Arrow McLaren Kicks Off Streets of Long Beach

Christian and Pato finish Practice 1 in top 10, Nolan in 18th as team aims to improve ahead of qualifying.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 2:29am

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A fractured, geometric painting depicting race cars and drivers on the Streets of Long Beach circuit, broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of color.Arrow McLaren's drivers navigate the tight turns of the Streets of Long Beach circuit in a cubist-inspired interpretation of the opening practice session.Long Beach Today

Arrow McLaren's drivers Christian, Pato, and Nolan hit the track for the first practice session of the 2026 Streets of Long Beach race weekend, with Christian and Pato finishing 8th and 9th respectively, while Nolan placed 18th. The team now focuses on overnight changes to continue climbing the timing sheets before qualifying.

Why it matters

The Streets of Long Beach is a prestigious annual IndyCar race that draws large crowds and media attention. Arrow McLaren is one of the top teams in the series, so their performance in practice sets the stage for how they may fare in the rest of the weekend's events.

The details

In the opening practice session, Arrow McLaren's drivers Christian and Pato finished 8th and 9th respectively, while Nolan placed 18th. The team will now work on making overnight changes to the cars in an effort to improve their position ahead of qualifying.

  • The first practice session took place on Friday, April 17, 2026.

The players

Arrow McLaren

A top IndyCar racing team competing in the 2026 season.

Christian

One of Arrow McLaren's drivers who finished 8th in the first practice session.

Pato

One of Arrow McLaren's drivers who finished 9th in the first practice session.

Nolan

One of Arrow McLaren's drivers who finished 18th in the first practice session.

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What they’re saying

“Following the opening session, Christian was presented with the 2025 Driver of the Year Award by the Danish Automobile Federation, topping a shortlist of 19 finalists across a variety of categories spanning from karting to off-road to open-wheel and more.”

— Christian

The takeaway

Arrow McLaren's strong start to the Streets of Long Beach weekend sets the stage for the team to potentially contend for a podium finish, but they will need to continue improving the cars' performance through qualifying and the race to achieve that goal.