As the NTT INDYCAR SERIES debuts its much-delayed and ballyhooed hybridization of the Chevrolet and Honda power units in teams’ Dallara chassis this weekend at the Honda Indy 200 on Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile, 13-corner permanent road course, plans for next season are already being put in place. And the driver changes are amplifying.
Arrow McLaren Racing’s driver lineup seems to change on a regular basis. The team had gone through a series of drivers even before its name change from Arrow Schmidt Peterson Racing to Arrow McLaren Racing and Zak Brown’s leadership assumption. As one pundit put it: “This team makes it so difficult to follow them.”
Recently the team’s driver merry-go-round centered on the hiring and then firing of David Malukas at the end of last season and start of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES campaign. Malukas, who had good standing in the series while competing for two seasons with Dale Coyne Racing, joined the papaya-colored team with the intent of bolstering its threesome of O’Ward, Rossi and himself in the 2024 standings.
Malukas’ pre-season training injury scotched all of that and the team needed to find another driver to compete for them in the No. 6 car that had been assigned to Felix Rosenqvist before the 2024 season. The team had two drivers prior to the most recent race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, when Nolan Siegel got the nod for the balance of the season and, presumably, into next year. Those drivers were Callum Ilott, who drove for Juncos Hollinger in 2023 and Theo Pourchaire, a successful veteran of Formula 3 and Formula 2. They’ve performed okay, but nothing like team leaders Patricio O’Ward and Alexander Rossi.
O’Ward has recorded three victories for the team since 2022, while Rossi’s eight victories have all been with Andretti Global. For the most part, the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Dallara/Chevrolet driven by 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi has paced both team leader O’Ward’s No. 5 and the players in the No. 6 car this year. Yet he’s being replaced in 2025 by current Rahal Letterman Lanigan racer Christian Lundgaard, who is 11th in the series rankings, while O’Ward is sixth and Rossi has seventh-place points.
Rossi has been with this team for about a season and a half. He’s done well in the seat, moving from a Honda-powered car at Andretti Global to the Chevrolets fancied by Arrow McLaren. He’s been consistent in his finishes but the No. 7 car hasn’t won a race since its 2014 start in the series. Before Rossi arrived at Arrow McLaren, he was preceded by, in addition to Rosenqvist, Mikhail Aleshin, James Jakes, 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson and Oliver Askew. Yes, a revolving door of drivers.
With Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR) since 2022, Lundgaard has recorded one win, three podiums and two pole positions in 43 career starts. He’s easily been, at only 22 years of age – and celebrating a birthday on the 23rd of July – the best of RLLR’s lineup. Routinely he’s fought for wins, podiums, pole positions but hasn’t been able to get them. For that reason, he placed himself on the driver market and, for his new team, the Dane’s change of venue might be the impetus to help them succeed.
Since joining Arrow McLaren in 2020, O’Ward has singularly been the sole driver to earn victory; with Lundgaard joining him, the team expects them to challenge one another next season and, finally, bring them to Victory Lane.
What’s next for Rossi? The openings at major, race winning squads, well, aren’t open. Team Penske appears satisfied with its three-driver lineup of two-time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, two-time champion and Indy 500 winner Will Power along with Scott McLaughlin. Chip Ganassi Racing’s five-car squad looks set to continue, as well. RLLR might be a good fit, as might Meyer Shank Racing, the latter having its best season since joining INDYCAR.
Will Rossi continue in the series or go to sports cars, where he’s met success in the past? The American racer was scheduled to talk about his future on Wednesday before the July 4th holiday. And who will RLLR choose to team with Graham Rahal and, presumably Pietro Fittipald? The team thanked Lundgaard and noted they were “proud to have brought him into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and wish him well in the future.”
What’s next for Chevy runners Ed Carpenter Racing and/or A.J. Foyt Racing, the latter having Santino Ferrucci to show well at Indianapolis, where he’s always performed above his road-racing skills? There are plenty of free agents out there, including current Carpenter racer Rinus Veejay, Pourchaire and Ilott, as well as Malukas, who is seat-filling at Meyer Shank Racing for the balance of the year.
It will also be interesting to see, after multiple test sessions, who has their skills together to work with the hybrid systems this weekend.The latest test came at Iowa Speedway, site of the next contest following this week’s trip to Mid-Ohio. The ability to restart their race cars following a stall, a situation that could reduce or stop caution periods, is a major plus for this series, which seems to regale in long caution stands. The Honda Indy 200, an 80-lap contest, is being shown live on NBC this Sunday.
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