Arrow McLaren driver Christian Lundgaard secured his first win with the team after a stunning late-race maneuver on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. The 24-year-old Dane swept around David Malukas on the outside of Turn 4 with 18 laps remaining, pulling away to win the Sonsio Grand Prix by 4.6713 seconds on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit.
Lundgaard’s second career IndyCar victory came at the same track where he made his series debut in 2021. It also marked the 28th win in IndyCar history for McLaren and the 10th since the team returned full-time in 2020.
Malukas finished second in his best result since joining Team Penske, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal completed the podium in third. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden took fourth, ahead of pole-sitter Alex Palou in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), Louis Foster (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing), rookie Dennis Hauger (Dale Coyne Racing), Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global), and Nolan Siegel (Arrow McLaren) rounded out the top 10.
Race Analysis
Palau led the field to the green flag on the harder primary tire compound, but a sluggish start triggered contact at the back. Rinus VeeKay suffered wing damage, and in Turn 1 multiple cars tangled, including second-place starter Pato O’Ward, who was clipped by Felix Rosenqvist. Rookie Caio Collet and six-time champion Dixon also sustained significant damage. The revised running order was Palou, Malukas, Rahal, Kirkwood, and Romain Grosjean. Rosenqvist and VeeKay pitted under a closed pit lane and received penalties, forcing them to restart at the rear. Race Control deemed Rosenqvist at fault for the opening-corner crash and issued a drive-through penalty.
The pits opened on Lap 4 of 85, with Collet, Dixon, O’Ward, and Rosenqvist among those making early stops. The race restarted on Lap 5, with Palou leading a calmer run into Turn 1. Christian Rasmussen (ECR) went off course in Turn 7 after contact and eventually pitted behind the wall. Kirkwood, who started seventh, surged to second with a brilliant inside pass on Malukas in Turn 1 on Lap 7. Race Control also penalized Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin for blocking, forcing him to give up three track positions; he fell to 14th by Lap 10 and appeared to have a right-side front wing issue. Palou led Kirkwood by 2.2034 seconds after 10 laps.
Dixon pitted off-sequence on Lap 16, and McLaughlin came in the next lap for a front wing change. O’Ward pitted on Lap 19 alongside teammate Nolan Siegel, Dennis Hauger, and Josef Newgarden. A local caution flew on Lap 21 after Alexander Rossi (ECR) stopped on the frontstretch; he exited the car, and a full-course caution was called shortly after he jumped over the pit lane wall. Palou and Kirkwood pitted on Lap 25, handing the lead to Will Power, with Malukas second. They returned in 19th and 20th, respectively. Power led the restart on Lap 27, holding off Malukas as Lundgaard passed Rahal. A major crash on Lap 28 saw Sting Ray Robb make contact with an Arrow McLaren car at Turn 13, leaving the track under caution. The incident forced a red flag stoppage, and the race resumed with Lundgaard in contention. He capitalized on the restart, making the decisive pass on Malukas to secure the victory.
