In the first two races of the 2022 IndyCar Series, Pato O’Ward struggled to finishes of 12th at St. Petersburg, Florida, and 15th at Texas Motor Speedway. In the following two races, he finished fifth at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and picked up his third career victory in the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
O’Ward was clearly frustrated over his on-track form at the start of the year. He had won two races last year, and was a championship contender until the final race of the season – ultimately finishing third in points.
One of his rewards for his IndyCar success was a test drive for the McLaren F1 team at the post-season Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi. O’Ward seemed in the frame for a McLaren F1 drive in the near future – but that became complicated when Andretti Autosport driver Colton Herta signed on as a McLaren test driver for the season.
That sparked rumours of a rift between driver and team, and suggestions O’Ward would move on, if not at the end of this season, then at the end of his current contract.
O’Ward put a gem of a pass on VeeKay for first win of 2022Before Alabama things had begun to look better. And afterwards the picture was distinctly rosier. “It sucks to be at war within your own team, right?” O’Ward said after the race, tongue planted firmly in cheek.
“I’m glad there have been very positive talks for the future. I wanted to do it for these guys,” O’Ward remarked. “I was tired of being tenth and 11th and fifth, so I said, ‘Let’s get a win under our belts so we can claw our way back into the championship fight.’”
After overtaking Rinus VeeKay on track following their final pit stops, the number five Dallara-Chevrolet of O’Ward had more than enough to fend off Álex Palou and take home a crucial victory. It has put O’Ward within 30 points of the championship leader after four races.
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