Tony Kanaan risked Arrow McLaren axing with controversial signing of Nolan Siegel

Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan has opened up on how he risked his position within the team after signing rookie Nolan Siegel midway through the 2024 IndyCar season.

The team's Siegel announcement in mid-June 2024 came as a shock to the IndyCar world and to the driver he replaced - fan favorite Theo Pourchaire. It was only six races before that the team had signed Pourchaire to replace the injured David Malukas. For a rookie, Pourchaire's performances were respectable, including a P10 finish at Detroit.

Yet, Kanaan, who was the sporting director then, made an executive decision to sign the up-and-coming Siegel by cutting his Indy NXT season short. The 2004 IndyCar champ had to hold his ground and convince then-Team Principal Gavin Ward and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown about this move.

In a recent interview with The Race, Kanaan admitted how he would've been shown the door had his decision gone horribly wrong.

"I had to be strong enough to be able to, at the time with Gavin and Zak, to make the tough decisions without worrying about what people are going to think, because I'm always doing what I think is the best for the team. I owe an explanation to my boss, why I'm doing this, and if they are behind me and it's a big mistake, I'll own it and if I have to get out of the door because of it, it happens to everybody," the Brazilian said.

In the remaining 10 races of the 2024 season, Nolan Siegel could only grab one Top 10 finish - a P7 at Gateway. However, his potential and past results, like the third-place championship finish in the 2023 Indy NXT season, meant that the team didn't lose faith.

Tony Kanaan, in turn, was made Arrow McLaren's deputy Team Principal in November 2024 when Gavin Ward left the team, and was eventually promoted to Team Principal this Thursday (Feb 22) before the 2025 season.

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Tony Kanaan eyes a bright future for Arrow McLaren after promotion to Team Principal

Tony Kanaan - NTT IndyCar Series 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

As a driver, Tony Kanaan raced for Arrow McLaren at only one event - the 107th Indy 500 in 2023, where he finished in 16th place. However, the bond he formed with the British outfit in what was the final race of his IndyCar career led to him carrying on as a special advisor.

Since then, he has worn many caps within Arrow McLaren, doing whatever his close friend and boss, CEO Zak Brown, asked him to. On Thursday, Kanaan was promoted to Team Principal, his sixth official title since joining the team. In an official statement by McLaren, the 2013 Indy 500 winner said:

"A lot has happened since my last Indy 500 less than two years ago, to say the least. I've embraced every opportunity to grow with the team and I'm excited to officially step into the Team Principal role, and having Kevin join to take on the business side of our team is part of our winning strategy. We're always looking for good people and talent to make the team stronger, and he and I will work well together."

Tony Kanaan will ring in the new Arrow McLaren era in the 2025 season opener at St. Petersburg on March 2 with his three drivers Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel in it for the long haul.