Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan wants to get through next month’s Indianapolis 500 before deciding to retain or move on from Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel.
Both Lundgaard and Siegel are in the final year of their current contract with the team. Siegel’s status has already been well-publicized, with Kanaan telling Motorsport.com in December the California native, who joined the team midseason in 2024, needed to “finish in the top 10 in the championship and if not, I don’t think I can keep him.”
Siegel, 21, is coming off a strongest result of the season last weekend in the Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he overcame an abysmal qualifying outing of 25th (last) before progressing a race-high 13 positions to finish 12th.
Meanwhile, Lundgaard, 24, has been a force since joining Arrow McLaren ahead of the 2025 season. He claimed six podiums last year en route to finishing fifth in the championship, and has started off this year with two podiums through the opening five rounds.
A straight forward approach
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, Zak Brown
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
During last weekend’s race at Long Beach, Kanaan took part in a roundtable with select media, including Motorsport.com, to discuss how he plans on handling the contract situation.
“Me being on their side, I said to them (Lundgaard and Siegel) I don’t want them to suffer or worry about anything until, I would say as usual, as we all know, things will start after the Indy 500,” said Kanaan, recalling his career as a driver that included winning the 2013 Indy 500.
“That’s the norm. I told them that I would be straight forward.”
Additionally, though, if either deliver McLaren its first Indy 500 win since 1976, which came courtesy of the legendary Johnny Rutherford, the new deal will take care of itself.
“I said, ‘If one of you wins the Indy 500 we’re not talking about contracts anymore,” Kanaan said. “So, that’s a quick fix there. Don’t put it on me.
“Christian is up, Nolan is up. I think I will start talking about it by Detroit, it will come up. I’m not thinking about that right now. I think we have to focus on even getting the results that we’re not getting and then to evaluate. Then the challenge is, I’ve always raced for my job no matter what because although I had a three-year deal, if I didn’t keep it up it was going to be a risk, so my deadline is I’m evaluating what’s going to happen until the Indy 500 and then after that I’ll look at my options. I’m trying also to keep myself focused on concentrating on giving these guys the best.”
Lundgaard on the rise
Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kanaan, who confessed he “can’t hide anything” and is “bad at faking,” did admit that Lundgaard’s performances could force his hand as rival teams might be keen to steal away his services.
“If Christian keeps driving the way he drove at Barber, I don’t think I need to answer anything; I think I’m going to have to actually sign him quicker before somebody else offers him something else,” Kanaan said.
“But at the same time, I’ve got to be smart about what’s out there and what the team needs for, not the short term but the long term. Right now, I’m not unhappy with none of them. The results are not there for many reasons, but I’m more realistic in saying focus on what we need to do and then by June you guys will know about it because I will talk about it, for sure. And nothing that they won’t know about it, either, before I talk to you guys.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
