“It was time for a change”: Former RLL Racing driver Christian Lundgaard makes opinion clear amid the big step-up to McLaren’s fray

Arrow McLaren's newest acquisition Christian Lundgaard has voiced his opinion on his move from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to McLaren. Lundgaard was a part of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's operation for three full seasons from 2022 to 2024.

Former FIA Formula 2 driver made the move to IndyCar in 2022 after a dismal 2021 campaign in Europe. The Dane, 23, signed for Bobby Rahal's team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and over the course of the next three seasons, would go on to establish himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the series.

After securing his first career win in 2023, Lundgaard continued to impress, drawing interest from top-tier teams. That culminated in his big move to Arrow McLaren for the 2025 season. He is set to replace the outgoing Alexander Rossi, who has switched to Ed Carpenter Racing.

Ahead of his debut with Arrow McLaren, Christian Lundgaard recently shed light on his decision to leave RLL after three years. He stressed that while stability is important, sometimes change is necessary for growth. In an interview with IndyCar.com, Lundgaard said:

"When things are working, never change them, obviously. But it was time for a change, and we were all up for the challenge – race engineer, the entire team, me, everybody behind me."

He further added:

"It's how life goes, man -- there's always changes. I think change is good at times."

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Christian Lundgaard talks about "smooth" transition, differences between RLL and McLaren

Speaking about the transition from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to Arrow McLaren, Lundgaard mentioned that the presence of familiar faces facilitated the shift in the environment for him. He said (via IndyCar.com):

"The transition with everybody has been very, very smooth. A lot of familiar faces, a lot of new facessas well, and I think really that's the challenge," Christian Lundgaard added.

A major challenge for Christian Lundgaard in 2025 is adapting to the McLaren car, which differs in various ways from the machinery he was used to at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Speaking about these differences, he noted that the real challenge lies in the competitiveness on the track while racing. Lundgaard said:

"The one thing I do believe is at the end of the day, the cars (of the two teams) feel very similar but yet very different. I think it's going to come easier in that sense, but I think the drivers that you race against are going to be battling harder for each position, which is going to be the challenge."

Christian Lundgaard's first race with Arrow McLaren will be the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. He had finished 18th in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg last year.