The only team in the series affiliated with a Formula 1 constructor has officially completed its two biggest signings ever. Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist are both headed to Arrow McLaren, marking the two biggest signings in the short history of the modern McLaren IndyCar team. The new deals signal a heavy focus on the Indianapolis 500 across all three of the team's full-time cars. Pato O'Ward and Indianapolis 500-only driver Ryan Hunter-Reay will both return to the team, joining Rosenqvist and Dixon in the lineup.
Dixon, a six-time IndyCar champion and 58-time race winner, is unarguably the most successful American open wheel driver of the past half-century. He sits just one title and eight wins behind AJ Foyt's all-time marks in both categories, leaving the 45-year-old in striking distance of IndyCar's two most significant records outside of the Indianapolis 500 even as he starts the final phase of his driving career. The signing with McLaren ends a 25-year relationship with Chip Ganassi Racing for him, the single most successful driver-team pairing in the history of open-wheelers in America.
View Price on AmazonRosenqvist, by contrast, is just a two-time winner in IndyCar, one returning to Arrow McLaren after he initially jumped from Chip Ganassi Racing to the team in 2021. He comes to the team after a successful three-year stint at Meyer Shank Racing, one highlighted by his iconic last-corner pass to win the 2026 Indianapolis 500. The Swedish driver had a best points finish of eighth over three years with Arrow McLaren in his first stint, finishing on podiums three times.
Notably, both Dixon and Rosenqvist are Indianapolis 500 winners, as is one-off driver Hunter-Reay. The pair replace young driver Nolan Siegel and two-time 2026 race winner Christian Lundgaard, both of whom are notably weak on ovals, to join two-time Indianapolis 500 runner-up Pato O'Ward on a team that now seems geared primarily around winning that iconic race. Lundgaard and Siegel currently sit third and 20th in points respectively; Rosenqvist and Dixon are currently slotted in seventh and ninth.
McLaren racing boss Zak Brown has long talked about the team's "triple crown" achievement of past wins at Indy, Le Mans, and Monaco. These signings that seem to emphasize the value of a 500 win come just as the group enters a top class car in the 24-hour classic, opening the door to potentially win all three legs of that achievement in the same year.
Source: roadandtrack.com
