Christian Lundgaard carried his speed from practice to qualifying at the 2025 BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland, securing his third career pole position and his first since joining Arrow McLaren. The Dane topped the charts with a lap time of 58.3939 seconds, leading an impressive Arrow McLaren 1-2 with teammate Pato O’Ward just behind at 58.5343 seconds. However, Lundgaard will not lead the pack to the green flag on race day due to a six-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. As a result, O’Ward inherits the pole position and will start first on Sunday.
Lundgaard expressed surprise at his pole-winning lap, noting he felt a late push in turns five and six but didn’t expect to be the fastest overall. Despite the penalty setback, he remained proud of the team’s performance and sees the qualifying result as a best-case scenario given the grid drop.
The final starting grid for the BitNile.com Grand Prix sees O’Ward on pole, followed by Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist in second, Team Penske’s Will Power third, and Christian Lundgaard starting seventh after his penalty is applied. Championship leader Alex Palou will start fifth after an uncharacteristic mistake prevented a better qualifying time.
The Arrow McLaren drivers' strong pace demonstrates the team’s growing competitiveness in the 2025 IndyCar season, with the Portland qualifying results underscoring their potential for a significant race day performance.
While Christian Lundgaard won the pole on raw pace, it’s teammate Pato O’Ward who will start from the top spot on Sunday due to Lundgaard’s penalty, setting up a thrilling race for Arrow McLaren fans.
