McLaren confirm MASSIVE IndyCar change ahead of 2025 season

McLaren have announced a massive change for their IndyCar team ahead of the rapidly-approaching 2025 season.

CEO Zak Brown issued a statement this week about the personnel change, after an incredibly successful year for the organisation in Formula 1.

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McLaren have retained their stellar driver lineup of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the 2025 season, which is set to kick off at Piastri's home race in Melbourne on March 16.

The competitive driver duo will be looking to assert their dominance straight out of the blocks, not just to their rival constructors' but also to each other as the pair face a potentially tricky debate over the team's driver priority once again this season.

During last year's campaign, Piastri's maiden grand prix win was greatly overshadowed by a controversial team order call from McLaren where his team-mate Norris had been instructed to hand him the race lead which led to his first trip to the top step of the podium.

Following the incident, Brown and Stella both came under fire for their poor handling of driver priority, with the 'papaya rules' debate looking likely to spill over into the 2025 campaign.

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Zak Brown addresses Arrow McLaren replacement

With less than a month to go until the first grand prix of the year, Brown has issued a statement over the replacement of a team principal in another racing series, IndyCar.

Arrow McLaren secured three race wins in the US-based series in 2024, helping the team finish fifth in the standings, but back in November, it was announced that team principal Gavin Ward would be departing the team after two years in the role.

Now, as preparations ramp up ahead of the NTT IndyCar Series season opener in St. Petersburg, the racing outfit have confirmed that deputy team principal Tony Kanaan will be stepping into the role full-time having taken over the role after Ward's departure at the end of last season.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said: "I’m excited to welcome Kevin to Arrow McLaren and our leadership group. Kevin and I have stayed close since our days together at JMI, and he’s the right fit to set the team up for long-term success. A few months ago, I said if we can find extra horsepower to add to the team, we’ll add it, and Kevin is the perfect example of that. Under Tony’s leadership, the team has been moving forward quickly, and he and Kevin will work well together to keep that positive momentum up. Our sights are set on how we stabilize and grow strategically while competing at the top."

Tony Kanaan, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team, said: "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. We’re always looking for good people and talent to make the team stronger, and he and I will work well together."

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