren shop. And since his onboarding, he’s only got behind the wheel of an Arrow McLaren Chevrolet twice – at the IMS Test last October and just last week in Sebring.
It might be natural to expect a grace period, right? Not according to Christian.
“I don’t want to be the sheep in the field saying ‘Hey, it’s a new challenge with a new team, let’s spend a couple races getting up to speed.' I think all of us on the No. 7 car just want to come out of the gate being competitive.”
Christian has dedicated his offseason to making sure he and the crew get off to the start they want. Aiming to make that immediate impact, he has been in the shop on an almost daily basis getting up to speed with his new team. It’s that valuable time spent with people like race engineer Chris Lawrence that have the team confident that he’ll be ready to make an impact from the first practice in St. Petersburg.
“I’m excited to let Christian show people what he can do,” Chris Lawrence says. “From watching him with a different team, I see some leadership in him and a really resilient character. I think he has some great qualities he can bring to us and I think we’ll work well together.”
Among those strengths is Christian’s performance on road and street courses over the course of his career. His first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win came in 2023 on the streets of Toronto, and his other two career podiums have come at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. Now, the team is optimistic that he can push the team forward, including some of his teammates.
“I’m excited to see Christian and Pato battle it out,” Chris Lawrence says. “I think it’ll help Pato raise his level and help the whole team perform.”
“Yes, we’re three different cars and different numbers that want the same thing, but ultimately we need to work together as a unit to help the team get stronger so that we’re all competitive when it matters most”
Christian Lundgaard
Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team Driver
The same sentiment is held around the team, Christian included. That’s not to say that they’ll be at each other’s throats. Rather, they want to work together to help the team get to where they want to be, and that’s in championship contention. The time spent in the simulator this offseason, and even conversations at the shop, have helped build that healthy competitive relationship that’s so unique to INDYCAR and motorsports.
“A lot of this is going to come down to us working together as a group rather than against each other,” Christian said. “Yes, we’re three different cars and different numbers that want the same thing, but ultimately we need to work together as a unit to help the team get stronger so that we’re all competitive when it matters most.”
Keep an eye out for
• One key for Christian entering the season with a new team is nailing pit stop sequences. For Christian, those can always get better, but nailing the routine down with a new crew is part of the adjustment.
• Christian claims to love all tracks, but the numbers tell us one sticks out: In three starts at the Sonsio Grand Prix at the IMS Road Course, Christian has notched a pole and recorded finishes of P9, P4 and P3. Look out for a strong start to May.
Get to know the crew
Christian may be the one behind the wheel, but it takes a team to make the whole operation work. Get to know the names on the timing stand and on pit lane:
Car Communicator: Brian Barnhart
Race Engineer: Chris Lawrence
Performance Engineer: Matt Sanderson
Systems Engineer: John Keehm
Chief Mechanic: Todd Phillips
Outside Front Tire Changer: Todd Phillips
Outside Rear Tire Changer: Oren Trower
Inside Front Tire Changer: Ben Moore
Inside Rear Tire Changer: Jim Boman
Fueler: Trevor Andis
Air Jack: Anthony Villavicencio
Tear Off: Keith Davis
Stop Sign: Braden Mayfield
Hose Puller: Jon Robinson
Front Tire Help: Mark French
Rear Tire Help: Adam Smith
What to know about the crew
Chris Lawrence: Our group has always been strong at balancing what the driver needs with the technical development of the car. I think our crew has always done a little bit more testing of different hardware the team comes up with, testing with different setup directions. And I think we’ve also been good at Indy, so I want to keep that qualifying and race speed up.
2025 outlook
Everyone wants to win INDYCAR and Indianapolis 500 championships. For some, it’s a pipe dream. Not for Christian and the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew:
“Being established in the series, I’m expecting podiums and wins. I think a fight in the championship is where I’m hoping to be. I expect myself to be performing at that level.”
