IndyCar news: Christian Lundgaard secures first Arrow McLaren victory at Sonsio Grand Prix
On Saturday, May 9, 2026, Christian Lundgaard crossed the finish line first to win the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The Danish driver joined Arrow McLaren in 2025, stepping into the seat previously occupied by Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner.
IndyCar and Arrow McLaren fans had high expectations for Lundgaard, whose achievements include winning the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year award.
The victory marked Lundgaard’s first win with Arrow McLaren.
It was also just the second victory of his IndyCar career, with his maiden triumph coming on July 16, 2023, while driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at the Honda Indy Toronto.
Forty seven races and nearly three years later, Christian Lundgaard is back on the top step of the podium, writes Sports News Blitz writer Katie Butler.
What happened during the race?
The No. 7 Chevrolet driver started the race from fourth on the grid.
However, after being forced wide during an incident at Turn 1 on the opening lap, Lundgaard dropped down to seventh place.
He recovered to fifth before a caution on Lap 21, triggered after Alexander Rossi stopped on track due to a hybrid system failure.
Following the caution restart on Lap 27, Lundgaard moved up into fourth thanks to pit strategy. Once racing resumed, he overtook Graham Rahal to climb into third place.
Another caution period helped shuffle the order again and by Lap 32, Lundgaard was running second behind David Malukas.
Unlike his earlier move on Rahal, Lundgaard was unable to immediately challenge Malukas because he was too far behind to attempt an overtake.
Lundgaard made his final pit stop on Lap 65.
One lap later, Malukas pitted and rejoined ahead, leading by 1.8 seconds with 19 laps remaining.
However, Lap 68 proved decisive.
Lundgaard launched a brilliant overtaking move on Malukas, with the pair running side by side through Turns 3 and 4 before the Arrow McLaren driver completed the pass through the Turn 5 and Turn 6 chicane.
From there, Lundgaard controlled the race all the way to the chequered flag.
Although Malukas led more laps overall, 27 compared to Lundgaard’s 23, the Dane looked unstoppable once victory came into sight.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown wrote on social media after the race: “An epic pass for Christian’s first win in papaya. Awesome drive from start to finish.”
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What did Arrow McLaren say after the race?
Speaking to IndyCar on Fox after the race, Lundgaard said about claiming his first victory with Arrow McLaren: “It wasn’t a matter of if, it was when.”
“There is no better place I think it could be than here,” he added while speaking about Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “This is where I made my debut back in 2021.”
When asked by Will Buxton about the decisive move on David Malukas, Lundgaard explained: “I knew I had to do it. It’s like, ‘Okay, I’m going to stay on the outside’ and at the end of the day obviously it worked.
“But once I got past and onto the main straight, I didn’t hear anything from Kyle for that entire lap and I was thinking, ‘I want to win this race’.”
Lundgaard also celebrated the victory on social media.
Posting on Instagram alongside AC/DC’s Back in Black, he wrote: “WHAT A WAY TO KICKSTART MAY.
“First win with the team, a huge moment for all of us, and the perfect way to start the biggest month of the year…
“…Onto the Indy 500.”
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Could Lundgaard win the Indy 500?
Next on the IndyCar calendar is the Indianapolis 500.
May 24 is the official date for the 110th running of the famous race, which consists of 200 laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.
With a strong qualifying performance, Lundgaard could emerge as a genuine contender for his first Indy 500 victory.
Speaking after the Sonsio Grand Prix, Lundgaard credited qualifying as a major factor behind his success.
“I think that’s where this win really came from at the end of the day,” he said via IndyCar on Fox. “It’s the first time we’ve qualified remotely close to the front and we won the race.
“That’s what we’ve been missing at other places.”
Lundgaard may have only just secured his first win with Arrow McLaren, but this could prove to be only the beginning for the Danish driver.
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