Pato O’Ward delivered a stellar performance in the IndyCar Sonsio GP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, finishing second behind the seemingly unstoppable Álex Palou who claimed his fourth victory in five races this season.
The Mexican driver for Arrow McLaren started from eighth position but executed a perfect race strategy to secure his podium finish, showcasing impressive pace throughout the 85-lap contest.
Strong performance from eighth on the grid
“We fought hard today. Started eighth, and I was pretty happy with the balance of my car,” O’Ward said after the IndyCar Sonsio GP. “Just missed it there in qualifying with the issues that we had in a straight line, but Ian fixed it. It was good to have good pace.”
In a race that featured multiple strategic approaches, O’Ward capitalised on well-timed pit stops and consistent speed. He jumped from fourth to second position during the final round of pit stops on lap 63, emerging ahead of several competitors who had been running in front of him.
The race saw Graham Rahal make a brilliant start from P2, overtaking pole-sitter Palou entering Turn 1. However, by lap 58, Palou reclaimed the lead that he would not relinquish, building a comfortable 5.5-second margin over O’Ward by the chequered flag.
Will Power completed the podium in third, while Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon rounded out the top five. Rahal, who led for 57 laps, ultimately finished sixth after struggling on the harder compound tyres in the final stint.
O’Ward’s praise for new tyre rules
O’Ward praised the implementation of the new tyre rule that required teams to use both the softer red and harder black compounds during the race, creating more strategic variety.
“I think the tyre rule, at least from our side, that was pretty eventful, I would say,” O’Ward commented. “I think hopefully today was a bit more eventful than the ones in the past, but got to do something to stop that 10 car. They’re really, really just on it. They don’t make a mistake. It’s pretty impressive.”
When asked to expand on his thoughts about the tyre regulation, O’Ward was enthusiastic about its potential impact on future races, “I mean, I think we went into it with a lot of unknowns,” he said. “I think a lot of people are, like, ‘Ah, it’s going to be a red race.’ Some guy said, ‘Oh, no, they’re going to deg.’ I think the black was a lot better than what we thought, or at least from our camp.”
Pushing for rule changes in Detroit
He continued, “I think here it obviously puts some uncertainty in people’s decisions, so to kind of see how aggressive you wanted to be with it. I really think in our street course compounds, if this race would have been in effect in St. Pete and Long Beach, everything would have looked completely different.”
O’Ward believes the rule could transform racing at upcoming events. “I think that would have made even better racing, more passes because now you’re forced to do the greens,” he explained. “You don’t get lucky with the first yellow falling down and you’re, like, ‘Oh, let me get off of them and just run a full black race.’ No, you still have to run another set. You’re going to be miserable at least another 20 laps.”
“I think we need to push INDYCAR and force them to enforce this rule for Detroit. I really think that rule is going to be the — it’s going to switch things in the racing, and I think it’s going to produce a race that is so much more entertaining.”
Palou’s victory makes him the first driver since Dan Wheldon in 2005 to win four of the first five races of an IndyCar season. His remarkable start to the campaign represents the most impressive since A.J. Foyt in 1964, when the legendary American claimed the first seven races of the season.
For O’Ward, the result provides valuable championship points as he tries to keep pace with the dominant Chip Ganassi Racing driver at the top of the standings. With Detroit next on the calendar, O’Ward will be hoping the new tyre regulations continue to create opportunities for strategic advances.
