‘All In’ Examines Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel And McLaren’s Lofty INDYCAR Goals

How would you respond if your bosses told you to finish the year among the top 10 best in your industry, or look for a new job? Many might fold under pressure, but those are the kind of expectations racing legend Tony Kanaan, Zak Brown and Arrow McLaren outlined for relative INDYCAR newcomer Nolan Siegel. 

And make no mistake: The pressure to win in INDYCAR — and win for one of the most successful and recognizable teams in motorsports — is gigantic. But Siegel doesn’t have to chase that goal by himself. 

A deep dive into Arrow McLaren’s INDYCAR team, the latest episode of “All In” — a real-time docuseries from FOX Sports, INDYCAR and Shadow Lion — explores the team’s lofty expectations for drivers Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard and Siegel in the fastest series in the world. 

“When youre putting together a three-car lineup, you really want to be P1, P2, P3,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said in the latest “All In” episode. “So anything short of that is frustrating.”

In the fourth episode titled, “The Third Seat,” the series examines Arrow McLaren’s three-car team, how Kanaan and Brown lead execution and how the organization found Siegel, following years-old messy contract litigation over Alex Palou potentially joining the team. 

Currently the clear INDYCAR driver to beat, Palou almost switched from Chip Ganassi Racing to Arrow McLaren after the 2022 season. Well, depending on who you ask. 

“You can see the immense talent that he is, so you can see why his team fought so hard to keep him, and you can see why we fought so hard to get him,” Brown explains in “All In.” 

“The way that landed, I felt it was very important to protect our reputation. It was a difficult, expensive experience for everyone. We move on.”

After ending up in court, Palou was ultimately ordered in January to pay McLaren $12 million for breach of contract after he backed out of a deal to switch teams. Instead of Palou, McLaren’s third INDYCAR seat went to Siegel, who’s now in his second full season in the series.

“For Zak, having lost the best that there is in the sport, hes now searching for the guy who can be the next Palou,” INDYCAR on FOX broadcaster Will Buxton explains on “All In.” 

“Does he have that already in Pato? Does he think hes found it in Christian?”

Or maybe it’s Siegel. And Kanaan — the 2004 INDYCAR champ and the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner — is pushing hard.

“Last year, Nolan had some good races, had some bad races,” INDYCAR on FOX analyst James Hinchcliffe says in the latest episode. “But McLaren shows up to win. And when Tony Kanaan says, Top 10, or youre out, you either rise to the occasion and perform or you dont.” 

The newest “All In” episode is set against the backdrop of INDYCAR’s Long Beach race weekend earlier this month, focusing on McLaren’s three drivers. 

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“I wasnt expecting to be a team principal,” Kanaan says in “All In.” 

“It was not my intention. I was an INDYCAR driver for 26 years. … Zak put a challenge in front of me to come in as a consultant just to help the drivers on the race weekends, and that developed to coming in full time.”

Long Beach is a uniquely challenging track — technically, it’s a street course — as Hinchcliffe recently explained. And unfortunately for McLaren, Palou ended up at the top o