Despite his own strong start, Christian Lundgaard reveals how Alex Palou ‘raised the bar’ for the Arrow McLaren star

Arrow McLaren star Christian Lundgaard had a strong start to the 2025 IndyCar season, but the same was shadowed by Alex Palou’s dominance. The Danish driver has now hailed the #10 CGR for raising the bar amid his dominant 2025 display.

Palou began the 2025 IndyCar season with five wins in the first six races, as Kyle Kirkwood was the only other driver to win a race. The streak included the Indy 500 win, and even though Kirkwood won at Long Beach, Palou minimized the damage and finished P2.

However, the Spaniard retired from the IndyCar race at Detroit after missing the braking point and crashing into the barrier. Since then, Pato O'Ward and Scott Dixon have also come out as race winners. Nonetheless, Palou continues to lead the championship and win races.

NTT INDYCAR Series Java House Grand Prix of Monterey - Source: Getty

After Alex Palou's most recent win at Laguna Seca, Christian Lundgaard, who finished the race in P2, came out and hailed the Spaniard. The Arrow McLaren driver suggested that he had a great start to the season as he was up into P2 in the championship at one point in time. But Palou was a step ahead.

“Even if he makes a mistake, the team makes a mistake, they make it up somehow, which I feel like we're all kind of struggling to do in a sense. They're there every single time. You have to give them kudos for being that competitive every time, and they've raised the bar,” said Christian Lundgaard (via FOX).

"I thought I had a tremendously good start to the season, and I was still way behind the 10 car [of Palou] in the championship after five races, and I had three podiums. The only difference is he won four out of those,” added Christian Lundgaard.

Alex Palou currently sits on eight wins in 14 races with three more races to go in the 2025 season. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has the opportunity to break the record for most wins in a single season.

Christian Lundgaard’s reaction to a podium finish at Laguna Seca

Christian Lundgaard started the 2025 Grand Prix of Monterey in P7, but strategic timing of pitstops and some crucial moves (including the one on Pato O'Ward after the restart) pushed him up into P2. In the latter stages of the race, the Dane defended against Colton Herta and managed to secure a P2 finish.

Speaking about the podium at Laguna Seca, Lundgaard said (via IndyCar):

“I obviously knew the pit sequences would be really key around here. It ended up being a red tire race, and I just can’t thank this team enough.”

“This is the most podiums they’ve had in a single year, so I’m very proud of the No. 7 team, and I’m sure they are, too.”

Lundgaard scored three podiums in the first four races, followed by another podium at Mid-Ohio and, most recently, finishing the Laguna Seca IndyCar race in P2.