A stroke of misfortune for Alex Palou, combined with a determined drive from Christian Lundgaard, handed the Arrow McLaren driver a long-awaited win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. A late-race caution during a green-flag pit cycle forced Palou to pit from the lead and restart deep in the field, where he could only climb back to fifth place behind Lundgaard, David Malukas, Graham Rahal, and Josef Newgarden.
Lundgaard had already racked up eight podium finishes since joining Arrow McLaren at the start of the 2025 season. That momentum culminated in a bold pass on Malukas with 18 laps remaining, putting him in the lead and securing his second career victory.
“At the end of the day, I had nothing to lose,” Lundgaard said in his post-race press conference. “Finish second? That’s fine, but I have unfinished business here. I wanted to win. I’ve had enough second places over the past year and a half. I was willing to do what it took, and I knew it would be respectful.”
Here are the main takeaways from the race:
**1. A Landmark Win for Lundgaard**
Lundgaard was blunt after the race: “I know the task I was hired to do — and that’s to win races.”
That made this victory especially significant, particularly as Palou has been so dominant. “I’ve been asked many times, ‘When is it going to come?’ We’ve come so close so often. How does it feel to be on the podium while the No. 10 car (Palou) keeps winning? In many ways, I live to win races. I don’t live to finish second or just be in the race. That’s how I was raised — I compete to win, not just to compete.”
Lundgaard admitted he hates losing more than he loves winning. Team principal Tony Kanaan added, “He fears losing a lot more than anything else.”
**2. Controversy Over the Caution Flag**
Some might call it bad luck for Palou when the caution came out on Lap 21 for Alexander Rossi, whose car sat on the front straight under a local yellow for an extended period before INDYCAR threw a full-course yellow.
But Palou could have pitted during the local yellow, and it seemed INDYCAR was waiting for the pit-stop cycle to finish before calling a full-course caution. Rossi was furious, actually stepping out of his car before the full-course yellow was thrown.
“The fact it took so long to throw a full-course yellow when a car is on the front straight and drivers are going by at 170 mph is insane,” Rossi said on the broadcast.
**3. Malukas Has Reason to Be Pleased**
Malukas didn’t have much defense when Lundgaard passed him for the lead. Still hunting for his first career win, Malukas settled for second — another solid result that moves him to third in the standings.
“We’re good friends, and it was fantastic racing,” Malukas said. “I could have been more aggressive and pushed him wide, but it was fair racing and he made a proper move. At a certain point, part of racing skill is knowing when you’ve lost a spot.”
**4. Grosjean and Armstrong: Post-Race Tension**
After the race, Romain Grosjean approached Marcus Armstrong and had to be restrained by the Meyer Shank Racing team. The two exchanged words afterward.
Armstrong told the pit reporter that he had a crew member ready to back him up. “He fancied a bit of a fistfight — a bit of UFC, a bit of MMA. It’s something I’m not used to. I have a 350-pound fueler who was right behind me.”
**What’s Next**
The biggest day in motorsports — and arguably all of sports — is just ahead.
