Canapino and his supporters’ reaction to incidents on the track were the cause of the early termination of the agreement. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
Arrow McLaren stated that they immediately ended their commercial relationship with Juncos Hollinger Racing.
The decision was made after fans of JHR driver Agustin Canapino sent online threats to Arrow McLaren driver Theo Pourchaire following the recent Detroit Grand Prix.
Both teams released statements addressing the abuse from fans, as did Canapino the following day.
Canapino’s statement seemed to discredit the claim that threats from his supporters were serious enough to warrant a response. He expressed hope that this is the first and last time he has to deal with such concerns.
It appears that a combination of responses from JHR and their driver led to the immediate termination of the commercial partnership between the two teams, which had only begun this season.
“The Arrow McLaren IndyCar team has terminated its commercial partnership with Juncos Hollinger Racing, with immediate effect,” Arrow McLaren stated on Thursday morning.
“This decision was made in response to actions that occurred earlier this week on social media regarding an on-track incident at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
“As stated in the team’s social media community code, Arrow McLaren will not tolerate any form of abuse or discrimination and strongly condemns online abuse directed at our team and our driver.”
This is not the first time Canapino’s fans have reacted excessively to an on-track incident and threatened another IndyCar driver.
Callum Ilott also faced similar threats on two occasions last season while racing for JHR, leading to his departure from the team at the end of the year.
“Starting today, our strategic partnership with Arrow McLaren has come to an end,” declared Juncos Hollinger Racing.
“We appreciate the time we spent with McLaren over the past few months. They are a world-class organization that we enjoy competing with week after week.
“Although the partnership did not achieve the desired results, we have the utmost respect for them and are confident in the future of Juncos Hollinger Racing.”
Arrow McLaren and Juncos Hollinger Racing announced their commercial partnership in October, and it was in effect for only six races of the 2024 season.
