IndyCar: Arrow McLaren confirms Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist additions

Arrow McLaren is shaking up the staff’s driver lineup for the 2027 IndyCar season.

The staff confirmed on Monday that Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist can be becoming a member of the staff for the 2027 season, alongside present driver Pato O’Ward, within the staff’s full three-car, full-season lineup. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the winner of the 2014 Indianapolis 500, will be part of Arrow McLaren in Could to run within the 111th Indianapolis 500.

In line with the staff, the transfer is geared at profitable that race, and finishing McLaren Racing’s quest to safe the Triple Crown of Motorsport with wins on the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix. McLaren Racing has gained all three occasions (profitable the Indianapolis 500 in 1974, the Monaco Grand Prix first in 1984, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995) hopes to safe the Indianapolis 500 within the staff’s present “papaya” period. As well as, McLaren might grow to be the primary staff to win all three in the identical yr, as McLaren will return to endurance racing subsequent motorsport season.

In an announcement, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown hailed the transfer as a strategy to “strengthen” each a part of the staff.

“Our IndyCar staff has proven improbable momentum, and this lineup of Pato, Scott, Felix and Ryan will strengthen each facet of our program. We’ve acquired our eyes firmly set on the Championship in addition to profitable the Indianapolis 500 to safe the Triple Crown within the Papaya period. These 4 drivers carry a wealth of expertise in addition to nice chemistry and can little doubt have a optimistic affect throughout our complete staff.”

Brown additionally thanked present drivers Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, who will likely be departing the staff on the finish of the season.

“Christian’s and Nolan’s contributions have helped form the progress we’re constructing on immediately, and I admire the power and drive they’ve delivered to the staff since they joined,” added Brown.

Dixon, a six-time IndyCar champion and one of many sport’s greats, known as the transfer an “thrilling subsequent step” in his already legendary racing profession.

“Becoming a member of Arrow McLaren in 2027 is an thrilling subsequent step in my profession. It was an enormous determination for myself, for my household, and I’m trying ahead to contributing to what the staff, Zak and Tony [Ganassi, Arrow McLaren Team Principal] are constructing there. As a New Zealander, being a part of Bruce McLaren’s legacy will likely be particular; his spirit and grit are nonetheless very a lot rooted in that staff, and I’m excited to hold that on,” mentioned Dixon.

For Rosenqvist, this can be a homecoming of types, as he raced for Arrow McLaren from 2020 by 2023.

“I’m excited to return to Arrow McLaren subsequent season and reunite with Pato, in fact, and likewise Tony, Zak and the crew and engineers I labored with beforehand. There are a number of acquainted faces, and we’ve acquired an unbelievable lineup with Scott becoming a member of and Ryan returning for the five hundred. I feel our collective expertise will likely be an enormous profit. I’ve nonetheless acquired work to do to complete this season sturdy, however I’m trying ahead to what’s to come back at Arrow McLaren.”

Rosenqvist is the reigning Indy 500 winner.

As for Hunter-Reay, who additionally serves as Arrow McLaren’s Sporting Director, he famous that he and the staff each have “unfinished enterprise” within the Indianapolis 500 after he completed thirty second within the race this previous season for Arrow McLaren, when he spun on Lap 18 and hit the wall.

“I’ve unfinished enterprise with the five hundred, and so does this staff,” added Hunter-Reay. “Our focus is on Indy; be taught from the previous, and our primary purpose is to win the Indy 500. We’ve got ample period of time to be totally ready in working towards an enormous month of Could in 2027 racing alongside Pato, Scott and Felix. The 4 of us actually know our means across the Speedway. Within the meantime, working with the staff full time as Sporting Director presents a novel alternative to have a direct affect on our bold improvement plans for the 2027 season, the Indy 500 and past.”

The transfer immediately makes Lundgaard essentially the most intriguing free agent in IndyCar. He’s coming off a pole place eventually weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the place he completed second to O’Ward as Arrow McLaren locked out the entrance row. In the intervening time, Lundgaard sits third within the IndyCar standings, simply 65 factors behind Alex Palou.

The sequence heads to Nashville subsequent weekend for the Borchetta Bourbon Music Metropolis Grand Prix.