MOORESVILLE, N.C. — In another move from Arrow McLaren that few saw coming, including one of the drivers, 20-year-old Théo Pourchaire has been replaced for the rest of the 2024 IndyCar Series season by 19-year-old Nolan Siegel of the United States.
As late as Tuesday morning, Pourchaire was looking forward to competing in this weekend’s IndyCar race at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. But Arrow McLaren Sporting Director Tony Kanaan had to deliver the news to Pourchaire on the phone.
“It’s been quite the six months for me,” Kanaan said. “I did not sign up to find four drivers.
“We’ll take the heat. I believe we’re making the right decision and I believe my boss trusts me on this. We have to move on. It’s a little bit of a disruption, but racing is a disruption.”
Siegel was part of the winning effort in this past weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class for United Autosport, a team owned by McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
Siegel will pilot the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the ten remaining races this season and 2025 and beyond.
Since last August, Siegel is the fourth different driver named to the No. 6 Chevrolet beginning with Alex Palou, who informed the team last August he would not be joining McLaren in 2024. David Malukas followed, but he broke his left wrist in a Mountain Biking crash on February 12 and never appeared in a race. Callum Ilott and Pourchaire filled in for Malukas.
Arrow McLaren terminated its contract with Malukas after he missed the fourth race of the season at Barber Motorsports Park on April 29. Pourchaire was announced as his full season replacement except for the 108th Indianapolis 500.
On Tuesday, June 18, Pourchaire is out, and Siegel is in for the remainder of the season.
“Stability and sustained growth are key to our long-term game plan here, and this is a significant step in that mission,” Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward said. “First, I want to thank Théo for his time filling in on the No. 6 car with us in recent weeks. We’ve been working through musical chairs all season, and ultimately, making this change to Nolan now that he’s available gives us the chance to build a foundation for the future.
“He is a young, talented driver with an immense amount of experience at this stage of his career and we’re excited to continue on the upward journey together.”
Siegel is a 19-year-old from California with a diverse driving portfolio. He joins the team from HMD Motorsports in Indy NXT by Firestone and was the 2023 Indy NXT Rookie of the Year. He previously won in the Asian Le Mans series and helped CrowdStrike Racing capture the Truman Award in IMSA in 2023.
He has competed in three NTT IndyCar Series races, driving for Dale Coyne Racing at The Thermal Club and at Long Beach (Calif.) and then for Juncos Hollinger Racing at Road America in Wisconsin. He also has Indy 500 qualifying experience with Dale Coyne Racing this past May.
Set to kick off full-time duties in IndyCar, Siegel will be the youngest driver on the grid as he steps into the No. 6 NTT Data Arrow McLaren Chevrolet this weekend.
“I’m looking forward to jumping right in with the Arrow McLaren team this week and confirming my place in the NTT IndyCar Series in papaya moving forward. This is an unexpected jump, but I’m thrilled to be in this position after a rewarding run in the Indy NXT by Firestone series with HMD Motorsports.
“I am looking forward to this new journey and learning alongside the entire team starting this weekend in my home state.”