Nolan Siegel thanks Tony Kanaan for helping navigate IndyCar in "craziest year" of his life

Arrow McLaren's driver Nolan Siegel recently came out and detailed how former IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan helped him navigate the ups and downs during his debut IndyCar season. The IndyCar Radio social media account uploaded a video of the 20-year-old on X as he looked forward to his full-time season with McLaren.

The host questioned Siegel about his debut year where he drove for three different teams, to which the driver replied:

“It was definitely the craziest year of my life. Yes, it was whirlwind. I did not expect to be racing in IndyCar at all, much less for three different teams and ending up full time at Arrow McLaren. That was not on the docket at the start of the year.”

The host then questioned Siegel about Kanaan’s role at McLaren and how the former IndyCar champion helped him in his rookie season. Seigel detailed how he relies on Kanaan as he said:

“Yeah, a lot. Tony has been super helpful to me and he has so much experience in IndyCar. He's really switched on with everything, not just the driving side as well. So he's been very helpful just helping me navigate, you know, a big team like Arrow McLaren and a new series, an IndyCar and a new car. And having someone like that is critical.”

Tony Kanaan became the Deputy Team Principal at Arrow McLaren last year after retiring from IndyCar in 2023. Nolan Siegel began his American open-wheel racing career in 2019 in the U.S. F2000 National Championship. He climbed up the ladder and raced in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship and Indy NXT series during the early 2020s.

He raced for Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing as a part-time driver in the first half of the 2024 IndyCar season, before getting a seat at the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team midway through the season.

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Nolan Siegel details how the full-time role will help him “focus on driving”

Nolan Siegel- NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Nolan Siegel moved around multiple teams last year, which isn't always the best for a driver as they have to adjust to the different environments and people within the team. The American detailed the same and explained how he doesn't have to worry about the same anymore now that he has a full-time seat with McLaren for 2025. He said (via SB Nation):

“Yeah, last year, I mean, really all year, I’d go to the racetrack, and whether it was I didn’t know if I was racing the next weekend or didn’t know what I was driving or something new came up, there was so much to think about apart from driving the race car.”

“That brought a lot of challenges that I won’t have this year. So I think it’s going to be really nice to know what I have and know what I’m doing and be able to focus on driving the race car instead of focusing on finding a ride for the next weekend.”

Nolan Siegel will be driving the No. 6 Chevrolet alongside Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard as his teammates. The season begins on March 2nd at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.