At just 22 years old, McLaren Racing founder Bruce McLaren finished first in the 1959 United States Grand Prix at Sebring to become the youngest-ever Formula 1 race winner—a record he would, incredibly, hold until 2003. Creating his own team four years later, the Kiwi set the tone for the sportscar dominance that followed, as McLaren drivers earned a clean sweep of titles between 1967 and 1971 in the Can-Am (Canadian-American Challenge Cup) series.

During that time, the team had already made its Indianapolis 500 bow. Carl Williams took the M15 to 9th place in 1970, days before Bruce’s fatal testing crash at Goodwood. Ace designer Gordon Coppuck then produced the Penske-entered McLaren M16 that Mark Donohue steered to victory as a customer team in 1972, before Johnny Rutherford conquered the Brickyard for McLaren in the M16 as a works outfit in 1974 and 1976.

From 1980, the focus was firmly on Formula 1 Grand Prix racing, which resulted in McLaren turning away from IndyCar for almost four decades. That was until the papaya colours returned in 2017 and 2019, when the team’s F1 driver Fernando Alonso sought to replicate McLaren’s own feat of winning motorsport’s Triple Crown by adding Indy 500 glory to his wins in the Monaco Grand Prix and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Then, in 2020, the team joined forces with Arrow Schmidt-Peterson Motorsport to establish the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and complete its full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES return, taking majority ownership of the team in 2021. In 2025, Arrow McLaren accomplished its best-ever season, collecting two wins, 12 podium finishes and three poles.

INDYCAR OWNERSHIP

Arrow McLaren is preparing to enter the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Its three drivers—Mexican Pato O’Ward, FIA Formula 2 Championship graduate Christian Lungaard, and California-born Nolan Siegel—have been retained to pilot the Chevrolet-powered Dallara DW12 chassis on the mix of road, street, and oval courses.

Incredibly, three months before the curtain-raising visit to St Petersburg, RM Sotheby’s and McLaren Racing are proud to offer the team’s 2026 challenger for auction in the Abu Dhabi sale on 5 December.

By then a battle-hardened part of IndyCar history, the car will be delivered to the winning bidder in 2028. It will be supplied with a race-specification twin-turbocharged 2.2-litre V-6 hybrid engine built by Ilmor-Chevrolet. Equipped with a push-to-pass system and running on 100 per cent renewable fuel, the powertrain is capable of up to 900 horsepower. Complete with all necessary running gear, the IndyCar may be driven in selected demonstration and track day events, where a crew of McLaren engineers will support the operation.

The 2026 car is further offered with an astounding array of extras. Arrow McLaren will give the buyer four VIP tickets to the Indy 500, a package that includes hospitality treatment, a tour of the team garage, plus pit and paddock access. Truly making their visit to the Brickyard unforgettable, the lucky four will get to experience a two-seater ride around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also included is a tour of the new-for-2026 Arrow McLaren facility, dinner for four with Team Principal and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan and President Kevin Thimjon, plus an autographed set of overalls that will be worn by 2025 runner-up O’Ward for a track session during the Month of May build-up to the great race. The winning bidder will enter into a Sales Contract directly with McLaren, which requires the bidder’s review prior to bidding at the auction; and, in conjunction with the review of the Bidder’s Conditions of Business for this lot, the bidder must complete the Bidder’s Participation Contract for this lot prior to bidding at the auction. Bidders should note that the images used to illustrate this catalogue description are taken from the 2025 season and do not necessarily depict the car on offer.

Alongside the 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team MCL40A and 2027 McLaren United AS LMDh Hypercar that will enter the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans, the sale of the 2026 Arrow McLaren IndyCar in Abu Dhabi will form a major part of auction history. For followers of American racing and lovers of the McLaren Racing story, here is an opportunity that cannot be surpassed.