McLaren Racing has taken full control of the Arrow McLaren NTT IndyCar Series team. Completion of the acquisition of the former Arrow McLaren SP was announced on Friday.
Founded by Sam Schmidt as Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2001, the former Indy car driver took on Ric Peterson as a partner in 2013 when the team operated as Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports. The following year it was simply Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
McLaren was first involved in 2020, with the global operation acquiring 75 percent of the team in 2021.
Schmidt and Peterson are no longer part of the team’s leadership.
“Stepping away from my ownership role with Arrow McLaren is bittersweet,” said Schmidt. “This team has been my life’s work, growing from a dream into a competitor at the highest level. I’m endlessly grateful to the drivers, team members, partners and fans who made it all possible, and to McLaren for elevating the team’s potential.
“While I’m stepping back from ownership, my heart will always be with this team, and I’ll be cheering for its continued success every step of the way.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown reaffirmed the company’s commitment to IndyCar racing.
“This is an exciting step for McLaren Racing as we grow and strengthen our presence in North America, which is a very important market for our team and our fans,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson have been great partners and co-owners, and I want to thank them as we continue to build what they started many years ago, and that is a championship caliber NTT IndyCar Series team.”
Drivers Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel and Christian Lundgaard are scheduled to run all 17 events for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team in 2025.
