"It was time for a change": Christian Lundgaard reflects on his offseason move to McLaren Racing

Incoming Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard has shared his excitement about his move to the British team and said that he is ready for his new challenge. The Dane has completed his move in the offseason from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing after spending four seasons with the team.

Lundgaard joined Rahal Letterman midway through the 2021 season following a successful test with the team at Alabama. He only raced once that season in the subsequent Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix at the IMS, wherein he finished 12th.

Following this, Lundgaard became a regular at Rahal Letterman for the next three seasons and earned two podium finishes, including his maiden win at the 2023 Honda Indy Toronto.

The 23-year-old spent three years in F3 and F2 between 2019 and 2021. He also signed with the Renault driver academy and tested both the Renault R.S 17 and 18 in subsequent years before he was signed for the rebranded Alpine team as a simulator driver in 2021.

Lundgaard, previewing his upcoming 2025 season with McLaren, said that he was up for the challenge that awaits him and that he'll make the most of it. He said:

"It was time for a change, and we are up for the challenge. We'll make the most of it for sure."

Indycar shared this quote on its official instagram page and captioned the post:

"Fresh, new start for @lundgaardofficial🟠"

Christian Lundgaard will be teaming up with fellow McLaren drivers Pato O'Ward and Nolan Siegel. The team had a successful 2024 season, claiming three wins. The #5 McLaren team finished fifth in the entrant standings while the #7 team finished tenth. The British team will be hoping to improve further still with its newly appointed Dane in the cockpit.

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“Zero interest" : When Christian Lundgaard claimed he had no ambitions of returning to F1

Christian Lundgaard at the Eifel Grand Prix 2020 - Previews - Source: Getty

Christian Lundgaard revealed that he had no interest in returning to F1 when asked about a future return following his signing with the McLaren group. The Dane had previously spent a year as a simulator driver for Alpine in 2021.

When Lundgaard's move to Arrow McLaren was announced in July 2024, he was questioned about a possible future move to F1, due to his newly formed association with the team who, at the time, had one of the fastest package in F1.

Lundgaard replied that he had no interest in a move back to the sport, saying:

"Zero interest. I've been a part of that world. I don't want to go back.” [as quoted via motorsport.com]

Motorsport.com relayed this comment to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who said that he had had no conversation with the Danish driver and a return was not on the cards.