Alexander Rossi will leave McLaren’s IndyCar team at the end of the year as they have hired Christian Lundgaard for 2025.
Rossi’s departure is the latest change in the team’s driver line-up after a series of reshuffles following its unsuccessful attempt to hire Alex Palou.
Team principal Gavin Ward said they had not been able to agree terms with Rossi, who is managed by his father.
“Alexander has been an incredible team mate and we’re grateful for our two seasons we’re racing with him,” he said. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without him.
“Ultimately we couldn’t meet in the middle on terms, but we absolutely wish him the best and will do all we can the second half of the season to get him in the top five in the championship.”
Rossi joined McLaren from Andretti last year. He ended his first season at the team ninth in the standings and lies seventh approaching the halfway point this year, but is yet to win a race with them.
He said he had “many conversations” with Ward, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown and team advisor Tony Kanaan over the past months. “We were not able to come to terms on a new deal, so the mutual decision to part ways is amicable.
“I’m very confident with current discussions in the paddock to land a new spot,” he said, adding “I’ll have good news to follow soon.”
Lundgaard, who made his IndyCar debut in 2022 and scored his first win for RLL last year, said he is “thrilled” with his move to McLaren, where he will partner Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel.
“Christian has had proven success in his few seasons racing in the series, and he checks the boxes for what we’re looking for in speed and potential alongside Pato and Nolan,” said Ward. “The three make up the youngest trio on the NTT IndyCar series grid, and we know that direction has been paying off for our F1 counterparts with Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri].”
Following Palou’s refusal to join the team for this year, McLaren originally hired David Malukas. But he was dropped from the team after he suffered a pre-season injury. Theo Pourchaire was initially named his replacement, but he was dropped for Siegel last month.
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