Christian Lundgaard pinpoints area of improvement after Day 2 of Indy 500 practice

Arrow McLaren driver, Christian Lundgaard, says his team needs to improve how their car handles in traffic after finishing 30th on the second day of practice for the 2025 Indianapolis 500. Lundgaard completed 82 laps on Wednesday, May 14, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His best lap was 40.4933 seconds, with a top speed of 222.259 mph.

The second day of practice was again affected by rain, which delayed and shortened track time. Full-field practice didn’t begin until after 1 p.m. Eastern Time. Drivers got nearly three hours of running before rain and lightning brought a brief halt to the session.

After a 45-minute delay, cars returned to the track during the final hour, but more rain interrupted again. Despite the weather, the day ended under green-flag conditions. Christian Lundgaard said the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, showed good pace when running at the front of the pack. But he admitted that things were more difficult when running in traffic.

“It was a good second day from where we left off,” Lundgaard said (via McLaren.com). “We’re moving in one direction, which is the right way. We’re leaving Wednesday as happy as Tuesday, which is a step up compared to the Open Test. There’s a lot of momentum being built.”

“The No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet is great running out front. There’s more work to be done deeper in the traffic, but there’s a simple way to do that by qualifying and racing up front. Looking at it realistically, we need to work on getting the car better deeper into the pack, and we should be in pretty good shape,” he added.

At the front of the field, 2023-2024 IndyCar champion and current points leader Alex Palou topped the timing board for Chip Ganassi Racing. His best lap was 227.546 mph, the fastest of the month so far. Team Penske drivers, Will Power and Josef Newgarden, followed in second and third place.

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Christian Lundgaard shares thoughts on his three consecutive podiums in 2025

Christian Lundgaard says he is proud of his strong start to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season, after finishing on the podium in three straight races. The Arrow McLaren driver finished off this run with a second-place finish at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, May 4.

Lundgaard showed impressive pace during the race, especially in the middle stages. On a fresh set of tires, he overtook three top drivers, one after another, and made a total of 16 on-track passes, the most by any driver in the field.

Speaking after the race, Christian Lundgaard reflected on his recent success, which also included podium finishes at The Thermal Club and Long Beach.

“I would say we’re trying to raise our own bar, and we’re doing so,” Lundgaard said (via MotorsportWeek.com). “We’re performing better and better. On top of that, I had a team change. It’s a different car to drive.”

“I’m very pleased with the job that I’ve done so far, the work that we’ve done. I mean, I don’t think I could have dreamed of three podiums in [the first] four races,” he added.

Thanks to these results, Christian Lundgaard is currently third in the championship standings with 150 points. He trails leader Alex Palou by 98 points heading into the Indy 500.