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Pato O’Ward exploring free agency just 1 race into IndyCar season

Pato O'Ward exploring free agency just 1 race into IndyCar season

Pato O’Ward scored his first career IndyCar win a year ago at Texas Motor Speedway and was rewarded for it with a Formula One test with McLaren.

Now as he returns to his de facto home track for Sunday’s race, O’Ward’s bright future has suddenly become very cloudy. He’s got a contract with Arrow McLaren SP that runs through the 2024, but the young Mexican driver admitted he is actively scouring the job market.

Say what?

“To be fairly honest with you, I’m fully focused in what I’m doing right now, which is driving and trying to do the best season that I can,” O’Ward told The Associated Press when asked Wednesday about his future. “My group of people is just scouting out what my future is going to look like. Yeah, that’s pretty much as much as I’ve got right now for you.”

O’Ward was vague when asked what had changed in the love affair between the 22-year-old driver and McLaren — “that’s a great question,” he said — but his sudden interest in the free agent market seems odd. The race at…

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