"He came in a really difficult moment": Nolan Siegel shares his feelings about Arrow Mclaren boss Tony Kanaan

IndyCar driver Nolan Siegel has expressed his gratitude for Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan. The 20-year-old left his full-time Indy NXT drive midway through the 2024 season to join the British team as a replacement for the axed David Malukas.

However, before officially joining Arrow McLaren in race eight of the season in Laguna Seca, Siegel secured one-off rides with Dale Coyne Racing on three race weekends and Juncos Hollinger for one. Nolan Siegel's biggest assignment was the 108th Indy 500 with DCR.

It was during that weekend he met Tony Kanaan, who was still in an advisory role at Arrow McLaren. For Siegel, the nerves of competing in the biggest IndyCar event were calmed by Kanaan, who won the prestigious race in 2013.

"I did actually meet Tony for the first time ever at Indy 500 qualifying last year. We didn't have much time together there, but he came in a really difficult moment and he knew what that felt like. And having someone who's been through it before was great for me and a bonding experience for the two of us, and to get to continue that relationship working at Arrow McLaren has been amazing as well," Nolan Siegel said on the Tony D podcast.

"Tony's been super helpful, and it's just... every situation that I'm in, he's been in before. So having someone like that with that experience is great to help guide me through the situation," the No. 6 Honda driver added.

Tony Kanaan reveals the great risk he took by convincing Arrow McLaren bosses to sign an unproven Nolan Siegel

Tony Kanaan with Will Power at the 107th Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Ahead of the 2025 IndyCar season, Tony Kanaan revealed how Arrow McLaren signing Nolan Siegel was his doing. The Brazilian legend, who was a sporting director of the team in mid-2024, convinced then-Team Principal Gavin Ward and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown of Siegel's potential.

In an interview with The Race, Kanaan said how his position within the team could've been endangered if had Siegel not performed.

"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 2008 IndyCar champ said.

Nolan Siegel fared ordinarily in 2024, with a P7 finish at Gateway as his best result and the only Top 10 finish. Unfortunately, the California native couldn't get his 2025 IndyCar season off to a good start. He performed brilliantly in qualifying to get a P11 spot on the starting grid for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, only for his race to prematurely end after Will Power took him out in Turn 3 of Lap 1.