9 September 2026 15:00 (UTC)
Counting down the top moments from Arrow McLaren's best season yet.
With the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale in the rearview, Arrow McLaren has officially completed its winningest season to date. The team tallied a team-record five wins along with 10 podiums (including two double podiums) as Christian, Pato and Nolan finished third, fourth and 20th in the series championship.
It was a memorable campaign full of highs and firsts for Team Papaya. Before turning our attention to 2027, let's take a look back and revisit the top five team moments from 2026:
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 Winner and 2012 INDYCAR SERIES Champion, made his papaya debut as a driver in late April with the Indianapolis 500 Open Test and his No. 31 Arrow McLaren PrizePicks Chevrolet livery reveal in Miami.
Against the backdrop of Formula 1 race week in Miami, Arrow McLaren and Primary Partner PrizePicks unveiled the striking purple No. 31 car in front of fans at the McLaren Racing Live event at Regatta Harbor. Oine month later, Ryan competed in his 18th Indy 500 as the team's fourth entry.
Before the 2026 on-track action began, the team moved into its new home - the newly renovated, state-of-the-art McLaren Racing Center (MRC). With the move to the MRC, the team nearly tripled its operational space, transitioning from its previous 33,000 sq. ft. facility to the new shop with a total footprint of 86,000 sq. ft. The expanded facility is an upgrade in every way imaginable and creates major efficiencies as now the machine shop, gearbox room, fabrication shop plus assembly and subassembly areas all operate under one roof. Notably, the new shop also includes an on-site fitness center complete with a recovery area (hot and cold tubs plus a sauna).
The MRC officially opened in early February with an event that also launched the team's season liveries for the three full-time challengers.
Christian's breakthrough moment in papaya finally arrived on May 10th with a win at the Indy GP. His long-awaited first victory as an Arrow McLaren driver came after many close calls with eight podiums through 22 races with the team. The Dane reached the top step at IMS after completing a brilliant drive including a stunning, race-winning pass against Team Penske's David Malukas on Lap 67 on the outside of Turn 4.
Pato and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew accomplished a feat not seen in 45 years of IndyCar racing during the Milwaukee doubleheader weekend. Pato was leading Race 1 which began on Saturday before it's conclusion was pushed to Sunday creating a rare opportunity to win twice in one day. The No. 5 seized the chance.
Pato won both races on Sunday, Aug. 30th at the Milwaukee Mile, becoming the first driver to win multiple INDYCAR SERIES races in a single day since Rick Mears accomplished a double at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1981. Pato joined motorsports legends Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Rick Mears, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser and Bobby Unser as the only drivers to win two IndyCar races in a single day.
Notably, Race 2 (which was completed before the conclusion of Race 1) also marked the team's second double podium of the year with Christian notching a P3 finish.
The team made history over Fourth of July weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as Pato and Christian emerged 1-2 at the checkered flag, scoring the first ever such finish for McLaren Racing in INDYCAR SERIES history. The two teammates started the race in the top two positions with Christian on pole and Pato also on the front row in P2. Christian led the initial 41 laps before swapping places with Pato who made a pass for the lead on Lap 42 and never looked back.
