MP 1708: Tony Kanaan on McLaren's IndyCar Driver Changes | From YouTube
About this episode
Tony Kanaan talks through McLaren’s major IndyCar driver shakeup, explaining why the decision took years and why culture and long-term performance matter more than short-term comfort. He frames the move as a gamble to build dominance against Penske and Andretti, admitting oval strength is the immediate priority for winning the Indy 500 and championship. Kanaan also discusses the lineup’s development timeline (2026–2028), the tradeoffs fans may perceive on road/street courses, and the importance of team chemistry and leadership amid intense public scrutiny.
Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan joins us to talk through the reasoning behind signing Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist and farewelling Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel.
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[WTI]
mid Ohio
"This is a heck of a Monday for you team celebrating one to finish your first ever at mid Ohio. And on the back end of that less than 24 hours later confirmation of what we've many of us"
Mid-Ohio is a famous race track in Ohio where IndyCar races happen. It’s a twisty road course, so the cars have to be set up well and driven precisely.
“Mid-Ohio” refers to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a road course in Ohio used for IndyCar and other racing series. It’s known for its mix of fast sweepers and technical corners, which makes setup and driver skill especially important.
IndyCar
"Huge confirmation of driver changes for next year. Legitimately, I can't think of this kind of oh my gosh, we're spraying champagne on Sunday. And then this kind of big news on a Monday. How'd you guys get to this decision? This wasn't an overnight thing. But this is a big move that you and Zach Brown have orchestrated."
IndyCar is a major open-wheel racing series in the U.S. Teams race on oval tracks and road courses with specialized race cars.
IndyCar is the top open-wheel racing series in North America, featuring purpose-built race cars and oval/road-course racing. It’s distinct from Formula 1 and NASCAR in car design, race formats, and how teams manage tires, fuel, and aerodynamics.
driver changes
"Huge confirmation of driver changes for next year. Legitimately, I can't think of this kind of oh my gosh, we're spraying champagne on Sunday."
“Driver changes” just means the team is changing who will drive the cars next season. That matters because drivers help shape how the car is set up and how it’s raced.
“Driver changes” refers to swapping drivers for the next season, which can significantly affect a team’s performance because drivers influence car setup preferences, development feedback, and race execution. In IndyCar, these moves are often tied to long-term competitiveness goals.
Zach Brown
"This wasn't an overnight thing. But this is a big move that you and Zach Brown have orchestrated. How'd you get here? Oh, I don't think we have enough time for me to go through it,"
Zach Brown is a leader/executive in motorsport connected to McLaren. The hosts are saying he helped drive the decision-making behind the IndyCar changes.
Zach Brown is a motorsport executive associated with McLaren, known for leading team strategy and business decisions. In this segment, he’s credited with orchestrating the driver-change direction.
McLaren
"but I think we'll get through it. I think, Marsha, I got to go back three years ago thinking what does this team needs, what McLaren wants to be an IndyCar. Then I go and put my fan hat on the"
McLaren is a major motorsport brand known for racing across multiple disciplines, including IndyCar. In this context, the speaker is talking about McLaren’s IndyCar program and how it wants to evolve its team culture and driver lineup.
Indy 500
"Roger and Chip, I've been around for 30 plus years. They have won everything. the race that I, that changed my life, which is the Indie 500 multiple times."
The Indy 500 is the biggest IndyCar race of the year. It’s a long 500-mile race on an oval track, and strategy and car setup matter a lot.
“Indy 500” is shorthand for the Indianapolis 500, the marquee IndyCar race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s a 500-mile event that’s famous for high speeds, pit strategy, and the unique challenge of oval racing.
Plan A
"“Plan A is always going to be plan A. That is no plan B. We make plan A work.”"
“Plan A” is the main plan you’re counting on. The speaker is saying they’re going to make that main plan work instead of relying on backups.
“Plan A” means the primary strategy the team commits to first. In racing team talk, it implies there’s a single main approach rather than multiple backup options.
street road courses
"“...I think we're dialing in the street road courses. I mean,”"
A “street road course” is a race track made from regular city streets. Cars often need different setup and driving because the turns are tighter and the track is less forgiving.
“Street road courses” are race tracks laid out on public roads, typically with tighter corners and less runoff than purpose-built circuits. Dialing them in usually means optimizing car setup and driving approach for that specific kind of track surface and layout.
oval threat
"[551.4s] find is oval threat, as you mentioned, and this has been a fact. [557.7s] Pato always been the number one bullet to go after Indie, name the other ovals."
An “oval threat” means someone is especially good at oval races. Ovals are the high-speed tracks where cars run in packs and drafting matters a lot.
In IndyCar, an “oval threat” is a driver (or team) expected to be competitive on oval tracks, where high-speed drafting and sustained cornering dominate. The phrase implies they can consistently challenge for wins on ovals rather than just be fast on road courses.
Barber
"[625.8s] ...building in the one side that you're missing while myself as well. I don't expect you guys to be as scary [632.5s] when we get to barber, Indie road course, etc. [639.1s] Tell me about that because you got to be a realist as well about what to expect in 2027, 2028 as well."
“Barber” means Barber Motorsports Park, a road-racing track. The speaker is using it as an example of where the team’s strengths might differ from oval racing.
“Barber” is shorthand for Barber Motorsports Park, a well-known IndyCar road course in Alabama. It’s referenced as an example of a track where the speaker expects different strengths than on ovals.
Indy road course
"[625.8s] ...building in the one side that you're missing while myself as well. I don't expect you guys to be as scary [632.5s] when we get to barber, Indie road course, etc. [639.1s] Tell me about that because you got to be a realist as well about what to expect in 2027, 2028 as well."
“Indy road course” means the road-racing layout at Indianapolis. It’s more about braking and cornering than the high-speed oval style.
An “Indy road course” refers to the Indianapolis road-course configuration used for IndyCar events, which emphasizes braking, turn-in, and traction over sustained oval speed. It’s a different skill set than ovals, so teams often evaluate driver fit by track type.
Penske
"[654.9s] I got to be good on the ovals. How can I do that when I'm fighting three Penske's, [661.2s] three Andretti's, and technically three Ganases with technically one guy?"
Penske is a top IndyCar team. The speaker is saying they’ll be tough competition, especially on oval races.
Penske refers to Team Penske, one of IndyCar’s most successful organizations known for strong engineering support and consistently competitive driver lineups. In this segment, it’s used to describe the level of competition the speaker expects on ovals.
Andretti's
"[661.2s] three Andretti's, and technically three Ganases with technically one guy? [667.0s] I don't like my odds there. And that's not a jab. That is a reality."
Andretti’s is an IndyCar racing team. The speaker is grouping it with other top teams as the reason winning will be harder.
Andretti’s refers to Andretti Autosport, another major IndyCar team with a strong history of oval and road-course competitiveness. Here, it’s part of the speaker’s argument that the 2027–2028 field will be stacked.
Ganases
"[661.2s] three Andretti's, and technically three Ganases with technically one guy? [667.0s] I don't like my odds there. And that's not a jab. That is a reality."
Ganassi is another major IndyCar team. The speaker is saying there will be multiple top cars to beat, not just one rival.
Ganases refers to Ganassi (Chip Ganassi Racing), a top IndyCar team that often fields multiple cars and strong driver talent. The speaker uses it to emphasize how many elite cars will be in contention.
dampers
"[712.6s] ...if I was on another side and another team looking [720.6s] at my lineup, I'm going to go, we might get away next year because it's the same car, [720.6s] same dampers. Every team swapped people in the last 15 years that everybody has everybody set up."
“Dampers” are the shock absorbers that help the car stay stable over bumps and while turning. Changing damper settings can make the car handle very differently.
In race-car setup, “dampers” are the shock absorbers (and their tuning) that control how the car responds over bumps and during cornering. Because suspension behavior changes with damper settings, teams often treat them as a key part of making a car work on different track types.
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