“A lot has happened since my last Indy 500”: Tony Kanaan makes his feelings known after a big leap from the advisory role at McLaren

Indy 500 legend Tony Kanaan has recently been promoted to McLaren’s principal of IndyCar operations. The 2004 IndyCar Series champion was previously serving as a “special advisor” for the team.

Needless to say, this is a big leap for the Brazilian driver. Kevin Thimjon will also join the grid as the President of McLaren, as the organization intends to strengthen its hold on the IndyCar realm.

“A lot has happened since my last Indy 500 less than two years ago, to say the least,” Kanaan said as the news went public. “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.”

As of today, McLaren fields three entries in the NTT IndyCar Series, driven by Pato O'Ward, Nolan Siegel, and Christian Lundgaard. This year will mark NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson’s second straight attempt at the 109th Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May.

Notably, it was Kanaan who mentored the Hendrick Motorsports driver last year. Larson bagged the Rookie of the Year honor and now looks forward to doing the double, which includes running the Indy 500 and the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Zac Brown, Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, seems to have high hopes as Kanaan proceeds to take charge. Reflecting on the overhaul, the 53-year-old said,

“Under Tony’s leadership, the team has been moving forward quickly, and he and Kevin will work well together to keep that positive momentum up.”

Kanaan’s most recent race in the IndyCar series was back in 2023, when he finished 16th with the team. That was also the year he joined the team as its “special advisor”. The following year, he assumed the role of deputy team principal of McLaren Racing.

---

“Championship drivers know what great racing teams look like”- McLaren boss Zac Brown on Tony Kanaan

During an interview from last year, Zac Brown opened up on having Tony Kanaan on his team, following the departure of Gavin Ward, who had been the team’s principal for over a year at the time.

"I’ve known TK for a long time,” Brown said. “I’ve always been a fan of successful racing drivers being part of a leadership team just as I had Gil (de Ferran) involved in the Formula One team. I think championship drivers know what great racing teams look like, know what great people look like, know what bad racing teams look like and what ‘bad’ looks like.

Safe to say, Kanaan came in handy for the team as he was well-versed in both the racing and the business side of things. Whether it’s finding the gaps as a leader or looking at things through the eyes of a race engineer, Kanaan can do them both with equal expertise.

“He’s very valuable and kind of a utility player in the sense that we can employ TK in a variety of areas,” Brown explained. “There isn’t a part of the racing team that he doesn’t understand.”

Fast forward to today, Kanaan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, as he expressed his happiness about being involved in the team’s operations. He wrote,

“It’s an honor to continue this journey with such an incredible organization.”

The team will now hope that the move pays dividends as far as the team's performance is concerned.