Pietro Fittipaldi will be competing on a full-time NTT IndyCar Series basis in the No. 30 Dallara-Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2024 season.
The news comes as the 27-year-old Fittipaldi from Miami, Florida, spent this season competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Team JOTA, where he achieved a victory in the Six Hours of Monza in the LMP2 class. Fittipaldi, who is also the grandson of two-time Formula One champion and the 1989 IndyCar champion Emerson fittipaldi, is also in his fifth consecutive season serving as a test and reserve competitor for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
“It’s an honor to join a team of the caliber of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” Fittipaldi said. “With the experience I’ve gained over the last few years in F1 and other racing series, I am looking forward to the challenge of racing in INDYCAR, one of the most competitive and versatile racing series in the world. I want to thank Mr. Rahal, Mr. Lanigan, and Mr. Letterman for the opportunity and their trust and confidence in me. I can’t wait to get started.”
Fittipaldi, who grew up competing in karts, achieved the 2011 title in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, with five career victories under his belt through 2012 before he moved to Europe to pursue a racing career in open wheels in 2013. In 2014, he achieved the Protyre Formula Renault Championship for MGR Motorsport before he graduated to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2016 and winning the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 title. He would then record a championship in the Formula V8 3.5 series for Lotus in 2017 before being named a part-time competitor for Dale Coyne Racing for the 2018 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Despite breaking both legs following an accident in the World Endurace Championship 6 Hours of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Fittipaldi competed in the final five IndyCar events on the schedule, where he achieved a career-best ninth-place finish at Portland International Raceway.
In 2019, Fittipaldi became a reserve and test competitor for Haas F1 Team. He also spent the season competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Audi Sport’s Team WRT and Team Rosberg along with Pinnacle Motorsport in the 2019-20 F3 Asian Championship. In 2020, Fittipaldi made his first two career starts in Formula One for Haas in the final two events of the season, where he filled in for the injured Romain Grosjean and recorded his best result of 17th place in the Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
In 2021, Fittipaldi made three IndyCar starts for Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, where he notched a season-best 15th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway and finished 25th in his first Indianapolis 500 start. He also competed in the 2022 European Le Man Series with Inter Europol Competition, where he notched a career-best runner-up result in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the LMP2 class.
Through nine IndyCar career starts, Fittipaldi has achieved an average-finishing result of 20.3. The 2024 season will mark Fittipaldi’s first full-time campaign in the IndyCar circuit as he will compete alongside new teammate Christian Lundggard, who achieved his first IndyCar victory in the Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, this past season. The team’s third competitor, Graham Rahal, is also expected to return with a new extension that has yet to be announced.
“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to have Pietro join RLL as the driver of the No. 30 car,” Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, said. “He has had previous experience in INDYCAR in doing partial seasons with Dale Coyne Racing and impressively qualifying 13th at Indianapolis in 2021. I got to meet him then and since that time he has worked hard to become the reserve driver for Haas F1’s team. And from our discussions, I have been impressed with the maturity and experience that he will now bring to our program. I look forward to seeing what he can do over a full season of INDYCAR competition in 2024.”
“We are proud and excited to welcome Pietro to our team,” Mike Lanigan, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, added. “The Fittipaldi family name has always been associated with winning and competitiveness in our sport. The legacy lives on with Pietro and we welcome the challenges in keeping the tradition alive.”
Fittipaldi’s move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing means that he will become the sixth different competitor to pilot the team’s No. 30 entry since 2020. The No. 30 Honda commenced this past IndyCar’s season with Jack Harvey, but Harvey was released by the team after 14 starts and finishing no higher than 13th. The team then ran the No. 30 entry with Conor Day at World Wide Technology Raceway before former Formula 2 competitor Jüri Vips piloted the ride in the final two events of the 2023 season.
With his plans for next season set, Fittipaldi’s first full-time campaign in the NTT INDYCAR Series begins with the 2024 season-opening event at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The event is scheduled to occur on March 10 and will be broadcast on NBC.
In his 28th career start in the NTT IndyCar Series, Christian Lundgaard etched his name as an IndyCar Series race winner after capping off a dominant run from pole position to win for the first time in the Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday, July 16.
The 21-year-old Lundgaard from Hedensted, Denmark, commenced the sport’s lone visit north of the border in Canada by notching his second IndyCar career pole on Saturday, July 15, amid mixed weather conditions. Amid a multi-car incident in the opening lap, Lundgaard proceeded to lead the first 18 laps before surrendering the lead to pit amid alternate strategies ensuing within the field. Through more on-track chaos and mixed strategy, Lundgaard, who briefly led from Laps 37 to 48, assumed the lead for good on Lap 62 after Scott Dixon surrendered the lead to pit under green. For the remainder of the event, Lundgaard methodically stretched his advantage while navigating his way around the 11-turn circuit and beat runner-up and championship points leader Alex Palou by more than 11 seconds to achieve his first checkered flag in the IndyCar circuit.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, July 15, Christian Lundgaard captured his second IndyCar career pole after posting a pole-winning lap at 100.217 mph in 1:04.1567. Joining him on the front row was Scott McLaughlin, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 99.716 mph in 1:04.4790.
When the green flag and the race commenced, Lundgaard rocketed ahead with the lead while McLaughlin veered right to defend the runner-up spot ahead of Pato O’Ward and his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet through Princess Blvd. and entering the first turn. The field then fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns as Lundgaard continued to lead.
Then as the field entered Lake Shore Blvd., the first caution of the event flew when Tom Blomqvist, the reigning two-time Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona winner who was making his IndyCar debut for Meyer Shank Racing and as an interim competitor for the injured Simon Pagenaud, got pushed and squeezed into the wall amid a three-wide battle involving Ryan Hunter-Reay and Jack Harvey. With Blomqvist hitting the wall, Harvey and Hunter-Reay were also involved as they squeezed into one another and veered sideways and into the wall, thus igniting a stack up towards the rear of the field as Alexander Rossi, Santino Ferrucci, Sting Ray Rob, Benjamin Pedersen and Graham Rahal were also involved.
Following an extensive caution period, the race resumed under green flag conditions on the ninth lap. At the start, Lundgaard retained the top spot ahead of McLaughlin as the field navigated its way through Princess Blvd. before navigating through the first two turns and entering Lake Shore Blvd. The field proceeded to navigate its way through Turns 3 and 4 before entering Ontario Dr. before navigating back on Princess Blvd. and Manitoba Dr. Following another series of turns from Turns 5 to 11 and back to the frontstretch, Lundgaard continued to lead and he would retain the top spot through the Lap 10 mark while McLaughlin, O’Ward, Marcus Ericsson and Scott Dixon were battling in the top five.
Through the first 15 scheduled laps, Lundgaard was leading by more than three seconds over McLaughlin while O’Ward retained third. Behind, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Ericsson and Dixon were running in the top five while Kyle Kirkwood, Flex Rosenqvist, Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Colton Herta were running in the top 10. Behind, Marcus Armstrong was in 11th while Romain Grosjean, Alex Palou, Rinus VeeKay and Helio Castroneves were mired in the top 15.
A lap later, Armstrong, who was battling Grosjean for 11th, pitted under green. Rosenqvist and David Malukas would pit during the following lap under green as Lundgaard was leading by more than four seconds over McLaughlin. More pit stops would then ensue the proceeding lap as Kirkwood and Newgarden pitted.
Then on Lap 19, McLaughlin cycled into the lead as Lundgaard pitted under green. Once Lundgaard returned to the track, he was mired in 12th in between Juncos Racing’s Callum Ilott and Agustin Canapino while McLaughlin, O’Ward, Ericsson, Dixon and Power were running in the top five. O’Ward would then surrender third place to pit at the Lap 20 mark, where he would blend back on the track in 14th.
At the Lap 25 mark, McLaughlin was leading by more than two seconds over Ericsson while Dixon, Power and Herta were running in the top five. With Grosjean, Palou, VeeKay, Castroneves and Lundgaard running in the top 10, O’Ward was still mired in 14th while Newgarden was back in 17th in between Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong.
Five laps later, McLaughlin continued to lead by more than four seconds over Ericsson while third-place Dixon trailed by more than five seconds. With Power and Herta running in the top five, Palou navigated his way around Grosjean for sixth while Lundgaard was up in eighth ahead of VeeKay and Castroneves. Another two laps later, Grosjean pitted from the top 10 under green while McLaughin retained the lead by more than five seconds over Ericsson. Herta would also pit from the top five followed by Augustin Canapino.
Then on Lap 30, McLaughlin navigated his No. 3 Gallagher Dallara-Chevrolet onto pit road for his first pit service of the day as Ericsson cycled his No. 8 Huski Chocolate Dallara-Honda into the lead. Ericsson would then pit during the following lap followed by Castroneves and Callum Ilott. With Dixon cycling his No. 9 PNC Bank Dallara-Honda into the lead, McLaughlin was scored in fifth behind Lundgaard. On Lap 37, however, the top-three competitors that included Dixon, Power and Palou pitted under green as Lundgaard cycled back into the lead. Following their pit stops, Power managed to muscle ahead of Dixon and Palou on the track and within the top 10 while Ericsson was in fifth following his pit service.
Then as the event was approaching its halfway mark on Lap 41, the event’s second caution flew when Grosjean lost control of the steering of his No. 28 DHL Dallara-Honda and veered straight into the wall just past Turn 10 as his strong run came to an end. At the moment of caution, Lundgaard was leading ahead of McLaughlin, O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood and Ericsson while Newgarden, Power, Dixon, Palou and Rosenqvist were in the top 10.
During the caution period, some names including Kirkwood, Rosenqvist, Palou, Herta, Malukas, Graham Rahal and Callum Ilott pitted while the rest led by Lundgaard remained on the track. Not long after and prior to a restart on Lap 46, the event quickly returned under a caution period when Kirkwood ran into the rear of Castroneves’ No. 06 SiriusXM Dallara-Honda and sent him spinning in Turn 11, thus ending his race, as Palou sustained damage to his front wing after hitting the wall while trying to avoid Castroneves. Despite the contact, Palou continued to run on the track despite concerns of his front wing being damaged.
Amid the extensive caution period, a majority of the field led by Lundgaard pitted for fresh tires and fuel while some including McLaughlin, Dixon, VeeKay, Kirkwood, Herta and Palou remained on the track with alternate strategies ensuing.
When the race restarted under green with 34 laps remaining, McLaughlin jumped ahead of Dixon to retain the lead through the first two turns and entering Lake Shore Blvd. With the field fanning out, a series of battles ensued as Lundgaard and O’Ward were trying to navigate their way towards the front from the top 10. Amid the battles, Kirkwood, who was running within the top five, pitted after being assessed a stop-and-go penalty from the contact with Castroneves while VeeKay, Palou and Herta were in the top five.
With 30 laps remaining, McLaughlin was leading by eight-tenths of a second over fellow Kiwi competitor Dixon while VeeKay and Palou were in the top four. Behind, Lundgaard moved up to fifth and was trailing the lead by more than seven seconds while Herta, O’Ward, Power, Ericsson and Newgarden were in the top 10.
Four laps later, VeeKay pitted from third place, which allowed Palou, Lundgaard and Herta to move up one spots respectively into the top five while McLaughlin was leading by more than a second over Dixon. McLaughlin would then surrender the lead to pit with 25 laps remaining as Dixon cycled into the lead followed by teammate Palou and Lundgaard.
Then with 24 laps remaining, Lundgaard, who pulled a bold overtake on Palou through Turns 3 and 4 to take second place, cycled back into the lead after Dixon pitted under green. In the ensuing laps, Power overtook O’Ward for fourth while Palou, who continued to proceed at full pace despite his damaged front wing, retained second ahead of Colton Herta.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Lundgaard was leading by more than two seconds over Palou while Herta, Power and O’Ward were running in the top five. With Ericsson in sixth, Newgarden, Marcus Armstrong, Rosenqvist and Agustin Canapino were in the top 10 while Dixon and McLaughlin were mired back in 14th and 15th, respectively.
With 10 laps remaining, Lundgaard retained the lead by nearly seven seconds over Palou while Herta, Power and Ericsson were scored in the top five. In the process, Newgarden, Armstrong, O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Dixon were in the top 10. By then, David Malukas retired four laps earlier after making contact with the wall and damaging his suspension.
Five laps later, Lundgaard extended his advantage to more than nine seconds over Palou, who was being pressured by Herta amid his front wing damage as Power and Ericsson started to close in on the battle.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Lundgaard remained as the leader by more than 10 seconds over Palou, who continued to run strong on the track amid his front wing damage in front of Herta. By then, Power and Ericsson both pitted after coming up short on fuel, which allowed Newgarden and Dixon to move into the top five. With no competition lurking behind him, Lundgaard, driving the No. 45 Vivid Clear Rx Dallara-Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, was able to navigate his way around the 11-turn circuit smoothly for a final time and cycle back to the frontstretch to claim his first career checkered flag in the IndyCar circuit.
With the victory, Lundgaard, who is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in the IndyCar circuit and whose previous best result was second place that occurred at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last August, became the first competitor to achieve a first IndyCar race victory since Kyle Kirkwood won at the Streets of Long Beach, California, this past April. He also recorded the first victory for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing since the team last won the 2020 Indianapolis 500 with Takuma Sato. Lundgaard also joined Adrian Fernandez and the late Justin Wilson as competitors to achieve a first IndyCar victory at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada.
With the victory, Lundgaard, who celebrated his first IndyCar win with his friend, Victor, vowed to shave his mustache he grew during the offseason amid the promise that he would do so once he would win an IndyCar race.
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I’m pretty drained from energy right now,” Lundgaard, who led a race-high 54 of 85 laps, said on Peacock. “The Hy-Vee VIVID car has just been fast all weekend. I said it before the race [that] we had a car that was fast enough to win. We pulled it off and I think we did by 10 seconds. This team, they do deserve this because if we look at where we were early this season and even last year at this point, we were nowhere near this, so I’m just extremely happy for everybody right now. Everything [the owners] are doing for this team, we’re moving forward.”
“[This win]’s huge for us,” Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, added. “Any win’s big. We were knocking on the door at Mid-Ohio with Graham’s [Rahal] qualifying run and Christian’s for that matter. This weekend, it wasn’t easy. We didn’t start out really super great, but we kept working at it. Christian was hooked up. I think he just was kind of like on a mission this weekend. You saw that on that race. He just drove away from everybody. The crew did a great job. That strategy in the No. 45 pit was the right strategy and Christian just didn’t put a foot wrong. A great weekend for us. “
While Lundgaard celebrated a first victory, Palou, who started the lowest of this season in 15th, was left relieved on pit road after having enough power to nurse his No. 10 Journie Rewards Dallara-Honda with the damaged front wing home in the runner-up spot, one spot shy of achieving four consecutive IndyCar victories following recent victories in Detroit, Road America and Mid-Ohio, while Colton Herta achieved his first podium result of the season by finishing third just as he ran out of fuel.
“We knew it was going to be an eventful race,” Palou said. “I had a lot of ups and downs. We had a really fast car. I don’t know how we made it with this wing. The car was still handling OK, and then we just had to save a ton of fuel, a ton of tires. But we made it. Glad we finished P2 today. A win could have been possible, but I did a bad qualifying yesterday. As long as we have fast cars like we’ve been doing, we’re going to be OK. The guys did an amazing strategy call. It was tough to save that much fuel, but they just put me on that position. Kudos to the No. 10 car.”
Dixon, who won last year’s IndyCar event at Toronto, came home in fourth while Newgarden settled in fifth. McLaughlin, Armstrong, Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal and Rosenqvist completed the top 10 on the track. Notably, Ericsson and Power ended up 11th and 14th, respectively, while Kirkwood ended up 15th.
There were seven lead changes for four different leaders. The race featured three cautions for 16 laps. In total, 15 of 27 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 10th event of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, Alex Palou continues to lead the championship standings by 117 points over teammate Scott Dixon, 126 over Josef Newgarden, 142 over teammate Marcus Ericsson and 143 over Pato O’Ward.
Results.
1. Christian Lundgaard, 54 laps led
2. Alex Palou
3. Colton Herta
4. Scott Dixon, two laps led
5. Josef Newgarden
6. Scott McLaughlin, 28 laps led
7. Marcus Armstrong
8. Pato O’Ward
9. Graham Rahal
10. Felix Rosenqvist
11. Marcus Ericsson
12. Agustin Canapino
13. Rinus VeeKay
14. Will Power
15. Kyle Kirkwood
16. Alexander Rossi
17. Santino Ferrucci
18. Callum Ilott – OUT, Contact
19. Sting Ray Robb, three laps down
20. David Malukas – OUT, Contact
21. Helio Castroneves – OUT, Contact
22. Romain Grosjean – OUT, Contact
23. Devlin DeFrancesco – OUT, Mechanical
24. Jack Harvey – OUT, Contact
25. Tom Blomqvist – OUT, Contact
26. Ryan Hunter-Reay – OUT, Contact
27. Benjamin Pedersen – OUT, Contact
Next on the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series schedule is the series’ doubleheader weekend feature at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The first event of the doubleheader weekend feature, Hy-Vee Homefront 250, is set to occur next Saturday, July 22, at 3 p.m. ET on NBC while the second event, Hy-Vee One Step 250, will follow suit next Sunday, July 23, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has retained rookie Christian Lundgaard on a new multi-year contract extension, beginning in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The 21-year-old Lundgaard from Hedensted, Denmark, is currently embarking in his maiden season in the IndyCar circuit, where he achieved his maiden podium after finishing in second place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in late July. He also achieved his maiden start in the top three after posting the third-fastest qualifying time during the previous IndyCar event at Nashville Street Circuit in early August.
To go along with a total of six top-10 results through the first 14-scheduled events and despite being ranked in 15th place in the drivers’ standings, he currently leads the IndyCar Rookie-of-the-Year standings with 272 points, where he is 41 points ahead of David Malukas and 91 ahead of Callum Ilott.
“I have to say a big thanks to [team co-owners] Bobby [Rahal], David [Letterman] and Mike [Lanigan] for giving me this opportunity to extend my time with the team,” Lundgaard said. “We’ve had some good results lately, and I’m sure this has also helped their decision. First of all, I’m just happy and super excited that they gave me this opportunity. A year ago at the [Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course], we qualified well [fourth] and they decided that they wanted me for a full season [in 2022]. We’ve made the most of the opportunity so far. I’m sure there are times when we could have performed better but now we have the opportunity to continue this progress.”
“We’ve been to a lot of tracks so far and have come back to some and finished on the podium, which I hope to continue,” Lundgaard added. “Qualifying third in Nashville was a big milestone for me. Making the Fast Six – and not being at the end of the Fast Six but actually having a shot at competing for the pole – was a great experience for me. We didn’t quite finish where we wanted [eighth] but it was good to have that experience and now everyone is making the most of it. I’m happy for everyone at the team, my family and the sponsors and investors, everyone that has made this possible. I’m looking forward to continuing to build momentum.”
Prior to this season, Lundgaard made his IndyCar debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August 2021, where he qualified fourth and finished 12th while competing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. His transition to full-time IndyCar competition occurred following an extensive racing background that commenced with karting before winning the 2017 SMP F4 and F4 Spanish Championships. He went on to compete in Formula 3 in 2019 before spending the following two seasons in Formula 2 for ART Grand Prix, where he accumulated two victories and a best points result of seventh place in 2020.
“I am so pleased with Christian’s progress with the team and within the series,” Bobby Rahal said. “He has shown that he can be a force to be reckoned with in these races. He works well within the team, and we are pleased that we are continuing for the next several years because I believe he will continue to improve and be a potential winner in the very near future.”
“Christian has done a great job acclimatizing to the variety of challenges and new experiences this season,” Mike Lanigan added. “His approach and professionalism continues to impress us and his performance, especially in the second half of the season, speaks volumes about his potential. We are very happy to have him as part of the team for the years ahead.”
With his plans for next season set, Lundgaard’s quest to capture the 2022 IndyCar Rookie-of-the-Year title continues through the final three events of the season, beginning this upcoming weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The event is scheduled to occur on Saturday, August 20, at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network.
With a new season of NTT IndyCar Series competition underway, Takuma Sato is primed to reach a milestone start in his 12th full-time in America’s premier open-wheel series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway, the newly named driver of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing Dallara-Honda will achieve career start No. 200 in the IndyCar circuit.
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Sato made his inaugural presence in IndyCar competition in 2010 when he signed with KV Racing Technology. By then, he had campaigned in seven full-time seasons in Formula One competition (2002-2008) between Jordan, BAR and Super Aguri. Driving the No. 5 Dallara-Honda for KV Racing Technology, Sato started 10th but finished 22nd in his IndyCar debut after being involved in an opening lap multi-car wreck. Sato competed the entire 17-race schedule, where he earned his first top-10 career result in ninth place at Edmonton City Centre Airport in July before settling in 21st place in the final standings,
Remaining at KV Racing Technology for the 2011 IndyCar season, Sato earned three top-five results, a season-best fourth-place result at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August and his maiden two poles (Iowa Speedway and Edmonton in July) before finishing in 13th place in the final standings.
Following his first two years in IndyCar competition with KV Racing Technology, Sato joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the 2012 season. After finishing no higher than eighth during the first three scheduled events, Sato claimed his maiden podium after finishing third at the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. During the following event, the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was running within striking distance of Dario Franchitti for the victory. At the start of the final lap, Sato made his move beneath Franchitti, but both made contact and resulted with Sato spinning and crashing into the wall, which ended the event under caution. While Franchitti went on to win, Sato ended up in 17th place. For the remaining 10 events of the season, Sato claimed a career-best result of second place at Edmonton in July before finishing in 14th place in the final standings.
In 2013, Sato joined forces with A.J. Foyt Enterprises after departing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. After finishing no higher than eighth during the first two events, he claimed his maiden IndyCar victory at California’s Long Beach Street Circuit in April after leading 50 of 80 scheduled laps. The victory, which occurred in his 52nd career start, made Sato the first Japanese competitor to win in the IndyCar circuit. Sato then came close in capturing back-to-back victories of the season at Sao Paulo until he was overtaken by James Hinchcliffe on the final lap and final corner, which relegated him back to second place. Despite briefly taking over the points lead, a series of inconsistent results resulted with Sato finishing in 17th place in the final standings.
From 2014 to 2016, Sato earned a single podium result, which was a runner-up result in the second of a Belle Isle doubleheader weekend in May, a total of two poles and a best points result of 14th place in 2015. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in the IndyCar Series.
Following a four-year run with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Sato joined Andretti Autosport to pilot the No. 26 Honda on a full-time basis in 2017. Through the first five events of the season, his best on-track result was fifth place during the season-opening Streets of St. Petersburg in March. Then during the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500, Sato overtook Max Chilton for the lead with nine laps remaining and fended off three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves to claim his second IndyCar career victory and become the first Japanese competitor to win the Indy 500. He then went on to claim two poles during the final 11 scheduled events before finishing in the top 10 in points for the first time in his career in eighth place.
Despite the success at Andretti, Sato reunited with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to pilot the No. 30 Honda for the 2018 season. After enduring a season-long up-and-down run, where his lone highlight was claiming a podium result (third place) at Iowa Speedway in July, he claimed his third IndyCar career victory in the series’ decade-long return to Portland International Raceway in September. Ultimately, he concluded the season in 12th place in the final standings.
The 2019 IndyCar season was where Sato earned multiple victories in an IndyCar season for the first time in his career. He claimed an early victory at Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park in April and earned two additional podiums during the following 10 scheduled events before winning at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in August. With a career-high two victories and career-high four podiums to the 2019 season, Sato capped off the season in ninth place in the final standings.
During the shortened 2020 season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Sato claimed his second Indianapolis 500 victory in August following a late battle against five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. To add a second-place result at Gateway during the following event, he concluded the season in a career-best seventh place in the final standings and with a career-best average-finishing result of 11.3.
The 2021 season marked the first time Sato went winless and failed to secure a podium result as the Japanese veteran picked up a season-best fourth place during the first of a Belle Isle doubleheader weekend in June before finishing in 11th place in the final standings and earning an average-finishing result of 12.2.
The 2022 IndyCar season marked a new beginning for Sato, who joined Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing following a four-year run with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He is coming off a 10th-place run in his first event with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at the Streets of St. Petersburg.
Through 199 previous IndyCar starts, Sato has achieved six victories, 10 poles, 14 podiums and an average-finishing result of 14.3.
Sato is scheduled to make his 200th NTT IndyCar Series career start in the XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 20, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
With a new season of NTT IndyCar Series competition four days away from commencing, Jack Harvey is set to achieve a milestone start in his third full-time season in America’s premier open-wheel series. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the newly named driver of the No 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Dallara-Honda will make his 50th career start in the IndyCar circuit.
Harvey, a native of Bassingham, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, who is a former champion of the British Formula 3 Championship series and a two-time runner-up in Indy Lights, made his inaugural presence in the IndyCar Series in the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2017. Driving the No. 50 Honda in a joint association with Michael Shank Racing and Andretti Autosport, he started 27th and finished 31st following an early accident with Conor Daly. He then returned for the final two events of the 2017 IndyCar season at Watkins Glen International and at Sonoma Raceway, where he replaced Sebastian Saavedra as driver of the No. 7 Honda for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. During this span, he finished 14th at The Glen and 18th at Sonoma respectively.
The following season, Harvey campaigned in six IndyCar events in the No. 60 Honda for Michael Shank Racing in a technical alliance with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Commencing the season with a 23rd-place result at the Streets of St. Petersburg, he recorded a season-best 12th-place result at the Streets of Long Beach, California. During the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May, Harvey was running in second place with five laps remaining until he was forced to pit for fuel along with initial leader Stefan Wilson and was relegated back to 16th place.
In 2019, Harvey’s IndyCar schedule increased to 10 as he remained with Meyer Shank Racing. After finishing in 10th place during the first two events of the season, he achieved his maiden podium result after finishing in third place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in May. Harvey went on to conclude the 2019 season in 21st place in the final standings and with an average-finishing result of 14.2.
Following three part-time seasons, Harvey campaigned on a full-time basis in a shortened 2020 IndyCar season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Remaining as a driver for Meyer Shank Racing, he achieved a season-best sixth-place result in the second of a Harvest Grand Prix doubleheader feature at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in October. He went on to record a total of six top-10 results, two front row starts, a ninth-place result in the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, an average-starting result of 14.4, an average-finishing result of 12.3 and a 15th-place result in the final standings.
Commencing the 2021 IndyCar season with an 11th-place result at Barber Motorsports Park in April, Harvey achieved a strong weekend during the following event at the Streets of St. Petersburg, where he qualified on the front row and finished in fourth place. Twelve races and three additional top-10 results later, he recorded another fourth-place result at Portland International Raceway in September before wrapping up the season in a career-best 13th place in the final standings.
The 2022 IndyCar season is set to mark a new beginning for Harvey, who is set to pilot the No. 45 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the first time as he continues to pursue his maiden victory and title in the IndyCar circuit.
Through 49 previous IndyCar starts, Harvey has achieved one podium result, a total of seven laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.1.
Harvey is scheduled to make his 50th career start in the NTT IndyCar Series in the 2022 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at the Streets of St. Petersburg on Sunday, February 27, with coverage to occur at noon ET on NBC.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced the addition of Christian Lundgaard as the organization’s third full-time competitor for the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season.
The 20-year-old native from Hedensted, Denmark, is currently competing in his second full-time season in the FIA Formula 2 Championship for ART Grand Prix and has won two F2 events, both occurring in 2020. He is also a member of the Alpine Academy, a program that supports young competitors through a racing career and that started in 2002 when Alpine was known as the Renault F1 Team. In addition to F2 competition, Lundgaard is a former champion of the F4 Spanish Championship series.
“I’m very excited to join Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in INDYCAR,” Lundgaard said. “They are a fantastic team who made me feel very welcome earlier this year when I made my debut in the series. They are the perfect choice, and I’m happy to join them on this next chapter in my career. I was very much open-minded when I raced at Indianapolis in August, and the experience then only grew my hunger to give it another go, so to have the opportunity as a full-time professional racing driver is a privilege. I can only thank Bobby, Piers and the team, as well as my investors and Alpine for putting it all together. I’m determined to repay that faith with on-track performances beginning when the season starts in February.”
“Of course, this will be a completely new challenge for me, especially with oval racing, which I’ve never done before,” Lundgaard added. “I’d like to think I’m a fast learner, so taking this on is going to be an awesome experience. For now, I’m not setting too many expectations other than working hard and enjoying the racing and hopefully the results will follow. For now, though, my focus is on finishing the Formula 2 Championship before fully committing to taking on INDYCAR. I can’t wait for the experience to begin.”
Lundgaard, whose father, Henrik, is a former European Rally champion, made his IndyCar debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August, where he started fourth and finished 12th while driving the No. 45 Dallara-Honda entry for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
For the 2022 season, Lundgaard will be piloting RLL’s No. 30 Dallara-Honda that was formely driven by Takuma Sato, a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion from Tokyo, Japan. Sato, who will not be remaining at RLL for 2022, has yet to announce his racing plans for the future.
“I’m very pleased that Christian will be joining us for the next several years,” Bobby Rahal, RLL’s co-owner, said. “His performance on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway certainly surprised everybody. For him to do the job he did was tremendous and certainly beyond our expectations. With a little more time under his belt, I think the performance would have been even stronger. Everyone within the team was very pleased and it created a lot of excitement and positive reactions from the fans on social media and online, as well as a positive buzz in the paddock…I look forward to a long relationship with Christian. He’s a great young man who fit well with the team immediately, and we are all excited about what we can do together.”
“The team is very excited to have Christian onboard beginning with the 2022 season,” Mike Lanigan, RLL’s co-owner, added. “With our current lineup with Graham and Jack, I believe the addition of Christian will take our team to the next level in competing for a championship.”
The addition of Lundgaard completes Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s three-car lineup for the 2022 IndyCar season with Graham Rahal and Jack Harvey scheduled to compete with the organization for the upcoming racing season. Harvey joins RLL following a two-year run with Meyer Shank Racing.
Christian Lundgaard’s first full-time stint in the NTT IndyCar Series with RLL is set to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on February 27, 2022.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan recently announced that they had signed Takumo Sato to drive for them in 2012.
“I think we all look forward to having him with us because, as I said earlier, he’s shown his pace over the last couple years in IndyCars,” co-owner Bobby Rahal says of the announcement. “As I said in the beginning when we reentered IndyCar racing, it was important for us to do so with someone who was going to be competitive. I had no real interest in just being here. Taku certainly fits that bill.
“I think we are quite excited for the start of the year. We have testing to do yet. We’ve done a little bit already in December which went I think pretty well. So I think everybody’s just anxious to get going.”
Rahal adds that he’s excited about working with Sato due to their friendship. The relationship between Rahal and Sato began back in 2001 when Sato was running Formula 3.
“I had a chance to see Taku not when he first started racing but when he was Europe in England in Formula 3 in 2001 when I was over there with Jaguar Formula One,” Rahal says. “I managed to watch Takuma win a lot of Formula 3 races. I think Formula 3 has always been considered a very good judge of talent.
“Of course, you know, I kept an eye on him when he was in Formula One. So I’ve known his competitiveness, his speed. I’ve seen that many times over the years.”
Sato says he made the move as Rahal offered him a good offer and the team has a great history.
“The numbers in racing is very impressive winning record,” Sato says. “It’s just great success. Okay, the IndyCar Series wasn’t entering full-time in a couple years, but they showing great speed last year every single time they were entering IndyCar. So I was very confident.”
Sato says he has high expectations for this year and excited about the new operation. The addition of Sato to the team isn’t the only change as Rahal moved the team to Brownsburg, Indiana over the off-season.
“It’s really become the center of IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis area,” Rahal says of the move. “You look at the resource that exists here within the area, both the human resource, but the subcontractors, what have you, that can provide services for an IndyCar team.
“It just seemed to me that we needed to be in sort of the epicenter of IndyCar racing now that we were going to come back into it on a full-time basis. So we managed to lease the space that Gil de Ferran used to be in from my friend Don Prudhomme. It’s a nice shop up here in Brownsburg. This is a start for us. But the IndyCar team will certainly be headquartered here for many years to come because we think this is the place to be both for now and in the future.”
Rahal added earlier this week that the team is looking into options of adding a second car to make the team better for 2012. Though if another team is not put together, it is okay.
“While a single-car team may not be ideal, I think your ability to be competitive is just as good there as anywhere else,” he says. “You’re able to focus all your efforts on one driver, one car, a small group of people tightly knit. That can do a lot of good things.
“In the end, if we have our options, we want to be a two-car team. We’re working hard for that. I think we will be. So that’s how we’re going forward at this stage.”
