LEEDS, Ala. – Pato O’Ward made a sober decision to stop worrying about his IndyCar contract and Formula One aspirations and focus on his current job.
The first attempt got him a pending contract extension, and on Sunday, O’Ward secured his first win of the IndyCar season.
The famous Mexican driver used a super strong pass outside of the custodian Rinus VeeKay after both pitted against new tires for the lead and then drove home to victory at Barber Motorsports Park. It was O’Ward’s third career win and broke Team Penske’s grip on the IndyCar result.
Penske Driver Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden completed the first three races of the season, all while O’Ward was frustrated about his team-friendly contract with Arrow McLaren SP. O’Ward wants more money and further assurance McLaren has him on its F1 track, and his frustrations spill over onto the track.
But on the eve of the Long Beach Grand Prix two weeks ago, the 22-year-old decided he didn’t want to throw away his season because of hurt feelings. He dug deep to finish fifth at Long Beach, met with McLaren chief Zak Brown on extension conditions, then showed up in Barber ready to win some races.
His hit came after a pit stop with 28 laps left when VeeKay and O’Ward pitted at the same time. VeeKay took the lead but O’Ward chased him for the first four turns, then used a brave move – and push to pass – around the Dutchman to take control of the race.
The win gave Chevrolet a perfect 4 to 4 as the IndyCar stood next to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
O’Ward, who has agreed with McLaren in principle to the extension, said: “Gosh, it’s bad to have war in your team, isn’t it? So I’m glad there’s been a lot of talk. more positive for the future”.
“And I want to do it for these guys, for the Arrow McLaren SP, for Chevy – they’ve been successful this year, so great for them. I said ‘Let’s win so we can come back’. this championship race.”
The win pushed O’Ward from ninth to fifth in the rankings.
“The driver on our team… is the quarterback, right? When the driver leaves, the rest of the team goes. When the driver leaves, the rest of the team will go,” said the owner. McLaren team president, Taylor Kiel said. “There’s such an infectious spirit, such an energy, that it has an impact on what we do in a very good way.
“I think we’ve got a driver who can compete and win any kind of lap. We’ve put a good car together. If we’re ready, roll off the truck. At a good window, it’s hard to beat.”
Alex Paloureigning IndyCar and defending race champions at Barber, came runner-up to Chip Ganassi Racing and regained the top spot.
VeeKay finished third for Ed Carpenter Racing.
“I was looking in the mirror so much that I forgot to use my push-to-pass,” VeeKay said.
Spirit rose from 19th to fourth, the best performance among Penske drivers, while the six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon ranked fifth for Ganassi.
There were fireworks at the end of the race between fellow Honda riders Graham Rahal and Romain Grosjean as the two jockey for position, and a raging Rahal shouts over his radio “That guy’s an asshole! He hit me on purpose.”
An animated Rahal was seen after slamming his arm into teammate Grosjean Alexander Rossi to prove Grosjean crashed into Rahal’s car.
Grosjean, who denies intentionally hitting Rahal, said: “We had a few encounters, but it was a good race.
Rahal doesn’t believe him.
“Look at that, look how many rooms he has!” Rahal said he was watching the replay. “I’m just disappointed because it’s not the first time. In St. Pete, he hits everyone.”
Rahal then wonders if IndyCar officials are tracking Grosjean – and even if they are, are they doing anything about the excessive aggression?
“As another driver in the series told me, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, and he’s had this reputation his whole career in Europe and we’re learning. ask his reputation fast here,” Rahal said. “Racial control doesn’t want to do anything, then they won’t do anything. But when we go and anger him, it’s better that they don’t do anything to me. In the past, I was fined for much less than that.”
NEXT
IndyCar kicks off next weekend and most drivers will head to Miami for Formula One’s first race on Sunday. The series returns to action May 14 on the go at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. VeeKay is the defending race winner.
