Has a new IndyCar title challenger emerged to take on Palou?

Christian Lundgaard got confirmation on the way from podium celebrations to the post-race press conference. Had his final pitstop in the Alabama Grand Prix not gone awry, he was projected to have overcut eventual winner Alex Palou for the lead, and his Arrow McLaren was demonstrably the fastest car. A second career IndyCar victory was there for the taking.

Instead, the Dane sat stationary for an agonising extra 10 seconds while a crew member fumbled to install the right-rear wheel. Lundgaard exited the pits in third place but was able to channel his red mist to track down and pass an on-form Graham Rahal for second in the closing laps, while Palou won by 13.2 seconds.

Kyle Kirkwood, who finished a steady fifth at Barber Motorsports Park, is the popular pick to be Palou’s closest competition for the 2026 IndyCar championship. The American won at Arlington and heads the point standings. But Lundgaard, 25, and in his fifth full season competing in America, is a compelling alternate choice.

He’s managed by ex-Reynard MD Rick Gorne, who has a proven track record of bringing international drivers into IndyCars, including Gil de Ferran, Alex Zanardi, and Simon Pagenaud. Gorne placed Lundgaard with Team RLL in late 2021 and he qualified on the second row for his first race at the Indianapolis road course. Lundgaard took two poles and his first IndyCar victory with Bobby Rahal’s team in 2023 but went winless and regressed from eighth to 11th in the standings in ’24.

A move to Arrow McLaren didn’t produce a victory in 2025, but Lundgaard racked up six podium finishes and advanced to a career-best fifth in the standings. He ranks third in points early in the 2026 campaign.

It would be even higher had the mythical win at Barber panned out, but Lundgaard’s performance still captured attention and had people talking after the race. So did his professionalism as he deflected attention from the botched pitstop.

Lundgaard has impressed from the off since his IndyCar debut in 2021

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

“It’s unfortunate,” he said. “Obviously, we came out behind Graham there on that last stint, and I really wanted to get that second place for the team, not just for me. I thought, even with the bobble on pitroad, let’s get the same result. So that was nice.

“Just frustrating,” he added. “For however many races, we’ve produced great cars on Sundays. We’re just lacking on Saturdays. Look at the results - we’re right there. Finished third in St. Pete, finished seventh in Arlington even though we got spun on the first lap. We have the race pace. We just need to start further up.”

At Barber, Lundgaard qualified 10th, but steadily worked forward in a 90-lap race that ran caution free. Like polesitter Palou, Lundgaard started on primary tyres, and after the first round of pitstops unfolded, he ran third behind Palou and Rahal. Palou stopped for the final time on lap 65, followed four laps later by Lundgaard. It appeared the Arrow McLaren driver had pulled out a big enough gap to hold the lead of the race, until the disastrous pitstop killed his chances for the win.

"We finished P2; we shouldn't be that frustrated. But when you are up against a car that's been the most competitive and best car in IndyCar for the past many years, to have a chance to beat him fair and square, that hurts" Christian Lundgaard

“Lundgaard was getting very close,” Palou admitted. “I think we got lucky there with the pit exchange that they lost some pace or some time. I feel like it would have been a very close battle, and maybe would have been a race that Lundgaard could have won. But it was not easy. It was tough.”

Lundgaard recognises the promise and potential. After seven podiums, his first win with McLaren is surely close at hand, and four races into the 2026 campaign, he is ahead of team stalwart Pato O’Ward in the standings. Lundgaard has slowly and unobtrusively shown he’s ready to take over the mantle of team leader from the charismatic Mexican.

“Last year was everything we hoped for as a new group getting to know each other,” he said. “For ’26, we don’t need to turn the ship upside down. We need to just build. The foundation is there. We need a pickup on ovals, but just continue down the path we’re taking. We need to be better every day, every weekend, and continue our progression from last year.”

Lundgaard didn't let his late pitstop woe weigh him down, using that frustration to fight back to second place

Photo by: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What made the defeat at Barber so galling for Lundgaard was the missed opportunity to engage in a straight fight with four-time IndyCar champion Palou - and perhaps lay down a marker for future encounters.

“We finished P2; we shouldn't be that frustrated,” Lundgaard related. “But when you are up against a car that's been the most competitive and best car in IndyCar for the past many years, to have a chance to beat him fair and square, that hurts. It’s the position that we've tried to be in the past three years. I think we got there today. To miss out on it for something like that is unfortunate…I think there’s a lot of learnings to take from it.”

McLaren IndyCar boss Tony Kanaan liked what he saw and hopes to soon have both Lundgaard and O’Ward fighting with Palou for race wins and ultimately the IndyCar championship.

“You can say it was a bit of a tough day in Barber for the team even with a podium, so I guess that’s a sign we’re not settling and not happy with less than what we know we’re capable of,” Kanaan stated. “Christian had a great race - the most passes by far on track - and really had the car to win. Fortunately, we have a week between now and Long Beach to dig into it.”

Can Lundgaard take the title fight to Palou and Kirkwood?

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images