Arrow McLaren's Gavin Ward, who served as team principal for the past two seasons, has left the NTT IndyCar Series organization. Ward originally joined from Team Penske in mid-2022, where he had previously helped Josef Newgarden secure the 2019 championship as race engineer.

Initially contributing his technical expertise, Ward was promoted to race director when team president Taylor Kiel departed for Chip Ganassi Racing. The team then brought on Brian Barnhart as general manager, reporting to Ward, who was later named team principal in 2023.

Recent organizational changes had seen Tony Kanaan elevated to assistant team principal, taking on some of Ward's non-competition duties. This restructuring aimed to allow Ward to focus more on technical aspects for drivers Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel. However, this plan has now been abandoned, with Kanaan assuming leadership alongside Barnhart and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

During Ward's tenure, the team achieved its highest number of race wins in a season in 2024 and nearly secured victory at the Indianapolis 500. He brought a unique perspective to team management, emphasizing mental health and inclusivity while being one of the few technical directors to lead an IndyCar team.

"I leave Arrow McLaren after two years developing a people-first culture set to topple the 20-year domination of IndyCar's championship teams," Ward stated, adding that he plans to spend time with family while considering his next career move.

Zak Brown acknowledged Ward's contributions, stating, "We've grown significantly from where we were when he joined the team in 2022, and he was a big part of that transformation." The team has not yet identified a replacement.

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