Tony Kanaan to serve as special advisor at Arrow McLaren

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Former IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan announced on Thursday that he will serve as a special advisor at Arrow McLaren.

Kanaan made the announcement on social media:

“I had said that I wasn’t going to leave racing or the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, so I’m very excited to join the Arrow McLaren team in this role,” Kanaan said in a press release. “Zak (Brown) and Gavin (Ward) have a great vision for where this team is headed and what we can accomplish, so I look forward to helping us get there and making the team and the series even better. This team works hard and has a lot of fun. That’s what racing is about, and it’s why I love being part of the team.”

Kanaan raced for Arrow McLaren in the 2023 Indianapolis 500. He finished in 16th.

In this role, Kanaan will “travel with the team to races and tests, serving as a driver mentor while also working with the team’s commercial partnerships and business development.”

“Tony’s distinct skillset will help the team connect how we go racing to how we can make the most of our partnerships,” Gavin Ward, Arrow McLaren racing director, said in a press release. “As a championship driver, he does both incredibly well – delivering on track and locking in committed partnerships.  He brings a champion mindset to what we’re doing – and that’s racing to win championships while having fun doing it. Having him on the team as a multifaceted resource in his advisor role is a big win for Arrow McLaren.”

In addition to his responsibilities in INDYCAR, Kanaan will also be involved in McLaren Racing’s heritage program.

The 2013 Indy 500 champion and 2004 IndyCar Series champion had previously announced that the 2023 Indy 500 was going to be his final IndyCar race as a driver.