MARKHAM, On. – Christian Lundgaard put Arrow McLaren at the top of the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup session Sunday morning, giving the Dane momentum heading into the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham.
Lundgaard turned a 1:14.441 lap in the No. 7 Chevrolet around the 2.19-mile Streets of Markham circuit to lead the 30-minute session. Rinus VeeKay was second at 1:14.728, while polesitter Louis Foster finished third at 1:14.814. Romain Grosjean and Kyffin Simpson completed the top five.
Warmup Results
The session provided one final opportunity for teams to fine-tune their cars before the historic 90-lap race. With the Markham circuit being used competitively for the first time, every lap of data was valuable as drivers continued to learn the temporary street course.
Lundgaard’s pace was particularly encouraging after he qualified second Saturday behind Foster. The Arrow McLaren driver will start alongside Foster on the front row and brings previous Canadian street-race success to Markham, having won the 2023 INDYCAR race at Toronto’s Exhibition Place.
Championship contenders struggle for speed
The warmup also offered a warning to the championship contenders.
David Malukas was the highest-ranked driver among the top three in the standings, finishing seventh. Kyle Kirkwood was 12th, while championship leader Alex Palou could manage only 19th-fastest.
Palou’s morning was especially notable considering he will start 11th after crashing during qualifying Saturday. The four-time champion enters Markham with a 110-point championship lead, but his warmup pace suggested he still had work to do before the green flag.
Kirkwood faces an even steeper challenge. A six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change drops him to 22nd, while Will Power and Pato O’Ward are among the other drivers serving the same penalty.
Foster still holds the advantage
Despite Lundgaard’s morning pace, Foster remains the man everyone must beat.
The RLL driver will start from pole after setting the first qualifying track record at Markham Saturday. He has also been consistently near the front throughout the weekend, finishing third in Practice 1, first in Practice 2 and third in Sunday’s warmup.
The race will feature a slightly unusual start procedure, with the green flag set to fall on the backstretch between Turns 5 and 6 to give the field proper spacing. The finish line sits between Turns 12 and 1.
With the final setup work complete, the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham is ready to make history.
Foster has pole. Lundgaard has the warmup advantage. Palou has a championship lead to protect. And 90 laps on a brand-new street circuit await.
Up Next: Race, 12 PM/ET
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