Explained: Why Scott McLaughlin and McLaren boss Tony Kanaan went berserk on social media after Detroit GP incident
Scott McLaughlin had an avoidable incident with Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel at IndyCar's Detroit GP on Sunday, which sent the latter into a spin. McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan shared his reaction to the incident on X, writing "Oh ok then...."
This made quite a stir among fans, with IndyCar's official account reposting Kanaan's post. After the race, McLaughlin didn't hold back in his reply, blaming Siegel's unusually slow pace on the restart for the incident and taking a sly dig at Kanaan.
"Misjudged this one. Ol’mate broke quite a bit earlier than I anticipated. Good to see McLaren team principals are still on the hunt for beef… @GoodRanchers has loads for ya. Use code #BrakeLater for 0% off," the Team Penske driver wrote.
Scott McLaughlin's seemingly humorous sponsor integration in his post didn't go down well with Tony Kanaan. The 2013 Indy 500 winner dragged McLaughlin's heartbreaking Indy 500 pace lap crash the weekend before and Team Penske's 'cheating' scandal into the matter, writing:
"Misjudged last week, misjudged this week, at least you get a weekend off to square that away. I came looking for your team principal to have a chat but I couldn’t find him. Oh wait……"
Kanaan was completely unfiltered in his approach and also argued with a fan who told him to 'stop crying'. The former IndyCar champion had a 'mic drop' comeback that impressed other fans.
"Come visit the baby Borg and the championship trophy when you can," the 50-year-old wrote.
Scott McLaughlin struck back with a reply that was the last of the exchange between the two.
"Our team principals aren’t usually on Twitter during the race, but you’ve got my phone number mate. 😂" he wrote.
McLaughlin got a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact with Siegel. Despite that, he finished the race in a respectable 12th position, while his Arrow McLaren rival finished further down in 19th place.
This beef was McLaughlin's second of the week after an Indy 500 controversy with Kyle Larson, which has since been settled after the NASCAR champion apologized for his actions.
Scott McLaughlin shoulders the blame for his disappointing Detroit GP
Scott McLaughlin was Team Penske's best qualifier at the Detroit GP. He secured eighth in qualifying, one position ahead of teammate Will Power. The eighth turned into seventh, accounting for fifth-placed Graham Rahal's six-place grid penalty.
The race was a rollercoaster for the No. 3 Chevy driver. He went from being the leading driver among those who had made their first pit stops to the back of the grid after the penalty, before making the comeback to P12.
"Pretty happy (but) pretty bummed at the same time. Wasn't a clean day by any means for all of us, but yeah, I mean the car had really good pace. Obviously we were in front of (race winner) Kirkwood there, so yeah, it's on me," McLaughlin told reporter Bob Pockrass.
Though he emphasized that Nolan Siegel was partly at fault for moving under braking, Scott McLaughlin understood IndyCar's decision to penalize him. He stands eighth in the championship standings after seven races.