McLaren driver has to apologise after telling rival team to go 'f**k themselves'

10:04, 19 Jun

Updated: 11:58, 19 Jun

byKada Sarkozi

McLaren driver Nolan Siegel had to apologise after his outburst over the team radio at last weekend's IndyCar race, that took place in Gateway. His team also issued a statement.

The incident between Siegel and Scott McLaughling took place on Lap 83 of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

As Siegel tried to keep the Penske driver behind to stay on the lead lap, he pushed the #3 car below the white line.

According to IndyCar's rules, you are not allowed to make a defensive maneouvre reacting to another driver's attack. Therefore, for 'blocking', Siegel received a drive through penalty.

The two drivers already had some history together, as McLaughling hit Siegel the race before into Turn 1 at the Detroit street circuit.

As a result, driving through the pit road, Siegel could not hold his frustration back.

"Bulls**t, f***ing bulls**t, absolutely not. Absolutely not, you f***ing take me out last race and he gets to f***ing continue. No. F**k that s**t. Tell Penske to go f**k themselves."

After demanding his team to talk to the stewards about the matter, McLaren told him they will do so after the race. To that, he responded: "Deal with it right f**ing now."

McLaren issue statement

Reacting to the incident, the Arrow McLaren also shared a statement on Siegel's outburst.

"At Arrow McLaren, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism, respect and sportsmanship - on and off the track. The language expressed over our radio during this past race weekend does not reflect who we are as a team."

"We do not condone that behaviour. We've addressed it directly with Nolan, and he is taking responsibility for his actions. Accountability is a core value at Arrow McLaren, and we expect every team member to represent our partners, fans and organisation with integrity."

"Additionally, we expect our fans and online community to act with respect and civility, and we will not tolerate hate, abuse or discrimination within our social media platforms. It is vital that we collectively maintain a safe and welcoming community for all involved."

Siegel apologises

The 20-year-old driver also apologised on Instagram. "I want to sincerely apologise to my team, our partners, and our fans for the outburst and language over the radio during the past weekend. In the heat of the moment, I let my emotions take over, and that doesn't reflect who I really am."

"There's no excuse for what I said. I take full responsibility for my actions, and I regret letting down the incredible group of people who support me both on and off the track."

"I'm committed to learning from this and showing up with the professionalism, composure and respect the team and our fans deserve. I'm focused on this upcoming race weekend and giving everything I have to deliver a performance worthy of the hard work the No. 6 crew and I have put in together," he concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij