Chip Ganassi Racing has finalized its 2027 NTT IndyCar Series lineup, naming Christian Lundgaard as the new driver of the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Lundgaard joins CGR from Arrow McLaren after 2 seasons with the team. It’s a clean swap between the teams, with the No. 9’s former pilot, Scott Dixon, moving to McLaren after 25 seasons with CGR.
Despite finishing third in the points, McLaren let Lundgaard go, along with Nolan Seigel, to make way for Dixon and a returning Felix Rosenqvist. Speaking to Pit Debrief and other media outlets, Lundgaard admitted he was still questioning his release but chose to look at the situation differently.
“It’s still a big question mark to me, and I think it is to many. I choose to look at it in a very different way. I’ve done well and a better opportunity have arose versus what it could have been. We’re just looking forward now. It’s not really look back.
“I think it’s really just what I’ve done to achieve this, really, in many ways. I wish them the best, but it’s definitely big shoes to fill, filling out for Scott.”
Long nights and long weekends for Lundgaard
McLaren announced in July 2026 that Lundgaard would not return to the team for 2027. That left the Danish driver in limbo about his future in the IndyCar series for quite a stretch.
When speaking to Pit Debrief and other media, the 25-year-old described the long nights and race weekends he endured before he was confident in his move to CGR following confirmation of the McLaren exit.
“A lot of long nights. A lot of long race weekends, in all honesty. Obviously I found out a couple of hours before the media found out right after Mid-Ohio. I sort of had an idea midway through the season that that was a possibility, and I tried to just keep my head down.
“For me it was the need to just keep my head down and do the best that I can. I knew there was an opportunity here, and we made it work.”
Approaching the simple things first
Joining a championship-winning team comes with a whole new set of expectations and challenges for Christian Lundgaard. It also brings new opportunities to learn from a multiple-time champion in Alex Palou, who, in turn, learned from 6-time champion Scott Dixon.
Rather than put pressure on himself to produce immediate results, Lundgaard talked about his plans to focus on learning from Palou and doing the simple things right first, building a good foundation for himself at a new team.
“It’s a tough situation to get into. In many ways, it’s easy, but in many ways, it’s tough. You’re joining the five-time winner, four time in a row, and we know the car is fast. I need to learn as much as possible and do the simple things right, which I think CGR has been very good at in the past many years.
“I’m not so worried about the performance on track. I think it’s more learning behind the scenes, again, getting integrated with the team, getting to know everybody, getting the whole team to glue, put myself as a piece in that, and get the best out of it and have many good years.
“Alex has learned from Scott Dixon, and if I can learn the Scott Dixon things from Alex Palou with a twist of Alex Palou, it’s the right combination. We’ve seen that from the performance on track.”
A more mature driver at CGR
Christian Lundgaard has continued to evolve both as a driver and as a person through his time at RLL and Arrow McLaren. And despite facing challenges during his time with McLaren, the experience has helped shape a more mature version of the young Dane, in and out of the car.
Lundgaard reflected on lessons learned at his past teams, his growth in his technical understanding of the cars and tracks, and what it was about CGR’s values that drew him to the team.
“There is for sure a more mature Christian in there. By all means, I think that’s very much a given, but not necessarily just on or off track. I think I’ve learned so much more from the technical side of the cars, and I think a big reason for me to join CGR is not necessarily that they have the winning car now.
“It’s what the team stands for. It’s the simplicity. I’m a very simple guy. That’s why I think we will work very well together from a PNC and CGR perspective.
“I have a true belief that CGR will figure it out first. That was also a big part of it for me.”
