Scott McLaughlin reacts to Nolan Siegel's apology for fiery radio message against Team Penske: "I am no angel as well"

Scott McLaughlin has sympathised with Nolan Siegel after the Arrow McLaren driver's actions at IndyCar's Bommarito Automotive Group 500 sparked controversy. The duo was involved in a hairy moment during the 260-lap race at the WWT Raceway last weekend.

At one point, McLaughlin was leading the race and about to lap Siegel. Siegel had the right to defend his position so as not to get lapped. However, the 20-year-old defended aggressively, nearly pushing his Team Penske rival off the track.

IndyCar gave Nolan Siegel a drive-through penalty for doing so. The penalty infuriated the young Arrow McLaren, as he directed a profanity-laden message on his team radio about Scott McLaughlin and Team Penske.

A few days after the race, Arrow McLaren issued a formal statement apologising for its driver's behaviour, and so did Siegel himself, as he wrote a lengthy apology on his Instagram story.

Ahead of IndyCar's race weekend at Road America, Scott McLaughlin addressed the controversy. He said (via FrontStretch):

"Oh, we talked before I heard the radio, and we all say things in the battle. He said to me that he wasn't trying to get me back for Detroit. He said that to me to my face. I trust him on that. Obviously, the radio feels like something different, but we all say things very differently in the racecar."

"You know, he's young. It is what it is. And I'm no angel as well, so we're good. As far as I'm concerned, I just get on with it. I got more stuff to worry about than that."

The incident at WWTR was Siegel and McLaughlin's second time getting entangled in controversy after the Detroit GP two weeks before that weekend. The Team Penske driver bumped his McLaren rival from behind on a restart, forcing him into a spin.

IndyCar penalised McLaughlin with a drive-through penalty. But bigger than the on-track collision was Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan feuding with McLaughlin on social media over the incident, which suddenly took centre stage for IndyCar fans.

Fortunately, both parties cleared the air after both incidents. Ahead of IndyCar's race weekend at Road America, Nolan Siegel vowed to "stay calmer" going forward. They go into Road America with a clean slate.

Scott McLaughlin aims to end "terrible" IndyCar streak at Road America

Scott McLaughlin driving his No. 3 Chevy at Road America - Source: Getty

Scott McLaughlin began the 2025 IndyCar season on a high, only to watch it descend into heartbreak at the 109th Indy 500, where he crashed out on the pace lap while warming his tires. The following race weekend at Detroit was spoiled by the drive-through penalty for colliding with Nolan Siegel.

He could've finished in the Top 5 if not for that. At WWTR, a comeback seemed inevitable until he DNFed after a mechanical issue on his No.3 Chevy.

On Friday, before kicking off the Road America race weekend, the New Zealand driver spoke about the importance of a turnaround at the 4.048-mile circuit.

"It's been a terrible sort of three, four weeks for us. Plenty of promise, little mistakes that have massive consequences. Yeah, we'd love to get back on the horse. We know we're fast. The best thing is we're not slow. It's just a matter of putting things togther," he said via FrontStretch.

Team Penske showed promising pace in the opening practice session on Friday. Will Power was the quickest of the three Penske drivers and third-quickest overall with a lap time of 1:45.1795. Josef Newgarden slotted behind him in P4 with a time of 1:452228, while Scott McLaughlin was in P6 with a time of 1:45.3191.

Kyle Kirkwood, the winner of the last two races this season, went quickest with a time of 1:44.9881. Championship leader Alex Palou was further back in P9.