Dixon will depart to join McLaren in 2027, a team that has not yet won either the drivers’ championship or the Indianapolis 500 in the Dallara era.
Those are major motivations for team principal Tony Kanaan and McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
The team has also signed this year’s Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, who will return to McLaren off the back of a three-year stint at Chip Ganassi Racing-affiliated Meyer Shank Racing.
For Dixon, there were several reasons for the move. Chief among them was not wanting to see out his IndyCar career wondering if the grass was greener elsewhere.
The move to McLaren presents a new challenge and scope to continue racing with the iconic brand after he retires from IndyCar.
“I thought a lot about the situation that I was in, what the future really holds,” Dixon said, speaking on Speed with Will Buxton and Kevin Harvick.
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“There were a lot of things that kept me up at night and a lot of it was; do I finish my career without trying anything else, especially IndyCar?
“I know there are different steps for later on and maybe different categories if you ever want to go down that road.
“The one thing that kept nagging at me was should I try a different team?”
It’s not the first time Dixon has flirted with a move to McLaren.
Dixon was in the frame to join them in 2020 as the motorsport giant expanded into IndyCar via a stake in Schmidt Peterson Motorsport.
That ultimately never eventuated, and Dixon stayed with Ganassi where he went on to win his sixth title.
This time around, when Ganassi’s exclusive contract negotiation window lapsed, Dixon made the first move and contacted Kanaan to gauge McLaren’s interest in his services.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Chip. He’s one of my best friends,” said Dixon.
“Trust me, it was an extremely tough conversation that we had a couple of times about the possibility and what it would look like and where it would happen.
“It’s the same with the team, I’ve spent more time with this team than my own family.
“A lot of those people came from PacWest when I made the transition from PacWest to Chip Ganassi Racing. There were a lot of those people that came at the same time.
“Tough, tough decision, but I think ultimately it just came down to; I need to try something different right now.”
Dixon said timing was a defining factor.
It comes just as McLaren expands into the FIA World Endurance Championship with a two-car Hypercar program that will see them look to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright.
Beyond that, McLaren has also flagged the possibility of entering the IMSA SportsCar Championship, opening the door to starts at Daytona and Sebring.
There is also the link between the team’s eponymous New Zealand-born founder Bruce McLaren, which Dixon said made the decision easier.
“It all comes down to timing really. For me, it was the opportunity of possibly looking at something else,” said Dixon.
“There were a couple of teams, and obviously the manufacturers play a pretty big part in it as well to maybe look at the foresight of what’s beyond maybe driving in IndyCar, what comes after that. I think there were some differences there.
“Ultimately, I’ve always been a Bruce McLaren fan, fellow Kiwi, that whole situation, especially coming from New Zealand.
“Even talking to my dad about Bruce and when he watched him. For me, straight up, I’ve been a big fan of Bruce McLaren and obviously his family.
“I’ve hung out with his daughter many a time at functions. When you look at it just from the New Zealand historic value and what it means for people back home, that’s an easy sell right there.
“I wouldn’t say it was just that, it really just came down to timing and honestly looking to do something different.”
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