Exclusive: Nolan Siegel on hot seat entering contract year in 2026

, but results need to follow potential if there are hopes of continuing together beyond 2026.

The upcoming season in the IndyCar Series marks the final of a current multi-year deal for Siegel with Arrow McLaren. 

“It is a contract year, but there shouldn't be more pressure because it’s a contract year,” Kanaan told Motorsport.com. “I would hate to see a driver that, because they signed a three-year deal, he's gonna relax. That's the wrong mentality to have. You should be driving like it’s the last day of your contract every race.”

Siegel’s journey with the team began on June 17, 2024 when he was announced as the pilot of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, putting an end to a carousel of driver drama that included Théo Pourchaire, Callum Ilott, David Malukas, and Alex Palou. 

At the time, momentum was on the side of Siegel, having made a couple of IndyCar starts previously and narrowly missing out on making the field of 33 for the Indianapolis 500. He abandoned the rest of his Indy NXT campaign despite leading the championship, and also went on to take an LMP2 class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  

Since then, though, it has been a difficult transition as Siegel has just three top 10s - with a best finish of seventh (Gateway, 2024) - in 26 starts with the team.

Kanaan still believes in Siegel

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren

“What I would ask people before the struggles, as a 21-year-old, he was one of them; a talent,” Kanaan said. “We invested in him. Do I believe in him? 100 percent. Does he have flashes? 100 percent. 

“I was on his car the whole year, on his timing stand. I will be on his timing stand the whole year. My job is to make that kid believe and shape him up. Trying to rush him on, ‘Dude, forget the noise. You can do it. Stop looking around and worrying about this and that. Drive the car.’

“He's in Asia right now (competing in the Asian Le Mans Series). I said, ‘You need to be in a race car every freaking day. I don't care what it is.’ That's what we've done in the past. Nowadays, we don't anymore.” 

Siegel’s struggles with Arrow McLaren were magnified this past season as his two top 10s and 22nd-place result in the championship were significantly off the mark compared to his teammates. Pato O’Ward scored two wins, six podiums and 12 top 10s en route to finishing second in the overall standings. Christian Lundgaard, who joined the team at the start of 2025 after three previous full-time seasons with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, earned six podiums - including three runner-ups - and 11 top 10s to claim fifth in the championship.

There has been patience and understanding that Siegel, who was signed by the team at just 19 years old, needed time to develop and work through teething issues in North America’s premier open-wheel championship. Now, though, it’s time to take the next step or risk losing his ride.

What Siegel needs to do

Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren

“To me, he needs to finish in the top 10 in the championship and if not, I don’t think I can keep him,” Kanaan said.

“But not the result only because there's many ways, like if he ran there (in the top 10), I know if he's doing it and somebody hits you every race, what are you gonna do, right? 

“My job is, here on the floor,  we need to provide him with the best people, the best opportunities, the best strategy and also a reliable car that would never stop on a racetrack. Walk into the shop, it’s going to be a phrase: We do not stop on a racetrack. Now, is that possible? Yeah. Up until Nashville this year, we completed the most laps with Pato and Christian. That’s the goal. 

“With that, I’ve done my part,‘Nolan, you gotta do your part and I'm here to help you, tell you all my secrets, anything you need to know.’ And he knows that. 

“He has the same goals. I’m like, ‘First of all, if you're worried about the noise, that's the way you can change the noise. Instead of worrying about it and trying to justify it with words, shut up and drive, and kick everybody's ass.’”

And Kanaan understands the pressures that come on the driving side, having reached heights that included winning the 2013 Indianapolis 500 and the 2004 IndyCar title, but also being fired early into a five-year deal. 

“I'm not telling you that you need to win the championship to have a job here,” Kanaan said. “I'm not asking you to beat Pato or you need to beat Christian.  

“You need to add to the team. And to add to the team, this is a team that needs to run in the top 10 this next year. The following year, there's no more excuses. I'm giving you everything; we need to win.” 

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