NTT INDYCAR SERIES: FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

August 23, 2026

Christian Lundgaard

Will Power

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Christian Lundgaard and Will Power, second- and third-place drivers in today's race.

Christian, what was it like trying to reel in Kyle a little bit?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I feel like I had just a couple of laps where I was faster than him, and then I know the 12 laps where he was faster than me, so...

Yeah, what an experience all weekend. The best background I've ever had on a racetrack obviously. Just being a part of it, seeing where the series is going, being a part of it.

Obviously the race was long. I think we got a better result than we expected. We got three more races to go. I think I'm just happy to see Alex not win for once (smiling). I hear you all laughing, so you agree with me, which is great.

THE MODERATOR: You just won the room with that.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Obviously Kyle and I were second and fourth in the championship going into this weekend. Alex and David had some unfortunate luck out there. But those are the days that we need to not have for the rest of the season.

I'm definitely pushing for that second. Kyle made that a little tougher for me today.

THE MODERATOR: Third straight podium of the season, Will. Another sign that Andretti Global is coming together at the right time for you. Your thoughts on the day?

WILL POWER: Yeah, that first yellow kind of hurt us. Man, even at that point you have so many laps to go, you're still over a hundred laps to go, we can certainly make a lot work from here. I saved a lot of fuel. I probably would have gone three laps longer than the guys around me.

Yeah, a lot of on-track passes, to be honest, to move up. Good strategy. Good stops. It's just becoming normal for us to do this. We're starting to eliminate all the weaknesses and be strong everywhere and have a chance to win everywhere.

Team's made huge progression over this season, and you can see it now. It's all coming online. I think the expectation now every weekend is to be on the podium, challenge for a win.

I think next year we'll be wanting to be all top five in the championship type stuff.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Will, what do these last few races mean going off of the street courses to try to build momentum for next year as a team?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it will be interesting the next three races for us. I feel like we should be pretty good at Milwaukee. You never know in INDYCAR, it's so competitive. Slightly outside the window, you could struggle.

Yeah, finishing how Ron Ruzewski told me how we need to finish, which is basically second half of the year be the points leader or be right there or be the strongest team. That's exactly what we're doing.

Q. What were your overall thoughts on the racing product? Would you want to come back here?

WILL POWER: Definitely want to come back here.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I don't think there is any complaints.

Q. Do you want to come back?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely.

WILL POWER: Amazing event.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I just got to do it one better. He's got to do it two better.

WILL POWER: Amazing backdrop.

Q. Even though the winner led 128 laps in this race, it looked really racy throughout the rest of the field. Do you feel the racing lived up to the spectacle?

WILL POWER: It was racy. You could pass. A lot of my positions were gained just on-track passes. It was everything you'd want. Having an American president here watching the whole race, still there when I pulled up on the grid, you could see President Trump still watching, which meant that the race must have been pretty engaging, which is really good stuff. Great for the series.

THE MODERATOR: 155 on-track passes in that race today. Will had the most with 13.

Q. At what point today did the moment or the magnitude of this spectacle hit you?

WILL POWER: Probably when we jumped in the truck and drove around. You see the pageantry. Had a very Indy 500 vibe.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: It's actually funny, we were in the back of the truck and we were talking about it. I feel like this is a good contender to the Indy 500.

I think overall this is just a testament to where the series is going. I think Milwaukee to some extent is going to feel a little boring next week. Just so different. Obviously it's a different type of track, it's a different event.

Nothing's like DC. But I think we did very well for the first time.

Q. Will, you were part of that group that had the photo with the president. What is it like to do that, then have to go race right away?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it was really something. You see the secret service, the cars pull up. For me, being from a small town in Australia, to end up standing and talking to an American president, is surreal. Something I never would have dreamed of.

It was, yeah, just incredible to stand there, talk to the president and the first lady, then jump in a race car and race in Washington, DC. Yeah, maybe it will get in the Toowoomba Chronicle. They might put it in, a picture of me shaking President Trump's hand (laughter). It's pretty crazy, yeah.

Q. A lot was made about the length of the race, the strength it would take. Did it feel as long as they made it out to be?

WILL POWER: I loved it, man. I just love endurance stuff. Wasn't a problem for me.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Your cars are good, too. First, third and fourth. I feel like you guys' cars are pretty good.

WILL POWER: We were just cruising, man.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Must be nice. Must be nice (smiling).

WILL POWER: Fingertip driving.

Q. Will, what can you do to try to help Kyle gain on him?

WILL POWER: How many points?

Q. 91.

THE MODERATOR: Kyle trails by 91.

WILL POWER: Damn, I was hoping it would be less than that.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: You can help him out, can you not?

WILL POWER: That's a tough gig.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: He didn't get it (laughter).

WILL POWER: I didn't get it.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: You can help Kyle out.

WILL POWER: Yes. I don't get what you mean.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: You guys get it, right?

WILL POWER: What's that? Oh, yeah (smiling). I wasn't putting my mind in that place. Been around too long. That stuff definitely comes back to bite you.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I know.

WILL POWER: Yeah, no, it's pretty tough, three races to go, 90 points with a guy that's very consistent. Obviously the team will keep digging. We'll do everything we can to close that gap and make it possible going to the last race.

I think after the first race in Milwaukee, we'll know pretty much where we stand.

Q. You've been in several championship battles. This is Kyle's first. What kind of advice or mentorship do you give him?

WILL POWER: Well, where he stands, he has nothing to lose but go for absolute wins. So taking risk on strategy, maybe some risk on track.

Yeah, 90 points is a pretty big chunk to try to get back to, yeah.

Q. An American driver took the top step today, but you two, two international drivers, filled out the rest of the podium. What do you think that says about the American dream aspect of INDYCAR, that drivers from Denmark and Australia can come here and race on equal footing in the nation's capital?

WILL POWER: I said it forever, it's such a great series from that perspective. You have so many different nationalities in there. It's a very friendly paddock.

What do we have, eight American drivers. A third of the field is American. When I joined the series 20 years ago, that was one of the things that they were trying really hard to do, it get some top-level American drivers. That's exactly what we have now.

It is probably the most rewarding, enjoyable series to race in, I would say, because anyone can win. The racing is tremendous. I would say the tracks, the disciplines you've got to have on all these different tracks, yeah.

I think INDYCAR is in the best shape it's ever been in since I've been in the series. That's 21 years. It's just progressively gone up. More recently it's taken a big step. Really proud to be a part of it.

THE MODERATOR: 14 different nations represented in the field.

Q. We talked about how bumpy the track was. Was the track better? Not too many yellows because of the bumps.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, it still is bumpy. Still is bumpy.

WILL POWER: The tough bumps is like turn four, you've got to lock in. Just rips out of your hand.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: A big bump in turn four. I feel like most of the bumps are either when you're going straight or in the brake zones. It's not so much really in the apex, except turn four, which is also the slowest corner on the track.

WILL POWER: It would be power steering would be so nice.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: No. Got to muscle it.

WILL POWER: I don't really care either way. I do enjoy that.

Q. Did you ever feel yourselves lifting off to protect your car? What did you make of the turn six/seven when you were looking at the capitol?

WILL POWER: You definitely didn't see the capitol (smiling). Pretty focused on the walls. That was a really, like, thread-the-needle corner, complex. I assume Malukas hit the inside and bounced.

Q. Yeah.

WILL POWER: You're like...

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Small mistake, big consequence.

WILL POWER: Small mistake, massive consequence. The hardest section of the whole track. It wasn't really grippy either, was it? Really on top of the road, so you're sliding a lot.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Pretty slick.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Heck of a show.