Nolan Siegel is unfazed by the stress to carry out getting into a contract 12 months with Arrow McLaren.
The California native was positioned on the recent seat by Arrow McLaren Crew Principal Tony Kanaan, who, if he hopes to proceed within the No. 6 Chevrolet past 2026.
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“Yeah, he was fairly frank about that within the media,” stated Siegel, 21.
“To me it does not actually change something. The purpose for me is all the time to complete as far up the grid as I presumably can and carry out at my finest on a regular basis. So I present up each weekend, I am pushing myself so far as I can and making an attempt to carry out the perfect that I presumably can.
“It is not like if the purpose is to complete within the high 5, I am like, ‘Oh, okay, I am going to push just a little tougher to get there,’ I do not wish to end seventh, I wish to end fifth. I wish to end as far up as I presumably can each weekend. That does not change for 2026.
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“Regardless of the expectation is, I am nonetheless going to be doing the identical factor.”
Though the 2 have but to speak since Kanaan made his feedback, Siegel isn’t involved. If something, he’s understanding of it since Kanaan is a former driver.
“Him having been a driver, I feel he is aware of precisely the way it feels,” Siegel stated. “He is aware of we’re pushing as arduous as we will and are doing our greatest each weekend. I feel he sees it from that facet, as properly.”
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren
The climb to attain the specified outcomes has been steep for Siegel. It’s been a troublesome adjustment for Siegel ever since abandoning the 2024 season in Indy NXT – whereas main the championship – and switching to IndyCar. And with restricted testing accessible within the sequence, he’s regarded into different routes to achieve useful seat time, corresponding to spending this offseason competing within the Asian Le Mans Sequence, together with an look in IMSA’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.
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“Apart from being within the sim, I have never actually pushed an Indy automobile in any respect,” Siegel stated. “However simply being in endurance racing is useful for me. Personally I really feel like if I do not drive a race automobile for a very long time… Final low season was the primary time I actually hadn’t. I believed I might spend a bunch of time with the workforce, go to the sim, spend time within the store. That was nice to get to know everybody.
“Now I do know everybody. We gel properly. For me, from a driving standpoint, the perfect factor was to be in a race automobile though it isn’t an Indy automobile. Going into Sebring (for testing) being recent off the Daytona, Asian Le Mans, all these LMP3 races is a pleasant refresher somewhat than moving into chilly and being rusty.”
Maybe an important factor for Siegel, although, was the power to hit the reset button after what was undoubtedly an emotionally and mentally taxing 2025 season that featured simply two high 10s in 16 races, together with one missed begin attributable to a crash (Iowa, Race 2).
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“For me, simply getting away and taking a while away from racing generally was a extremely good factor,” Siegel stated. “I did not actually do any racing apart from IndyCar final 12 months, which I feel was an excellent factor in some senses to only give attention to it. In different methods I feel doing endurance racing and going to LMP2, doing it with outdated pals I grew up racing with, actually form of racing – it is nonetheless clearly severe and we wish to win, however it’s extra for enjoyable in a method – jogged my memory of why I fell in love with the game.
“It has actually made me take a step again and notice how cool it’s to be within the place I am in and after I was doing that full-time and never racing in IndyCar, I might have finished something to be within the place I am in now.
“That is been form of the psychological reset. Generally you get so targeted on what is going on mistaken that you do not actually admire the scenario you are in, how particular it’s to be right here. Going again to endurance racing, taking a step away from IndyCar, has made me very grateful for the place I am in. Positively jogged my memory how a lot I wish to succeed right here.”
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