Tony Kanaan: “We're building on a strong foundation"

Papaya Fans,

Coming off our strongest season to date, I want to thank you for being there for us— in your papaya gear, in the autograph lines, in the grandstands and online. Winning fires us up, but seeing you show up for this team is what motivates us to deliver our best.

And our best this year led to Christian finishing 3rd and Pato securing 4th in the championship along with Nolan’s strongest season in 20th. That came with 5 race wins, 10 podiums, 2 double podiums and 11 races as the top Chevy driver. You were part of every one of those moments.

There is so much to be proud of this season, starting with our move into our new home, the McLaren Racing Center, in Indianapolis where we launched our season liveries back in February; we celebrated Christian’s first Arrow McLaren win at the Indy GP; we sped down the Miami streets to unveil Ryan Hunter-Reay’s Indy 500 livery; we snagged our team’s first-ever 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio; we raced in awesome new markets (Phoenix, Arlington, Markham and DC); and we made history in Milwaukee with Pato’s back-to-back wins in a single day, just to name a few of the highs through the year. You were there with us every step of the way.

I’m proud of how Pato, Christian and Nolan performed this season, and while Christian and Nolan’s contracts are now at an end, they’ve been great teammates and fierce competitors. We wish them all the best, even if we’ll be battling them on track soon.

We’ve been fighting to establish our team among the top in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and we proved ourselves this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to settle. Just the opposite. I’ve always said winning is addicting, and I’m sure as fans you feel that as strong as we do. We’re still building, still developing and still racing for more wins.

Looking ahead to 2027, we’re building on a strong foundation. Felix Rosenqvist returns to the papaya family in the coming weeks, and Scott Dixon joins us in the new year. The experience Pato, Scott and Felix bring is nearly unmatched, and we’re working hard this offseason to hit the ground running in St. Pete next March.

And of course, we’re locked in on the Indy 500. With McLaren Racing pursuing motorsport’s Triple Crown in the Papaya era, this is a massive opportunity. Our lineup for the 500 is the fiercest out there across all four cars, with Ryan Hunter-Reay returning to the fourth entry next May. With three Indy 500 winners and one of the toughest oval competitors in the series to complete our quad, we’re hyperfocused on making a statement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway… one that ends with milk.

While we’ve got several months until we’re back on track next season, we’re already grinding behind the scenes. We’re building momentum, we’re building belief, and we’re building a team ready to fight for more.

We can’t wait to see you trackside in 2027.

TK