IndyCar: Top Christian Lundgaard replacement emerges for 2025

After yet another lackluster team performance during the month of May, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing retaining star driver Christian Lundgaard for the 2025 IndyCar season and beyond was viewed as somewhat of a longshot, with their main hope of retaining the Danish driver seemingly hinging on no other top seats opening up.

But with Arrow McLaren deciding to move on from 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi after just two seats, a top seat did open up, and the 2023 Toronto winner is set to occupy it from 2025 onwards. Lundgaard's move to the No. 7 Chevrolet leaves the No. 45 Honda in need of a new driver next year.

While Rossi himself has been mentioned as a possibility for the team that, overall, really would not be much of a step down from his current ride, a straight-up driver swap is not viewed as the most likely option, with the 32-year-old California said to be speaking to other teams about his IndyCar future.

Juri Vips to replace Christian Lundgaard?

According to RACER.com, it is Juri Vips who is the most likely replacement for Lundgaard in 2025. Vips, a three-time Formula 2 race winner and former member of the Red Bull Junior Team, made his IndyCar debut in a private test with Bobby Rahal's team at Sebring International Raceway in October 2022, and he tested for the team again at Barber Motorsports Park in March 2023.

The 23-year-old Estonian competed in the final two races on the 2023 IndyCar schedule at Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. He placed 18th at Portland and 24th at Laguna Seca after he was unable to claw his way back from opening lap contact.

Pietro Fittipaldi was selected over Vips to replace Jack Harvey behind the wheel of the No. 30 Honda in 2024, but Vips remains on the organization's payroll and has been seen hanging around the team on multiple occasions during the season.

Vips replacing Lundgaard would presumably set Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's driver lineup for 2025. Graham Rahal signed a multi-year contract extension after last season to continue driving the No. 15 Honda for his father's team, and while Fittipaldi's results have been somewhat lackluster, they have not properly illustrated his progression so far in 2024.