Make no mistake, Pato O’Ward has excelled at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway many times. But he hasn’t won. In five races, he has finished second twice (in 2024 and 2022), fourth once, and sixth once. He also crashed while chasing the win in 2023. These performances have made him a fan favorite, even though he has never held the Borg-Warner Trophy.
The driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet will try to change that on Sunday in the 109th Indianapolis 500, when he will start on the outside of the front row alongside rookie pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman from Prema Racing and two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato from RLL.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, a relaxed O’Ward discussed his approach to the crown jewel of IndyCar, why he still considers Team Penske to be the main rivals even though two of their cars will start from the back of the pack, and how he can’t fully grasp what winning the Indy 500 will mean.
Motorsport: This is your first time on the front row of the Indy 500. How does that change things for you in your bid to win the race on Sunday?
“It’s a big objective that I really wanted to accomplish going into the month, to be honest. I’ve obviously never been on the front row for an Indy 500. This will be my sixth [race]. I was so focused on being outside of the front row, to be honest. And we made it happen. We made it happen exactly where I had been thinking about where I wanted to be. Obviously, pole would have been magical, but you try not to take too big of steps.
“Because I’ve never really been in the situation where we were really having a shot for pole. So, this year was really cool to just to have that opportunity to be on the front row. And then, I mean, that just gives you a better, first of all, better view into turn one. Being behind there’s obviously a little bit of a different approach that you have to take, at least in the start of the race. Because you have to be just so aware of everyone around you. Not that you don’t have to be aware when you’re up there. But it does make a difference when you’re behind two cars versus behind 12. The car behaves differently. And that first stint usually goes a little bit different, specifically when it starts getting into the pit stop sequences.”
Have you visualized what you’ll do when the green flag drops?
“Robert (Shwartzman) can obviously have the priority and everyone’s going to start going when he starts to go. I think I’m in a very prime position to really kind of choose, pick and choose where I want to position myself and be for that first stint. But I’d be completely fine staying where I start.”
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Speaking with you, you seem kind of relaxed and chill. Do you feel that way about Sunday?
“I do. I feel it’s been a very smooth month. I mean, just obviously Indy 500 month is never not stressful. Like there’s definitely been situations where it has gotten a little intense. But it’s been a very good month, very nice month, very smooth in terms of, you know, how qualifying went. You know, the car has been behaving good in qualifying trim. Now in race trim, we’ve got some work to do. I’d be lying if I said we’re, you know, we’re perfect because obviously we’re not. I don’t think we are where the car needs to be for the race. So we have some work to do there.
“But man, it’s such a long race. It’s 200 laps. It’s 500 miles. You know, as the race goes on, people are like, you know, ‘this guy’s going to win the race’ and we’re like lap 140. I was in like 15th place at lap 140 last year. So many things change with the restarts and you depend on other people’s decisions as well. When the yellows come out and, you know, what strategy are you on? Are you overcutting? Are you undercutting? That all comes into play. So I’m just excited to be a part of that amazing event again and going to try my best to be there at the end.”
What impact do you think the hybrid will have during the race?
“It’s been a very gnarly month in terms of accidents, as everyone has seen. The cars are just so much more on the limit. The window of being able to make or having a little wiggle or a bit of playroom to see where the car wants to go is so much smaller. It really bites when you get it just a little bit wrong, when maybe last year you could have saved it.
”Considering that, I think that’s going to have a big impact on how the racing is going to be in the race. I think that’s going to have a big impact on what happens with people coming together and having accidents. It’s going to be a lot tougher and more challenging for the drivers to stay on top of the balance because of how much shift there has been to the rear of the car. It’s like 100 pounds to the rear of the car, which is the last place you want it.”
If you make it to the final lap competing for the win, how you use this hybrid unit could be the deciding factor in the race?
“Yeah, I mean, it could definitely help you get a better run or get somebody a little bit easier than what it’s been in the past just because of a little extra boost. But that also gives them the chance to get you a little bit easier if you’re not fully packed up to defend or something. So it’s definitely going to be strategic with how the driver decides to use it.”
How would it help your experience from last year if you were in the same situation again?
“It’s all about the timing, isn’t it? It’s all about getting the timing right and you depend on other people’s decisions. Someone makes a stupid decision right before you make the choice to go and that’s your race ending. It’s so difficult. I think you just need to read what car you’re racing against and seeing where he’s weak, where you’re strong and just use that to your advantage. Sometimes you can’t make the pass where you want to make the pass because your car maybe isn’t strong enough there. So you also have to just really see the best thing for you and where you can make it happen.”
Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren
Photo by: Penske Entertainment
Who do you see as your main rivals for the victory?
“The Penske cars are rockets. They are rockets by themselves and in traffic.”
Will Josef Newgarden and Will Power start in the back of the field?
“Oh, yeah. It’s not going to take long. I say at the 100-lap mark, Josef is going to be through two thirds of the field. Easy.”
What would it mean to you to finally win this race on Sunday?
“I’ve dreamt about it. I’ve dreamt about it many times. I’ve put myself in that situation. What must it feel like? I visualized it and I would love to bring it to life. As much as I know it’s going to feel magical, I don’t think I’m going to be able to really get the grasp of what it’s going to mean.”
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