Tony Kanaan is leveraging his extensive racing experience to transform Arrow McLaren as its new team principal. Drawing from his championship-winning career and time at Andretti Autosport, Kanaan is focusing on building team unity and accountability.

His leadership style combines supportive encouragement with direct feedback, an approach that has already yielded results - including the team's first pole position since 2023 at The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix, secured by Pato O'Ward.

Since taking over during the offseason, Kanaan has made strategic personnel changes, keeping only team members aligned with his vision of excellence. His philosophy emphasizes internal improvement over external solutions, encouraging the team to believe in their capabilities and learn from setbacks.

Kanaan draws particularly from his experience racing alongside Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta, and Dan Wheldon at Andretti Autosport. He's applying these lessons to mentor O'Ward, helping the young driver embrace the pressure of competition, especially with the arrival of talented teammate Christian Lundgaard.

"Pressure is good. Because even as a human being, we only improve if somebody is pressuring us," Kanaan explains. His goal is to help O'Ward transform from one of IndyCar's best talents into a champion and Indy 500 winner through a combination of belief and execution.

Under Kanaan's leadership, Arrow McLaren is developing a culture that balances competitive drive with team solidarity, setting the stage for long-term success in the IndyCar Series.

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