Pato O’Ward signs extension with McLaren through 2025

INDIANAPOLIS — Pato O’Ward inked a contract extension two days before the Indianapolis 500 that makes him the centerpiece of Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar and perhaps beyond.

The deal announced Friday extends O’Ward’s contract through the 2025 season and includes a pay raise, a McLaren for his personal use and potential opportunities for the 23-year-old with McLaren’s Formula One team, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown told The Associated Press.

“Pato is an important part of McLaren’s future in IndyCar, and we are happy that he will be a key part of Arrow McLaren SP for years to come,” Brown said. “He is an incredibly talented driver who has already shown what he is capable of in IndyCar, and I look forward to watching him take the next step in his promising career.”

O’Ward is in his third season driving the No. 5 for Arrow McLaren, and the Mexican is considered a championship contender. He scored two victories last year — winning a bet with Brown that earned O’Ward a test in December in McLaren’s F1 car — and finished third in the IndyCar standings. He was in contention for the championship up to the season finale.

He opened the year partnering with fellow IndyCar drivers Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco for a class victory in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and then turned his attention to IndyCar. But he turned up for the season opener unhappy with his contract, which McLaren admits was team friendly, and O’Ward’s displeasure showed on the track.

O’Ward finished 12th and 15th in the first two races and was 13th in the standings. Even worse, Herta signed a contract with McLaren to test its F1 car as O’Ward was holding out for a better deal.

It wasn’t until Long Beach that O’Ward decided to clear his head of the contract dispute, and he parlayed his new approach to a fifth-place finish. He and Brown began hammering out the deals on an improved contract right after.

Then O’Ward won at Barber, was in contention for the victory on the road course at Indianapolis…