Exclusive: Why Scott Dixon switched teams after decades of dominance

In his first interview since signing with Arrow McLaren, Sir Scott Dixon tells Eric Thompson what motivated his move.

For Sir Scott Dixon, the decision to change teams in IndyCar racing might just have kept him in the sport.

After 24 years with Chip Ganassi Racing – quite possibly the longest run of any top-flight athlete in the world with a single team – Dixon was feeling the itch to try something different. By his own admission, he had been kicking the metaphorical can down the road for a while before deciding to do something about it.

“It was a really hard decision to make. After so long and so much success with the team they were like family to me. There were times where I spent more time with them [Ganassi] than with my own family.

“You get to a point where I was kind of second-guessing myself whether if I left the sport, would I regret it more than not trying something different, or going with another team. I obviously spent 24 years at the same team and feel like we’d kind of plateaued a bit as a group. I think it was just time for a change.”

Arrow McLaren put paid to all the rumours overnight, announcing the New Zealander would race for the team in 2027, as reported previously in the Weekend Herald.

Sir Scott Dixon: "The decision was not about one thing or one person." Photo / Getty Images

The Dixon on-the-move ball started rolling months ago, and the 45-year-old’s looming departure from Chip Ganassi was confirmed by the team last week.

The Dixon-Ganassi collaboration is one of the longest continuous pairings in American motorsport history. Together, they’ve pulled in six championship titles, 58 wins (he has one more victory with PacWest Racing) and an Indianapolis 500 victory.

While it is a bit of a surprise Dixon is leaving a team he regards as family, a potential move to Arrow McLaren was mooted in 2019.

“Honestly, it nearly happened in ’19. It was just the timing was a little bit off,” Dixon told the Herald. “I was on a weird contract year at that time.

“I’ve been friends with Zak [Brown, McLaren F1 CEO and Arrow McLaren chairman] I think 1999 was when I first met him when he ran a go-kart track in Indianapolis called Zak Attack.

“We’ve been friends for a long time and have been hanging out quite a bit in England, because he’s based there as well.”

Chatter about the possibility of Dixon moving teams started around the time of the Long Beach race in April and soon gathered momentum. Back then it was all conjecture and supposition as no one could see Dixon leaving the Ganassi organisation. It was evident in Chip Ganassi’s statement about Dixon leaving that he wanted the Kiwi to stay and see out his career with the team.

“The decision was not about one thing or one person,” Dixon said. “There was no situation and no real feelings [bad about the team] – and that’s why it was so hard to sit down with Chip and just say, ‘Hi, I think I’m going to do something different, it’s not because of anything, it’s just I want to try something new’. It was quite emotional with Chip and Mike [Hull, his chief race strategist].

“There were a couple of other teams we talked with, but when it came down to it McLaren was the best fit and with all the Kiwi history it just made sense.

“It was the McLaren one that just sort of ticked most of the boxes. There is a lot in the name and the team. Obviously, the founder [Bruce McLaren] was a Kiwi and there’s so much heritage as well.”

There may have been another mitigating factor for Dixon signing with Arrow McLaren. The Kiwi has always enjoyed endurance racing and has often lamented the fact he hasn’t had many opportunities to race at the Le Mans 24 Hour.

Sir Scott Dixon says changing IndyCar teams was a really hard decision to make. Photo / Getty Images

McLaren are testing their prototype MCL-HY Hypercar and have officially signed up as an entrant in the 2027 World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans 24 Hour. There is a possibility Dixon will have the opportunity from next year onwards to take part in the top category at an event that holds so much New Zealand history.

A number of New Zealanders have won Le Mans over the years, but there has yet to be a Kiwi winner in a McLaren car. That could change if Dixon gets a chance in McLaren’s new Hypercar.

“McLaren and even Andretti United Autosport are spread over so many different categories with so many different options to race,” he said.

“I think that was part of the decision and then there’s looking beyond right now and what the future might hold, even if that is racing or not racing. Being a part of the team in some other factor might be good, so we’ll just have to figure out.”

Dixon’s record across so many different statistics is prodigious and nigh on unmatched. If he were to snatch another IndyCar championship with McLaren, or set the world alight racing in the World Endurance Championship, he will have truly earned his place in the pantheon of motorsport.

Speculation for the future is all well and good, but Dixon still has a job to do at Ganassi Racing for the rest of the 2026 season. He has a record of getting at least one win for the past 21 years. This season is not going according to plan and despite the whirlwind around his move next year, Dixon is focused and determined to get at least one victory in 2026.

He sits ninth on the leaderboard with 224 points while his teammate Alex Palou (404) leads from Kyle Kirkwood (348), Christian Lundgaard (339), David Malukas (338) and his future teammate Pato O’Ward (310).

Sir Scott Dixon has had a remarkable career with Chip Ganassi Racing. Photo / Photosport

“Nothing’s really changed within the team. There was obviously a lot of noise going into last weekend and the season itself has been its own kind of struggle.

“There’s been no ill intent or anything like that, it’s just the way it’s played out. There’s been crazy stuff like the rules and penalties we’ve had, which have just been complete insanity.

“We’re trying everything as a team to win and with seven races to go we’ve definitely got to knock off that win and hopefully more,” Dixon said.

Arrow McLaren has confirmed Dixon’s teammates for 2027 will be Felix Rosenqvist and incumbent O’Ward. Lundgaard and Nolen Siegel have been released to make room for the new pair.

There are a number of ex-Ganassi team members at Arrow McLaren and team principal Tony Kanaan in particular is a close friend and former teammate, so Dixon should fit right in.