From the Wall to the Podium – Christian Lundgaard’s Bold Comeback at Long Beach

After crashing in qualifying and starting from a modest 12th on the grid, few would have predicted that Christian Lundgaard would stand on the podium by the end of the 2025 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. But thanks to a bold strategy and a rebuilt car, the Danish driver pulled off one of the most impressive recovery drives of the season so far.

His weekend took a sharp turn on Saturday when a crash in qualifying damaged his car beyond immediate repair. “We took the car in qualifying yesterday,” Lundgaard explained in the post-race press conference. “I didn’t think it was that bad. Turns out we had to replace the tub, so we built up a new car overnight — what we call the old lady — and she ran effortless today.”

Despite the setback, the Arrow McLaren team opted to go on the offensive for race day. With fresh tires available and nothing to lose from mid-pack, they chose an aggressive strategy that ultimately turned out to be the key to success.

“Let’s try to go aggressive, and let’s see what we can do,”
Lundgaard said, recalling the team’s approach heading into Sunday’s race.

That attitude paid off. He made steady progress through the field as the race unfolded, executing clean overtakes and managing traffic smartly. Crucially, Lundgaard was able to run on fresher tires than many of his rivals — a strategic decision enabled by his limited track time the day before.

Though he admitted to briefly forgetting about his available push-to-pass boost mid-race, Lundgaard still had enough left at the end to fend off challenges, overtake Rosenqvist and lock in his second podium of the 2025 season.

From a wrecked car to a third-place finish, it was a performance that showed resilience, smart race management, and trust in the team’s bold call. For Lundgaard and Arrow McLaren, Long Beach proved that a tough Saturday doesn’t have to ruin a Sunday — especially when you’re willing to roll the dice and race hard.