Pato O’Ward picked up his first trophy in nearly two years when he arrived at Arrow McLaren’s team lounge in Indianapolis last weekend. It wasn’t the victory celebration he'd planned for his first IndyCar win since July 2022, but it was unusual: He won by default when Josef Newgarden was disqualified for cheating.
Pato O’Ward, of Mexico, stretches before a practice session for the IndyCar Grand Prix auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 10, 2024, in Indianapolis . Pato O’Ward, of Mexico, drives into a turn during qualifications for the IndyCar Grand Prix auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 10, 2024, in Indianapolis .
“I think sometimes there’s a confusion as to what reality is,” O’Ward said Wednesday as rain delayed the second straight day of practice on the Brickyard’s 2.5-mile oval. “Yes, we’re McLaren, we’ve got fancy shirts and we’ve got a fancy truck, but we are not Ganassi or Penske. We’re not. I think we’re going to get there, but I truly think we’re the underdogs.”
McLaren certainly brings name recognition and a well-financed operation to America’s top open-wheel circuit. And, as was the case previously with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, McLaren again has May’s feature attraction — this time with 2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson trying to complete the 1,100-mile single-day double at Indy and Charlotte.
With Rossi in a contract year, Pourchaire racing to maintain his spot in the McLaren stable and speculation looming over McLaren’s long-term interest in Ilott or free agent Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the distractions don’t appear to be dissipating.
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