Tony Kanaan and wife Lauren share wholesome tributes for each other after Arrow McLaren makes him Team Principal

Tony Kanaan became the most important man at Arrow McLaren on Thursday (Feb 20) after the IndyCar team announced his promotion to Team Principal. After the announcement, the 2016 Indy 500 winner's wife of 12 years, Lauren Bohlander, expressed her joy on social media.

Kanaan's promotion had been in the making for a few months. The British outfit had made him the Deputy Team Principal in November 2024, when Gavin Ward vacated the TP post after two years of leading the team. The Brazilian driver, who raced his last Indy 500 in 2023 with Arrow McLaren, went from being the team's special advisor to Team Principal in under two years.

Tony Kanaan's wife, Lauren, shared an Instagram post using IndyCar's announcement graphic of her husband's promotion. In the caption, she wrote:

"Beyond deserving. So proud. 🧡🏁 "

Tony, who has never shied away from crediting his wife's immense contribution to his career, made a heartwarming comment for her under the post.

"Without your love, support and sacrifice I would never had made it this far. I love you more than anything and I hope to always make you and the kids proud," he wrote.

A snapshot of Tony Kanaan's comment on wife Lauren's Instagram post (@laurenbkanaan)

Lauren also shared two Instagram stories to express her pride in her husband's promotion. In the first one, she reshared a post by Tony, wherein he'd made his feelings known about the promotion.

"So proud of this one," she wrote alongside.

A snapshot of Lauren Kanaan's Instagram story (@laurenbkanaan)

In a follow-up story, she reshared the official announcement post by IndyCar and wrote:

"Go get it, boss! 🏁🏁🏁"

Lauren Kanaan's Instagram story (@laurenbkanaan)

Tony Kanaan and Lauren got married in 2013. Since then, they have welcomed three children - Deco, Max, and Nina. The 2004 IndyCar champ also has a son from his first marriage - Leo.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Tony Kanaan's ambitious statements after IndyCar announcement

Zak Brown at the F1 75 Live - Press Conference - Source: Getty

For McLaren Racing, this leadership change in their IndyCar arm comes as a part of a bigger ambition. The Woking outfit won its first F1 championship in 26 years in 2024, and they want to swiftly build on it across the different racing categories they race in.

Along with promoting Tony Kanaan to Team Principal, Arrow McLaren also signed a new President, Kevin Thimjon, who worked with McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown at Just Marketing International years ago. Brown shared his excitement after the announcement on X, writing:

"Super excited to step into 2025 with this leadership team at Arrow McLaren. Our focus is clear: success on and off the track – and can’t wait to get things going next weekend in St. Pete."

In the team's official statement, Tony Kanaan explained how this restructuring is part of their "winning strategy".

"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," the 50-year-old said.

Going into the 2025 IndyCar season, Arrow McLaren has two new drivers, Christian Lundgaard and rookie Nolan Siegel, to partner with their star driver, Pato O'Ward. O'Ward was the third-quickest driver at IndyCar's two-day preseason test on February 17 and 18. They will kick off their season on March 2 at St. Petersburg.