Latest news with #ChristianLundgaard
Fox News
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
McLaren Boss Zak Brown Believes F1 Blueprint Can Lift INDYCAR Team
Zak Brown has built a Formula 1 team that has emerged as the team to beat in the world's most prominent racing circuit. Now, the McLaren Racing CEO is attempting to use the same blueprint to build his INDYCAR program into an organization that can have a similar stature to the McLaren Formula 1 program. But at least one question remains: Is that blueprint applicable for a series that has more limitations when it comes to team control of body style and engines? "One-hundred percent [the same] and it's all people," Brown said earlier this month. "It's about having the right people, getting the right people on the bus." As Brown has found, it will take time. He's brought people on the bus. He's thrown them off (see former team principal Gavin Ward). He now has former driver Tony Kanaan running the program. Kanaan was quite popular during his driving days. He brought in driver Christian Lundgaard to replace Alexander Rossi, and Lundgaard has nine top-10 finishes and is fourth in the standings (Rossi had 11 top 10s last year and was 10th in the standings). And Nolan Siegel, in his first full season, has had the inconsistency one would expect of a rookie. Brown recently added Kyle Moyer as competition director after Moyer was let go as part of the Team Penske technical violation issues over the last two seasons. The team will also move into a new, bigger shop in January. This shop will increase the work space from their current 33,000 square feet to 86,000 square feet. "[It's] having the resources, the equipment, the technology, the driver," Brown said. "So I feel like we have everything, but we're young, and we can't stretch our elbows because we're not in a workshop that fits our goals and desires from an investment like in technology and things of that nature. "We're a big three-car team that's in a small two-car shop. With that, we've got buildings all over the place where there's storage units and paint shops, and that's not an ideal environment to work in." With two wins this year, Pato O'Ward sits second in the standings. Lundgaard is fifth. Siegel — who missed a race with a concussion — is 21st. Brown insists he's not making a run at Will Power, the Penske veteran who is still unsigned for next year. There has been speculation that McLaren could be interested. "I've heard everything you've heard," Brown said. "I've got the same drivers next year." Driver stability has not been something Brown has enjoyed on his INDYCAR program. Going back a few years, he had Alex Palou signed before Palou decided he would stay at Ganassi. In the wake of that was McLaren's $31 million lawsuit against Palou. Palou has admitted a breach of contract and a trial is scheduled for late September and October to determine how much Palou owes McLaren. David Malukas was signed by McLaren prior to the 2024 season but then a mountain biking accident resulted in a wrist injury and McLaren opted to release Malukas before he ever drove a race for the team. That resulted in a couple of reserve drivers until the team signed Siegel, who was running well in Indy NXT. "I am happy we've kind of had a year or two of driver stability. That was extremely disruptive, even more so than I would have even thought," Brown said. "It's just what I spent all my time on. "So it's good that that's kind of behind us. It's not totally behind us, but it's behind us from a distraction factor." Brown believes they are the best they have been and have room to grow. The team is the former Sam Schmidt-owned team that McLaren initially merged with more than five years ago. "I feel like we've got everything we need," Brown said. "Now we need to gel as a team, continue to drive the culture forward. I think where the team came from, it was like midfield mentality ... [and] we now have the culture of the team and the mindset of anything kind of short of podiums and going for the win is kind of a disappointment. "We've shifted from we're kind of happy to be there and get the occasional good result to we're here to win championships and Indy 500s. So you can see the team taking a step forward in their expectations of themselves, which is how a Penske and Ganassi and Andretti show up every weekend — with the intention of winning and anything kind of short of that is a bit disappointed." That doesn't mean Brown looks at 2026 as the year his organization will be on top. "Of course, we want to run for the championship next year," Brown said. "But reality is, I think we'll be stronger in '27 than we are in '26 because we're only moving into the shop at the end of '25. "These new hires have just started, so I think '26 is another year of gelling before I feel like '27 will be it." Brown says that because he thinks they just need time. "We've got drivers that can win the championship," Brown said. "I think we've got equipment, technology, the level of sponsorship that you need. I think we've got everything, but it takes time. No different in a relationship. You know someone for a week versus 10 years in. You can look at each other [and know]. "We just need a little bit of time to bring everything together, where the right foot knows what the left foot is doing, and they can get to a point where they can look at each other and communicate, versus having to communicate." One thing Brown got to experience for the first time came recently when he was in attendance for an O'Ward win at Toronto. It was the first time he was at a victory since McLaren took over the team. "It's the first one he's ever been there in the flesh," O'Ward said. "That was really cool." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Power Rankings: Christian Lundgaard, Will Power Charge Back In
INDYCAR Editor's Note: Power Rankings is a feature after every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in which staff writer Eric Smith ranks the top-10 current drivers in the series based on objective recent and season-long performance statistics and the subjective 'eye test' of what he sees during race weekends. Alex Palou captured his series-leading eighth victory of the season July 27 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, defeating Christian Lundgaard by 3.7965 seconds. Lundgaard's runner-up finish burnished a strong season for Arrow McLaren. The team boasts 11 podium finishes this season between Lundgaard and fourth-place finisher Pato O'Ward, a team record. The previous high was 10 between O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi in 2023. After 14 races, O'Ward trails Palou by 121 points heading into the next race, the Grand Prix of Portland, on Sunday, Aug. 10 at Portland International Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). Here are the updated Power Rankings following the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey as the series heads into an off weekend: ↑10. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR) Power returns to the Power Rankings for the first time since mid-June, following the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. He earned his second consecutive Firestone Fast Six appearance and finished seventh at Laguna Seca, his second top-10 in the last four races. ↓9. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: 8) Though Malukas finished 13th at Laguna Seca, he holds on to a spot in the rankings with two top-10 finishes in his last three starts. He enters Portland 10th in the points standings. ↑8. Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Liquid Science Chevrolet: Last Rank: NR) Rasmussen earned his third top-10 finish in the last four races by finishing ninth at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This marks the highest he has climbed in the Power Rankings. ↓7. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion Honda; Last Rank: 4) Kirkwood's slide continues with his third finish of 16th or worse in the last four races. Despite five top-eight finishes in the last eight starts, including two wins, his recent inconsistency is concerning. ↓6. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda; Last Rank: 5) Armstrong finished eighth Sunday, his seventh top-10 result in the past eight races. The lone outlier was a 14th-place finish in Toronto, where a pit lane penalty disrupted a promising run that began with a third-place start. ↑5. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR) Lundgaard storms back into the rankings after his runner-up finish at Laguna Seca, his second podium in five races and fifth of the season. In comparison, he had just three podiums in 52 starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The No. 7 Arrow McLaren car had four podiums in 81 starts before his arrival. ↑4. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 7) Herta moves into the top five for the first time since the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. His third-place finish at Laguna Seca marked his third top-four result in the last five races. He had only two in the nine races before that. ↔3. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 3) Dixon surged from 19th to fifth at Laguna Seca, earning his seventh consecutive top-10 finish. The streak includes a win at Mid-Ohio and a runner-up at Iowa Speedway. ↔2. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2) O'Ward qualified second and finished fourth at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for his seventh top-five finish in the last eight races, six consecutively. ↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1) Palou rebounded from a 13th-place finish in the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto to lead 84 of 95 laps after claiming the NTT P1 Award in qualifying to take his third victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Palou has two wins in the last three races. recommended Item 1 of 2
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
A bittersweet weekend for IndyCar's Arrow McLaren at Laguna Seca
On paper, it was a solid weekend for the papaya squad, Arrow McLaren. Christian Lundgaard scored a podium, Pato O'Ward was a solid fourth and Nolan Siegel led his first laps of the 2025 season. But it came with a disappointing conclusion for Siegel and a championship likely lost for O'Ward. Lundgaard was the star of the day for the group. O'Ward rolled off second, but the Dane finished there from seventh after pitting earlier than his rivals to gain ground with an undercut. That led him to third, where he used a bold overtake to sneak past Colton Herta for the runner-up spot. He didn't have the pace to challenge frontrunner Alex Palou after a couple late cautions, but held onto second to give the organization its 11th podium on the year - a new high mark for the squad. 'I knew that the pit sequences are really key here,' Lundgaard said of his run. 'We went into this race not knowing if it was going to be a red (tire) race or a prime race. It ended up being a red race and I just can't thank this team enough.' O'Ward put together a complete weekend, qualifying second and finishing fourth on a day where the strategy and speed didn't fall his way. It was a solid result that continued a streak of success for the Mexican star. He's finished seventh or better in nine of the past 10 races, with two wins and five podiums. In many years, that would be enough to challenge for his first IndyCar title. But the consistency has come in a dominant year for Palou. The Chip Ganassi Racing star's seven (now eight) wins left O'Ward in need of major gains in Laguna Seca to have a chance to close within reach for the championship. But after Palou's win, he now holds a 120-point championship advantage with just three races remaining. The Spaniard could clinch the title next time out at Portland International Raceway. Barring an absolute meltdown - and despite O'Ward's best efforts - the championship battle likely ended Sunday under the California sun. Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren Then, there was Siegel. Running in his home state, the Palo Alto native was the only driver not named Palou to lead laps on Sunday. An alternate strategy put him out front for 11 laps early on before Palou surged past him in turn 3. Even after that, Siegel was still positioned to make the most of a race he'd started 16th in. But that all fell apart in the closing stages, when Siegel went for a spin at the Corkscrew. He attempted to make a pass on Louis Foster, but made contact and briefly looped around before rolling on. Siegel ultimately took the checkered flag in 18th, continuing a streak of four-straight races with an average finish of 21.75 after he'd scored results of eighth and 11th at Road America and Mid-Ohio. In the end, every driver at Arrow McLaren showed promise in Laguna Seca. Two of the team's drivers finished in the top-four spots and the other led laps. But with Siegel showing his inexperience and Palou continuing to dominate, there was little else on offer to be joyous about in the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey. Read Also: Arrow McLaren expands IndyCar operations with new Indianapolis facility Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren score strategic win in Indy Toronto Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel cleared to race in Toronto To read more articles visit our website.
France 24
4 days ago
- Automotive
- France 24
Palou wins eighth IndyCar title of year at Monterey Grand Prix
The 28-year-old Spaniard won from the pole position for the second consecutive year to claim his 19th career IndyCar title after 95 laps over the 11-turn, 2.238-mile permanent road course at Laguna Seca in northern California. "What an amazing job by everybody to be as fast as we were," Palou said. "We had enough pace to open a small gap and get the win." Palou, the Indianapolis 500 winner, was in command from start to finish and with three races remaining could break the one-season win record of 10 set by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and matched by Al Unser Sr. in 1970. "It has been an awesome weekend, awesome year overall, but today was something else," Palou said. "Super fun to be here. One of my favorite tracks. I'm happy right now." Denmark's Christian Lundgaard finished second followed by American Colton Herta, Mexico's Pato O'Ward and New Zealand's Scott Dixon. Palou stretched his lead in the 2025 championship chase to a massive 121 points over O'Ward, who is now the only rival who can overtake him for the title. Palou is on 590 points with O'Ward a distant second on 469. Palou grabbed the lead at the start and kept it until a lap-25 pit stop under caution after American Kyle Kirkwood bumped Dutchman Rinus VeeKay. Palou returned to the track in second place but made an outside pass of American Nolan Siegel on lap 37 to reclaim the lead. The Spaniard stopped again on lap 52 and took over the lead once more only seconds after his return to the track. Palou made his final stop on lap 72 and returned to the course with a lead of more than eight seconds, then staying in front to the finish.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Palou wins eighth IndyCar title of year at Monterey Grand Prix
Alex Palou captured his eighth race of the IndyCar season on Sunday, dominating the Monterey Grand Prix to tighten his grip on a fourth season points crown in five campaigns. The 28-year-old Spaniard won from the pole position for the second consecutive year to claim his 19th career IndyCar title after 95 laps over the 11-turn, 2.238-mile permanent road course at Laguna Seca in northern California. "What an amazing job by everybody to be as fast as we were," Palou said. "We had enough pace to open a small gap and get the win." Palou, the Indianapolis 500 winner, was in command from start to finish and with three races remaining could break the one-season win record of 10 set by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and matched by Al Unser Sr. in 1970. "It has been an awesome weekend, awesome year overall, but today was something else," Palou said. "Super fun to be here. One of my favorite tracks. I'm happy right now." Denmark's Christian Lundgaard finished second followed by American Colton Herta, Mexico's Pato O'Ward and New Zealand's Scott Dixon. Palou stretched his lead in the 2025 championship chase to a massive 121 points over O'Ward, who is now the only rival who can overtake him for the title. Palou is on 590 points with O'Ward a distant second on 469. Palou grabbed the lead at the start and kept it until a lap-25 pit stop under caution after American Kyle Kirkwood bumped Dutchman Rinus VeeKay. Palou returned to the track in second place but made an outside pass of American Nolan Siegel on lap 37 to reclaim the lead. The Spaniard stopped again on lap 52 and took over the lead once more only seconds after his return to the track. Palou made his final stop on lap 72 and returned to the course with a lead of more than eight seconds, then staying in front to the finish. The next race, the 15th of 17 IndyCar season events, will be at Portland in two weeks. js/rcw
