Nolan Siegel reflects on 'solid first day' of practice for the 109th running of Indy 500
Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Siegel participated in the first Indianapolis 500 practice session held on Tuesday, May 13. However, the practice session was cut short due to rain and lightning, as Siegel expressed his feelings after the outing.
The 20-year-old placed in 20th place after putting in a lap at the speed of 221.822 mph. Post the practice session, while in conversation with McLaren.com, he said:
"I think we had a solid first day. We got the car in a comfortable window that matched where we were at the Open Test. It was comfortable very quickly, so I'm happy with where we rolled off. We just need some small changes and fine-tuning from here."
"We'll find a little bit of raw speed, and if we keep the balance comfortable, I think we'll be in a good spot come Qualifying. I didn't get to run in traffic a ton, but when we do, I'm confident that a car with good balance in clean air will be a car with good balance in traffic. We're in a good spot," he added.
During his previous outing at the Oval in 2024 with Dale Coyne Racing, Nolan Siegel could not qualify for the Indy 500 as he had multiple crashes throughout the weekend. This also marks his first full season with Arrow McLaren.
As for Siegel's 2025 season, it is not off to a great start, as he qualified in 11th position during the season opener at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. He did not finish the race as he was collected in the Lap 1 crash that involved Will Power and Louis Foster. During the Long Bach Grand Prix on April 13, he qualified in 11th place and finished 20th. During the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10, Nolan Siegel qualified in 18th place and finished 13th.
He was signed by Arrow McLaren during the 2024 season and raced the last 10 races of the same season for the team.
Nolan Siegel on support from IndyCar fans after the Indy 500 crash last year
Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Sigel took part in the Indianapolis 500 in 2024. The first few races turned out to be challenging for the youngster, who thought that participating in the Indy 500 would prove his place in the sport. But the Palo-Alto native kept on having multiple crashes throughout the weekend, which led to the 20-year-old being dejected, but the support that poured in for the IndyCar fans helped him through his rough weekend.
While in conversation with Doug Boles on Doug and the Drivers podcast in March, Siegel spoke about the endless support he received from IndyCar fans that weekend in 2024.
"Yeah, it was a tough experience, right? Like that was one of the hardest weeks of my life for sure, but yeah, I mean in the moment you know it's the Indy 500, you have no choice but to try, right? So, no, I definitely didn't expect the response, and it was really nice to [see that]," he said (0:49 onwards).
"The IndyCar Community is great and and it was just very very nice to receive the support that I received after that and certainly unexpected, but something good did come out of it; I learned a huge amount, and I can't wait to go back," Nolan Siegel added.
Nolan Siegel will be attempting the Indianapolis 500 again this year, which will take place on May 25.