Pato O'Ward gets 100% real about only setback in an otherwise "fun" IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio

Arrow McLaren star Pato O'Ward finished the 2025 Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in the Top-five after starting the race outside the Top-10. The Mexican driver came out of the race and shared his clear opinion on the setback that held the #5 Chevrolet from progressing further at the race.

O'Ward failed to get out of the first qualifying session and started the Mid-Ohio race in P14. However, the Arrow McLaren driver had clear pace in the car as he made some spectacular overtakes, and was genuinely quick during the race, running almost the same pace as the leaders.

O'Ward’s teammates Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel also had great pace in their cars, with all three running inside the Top-five at some points during the race. However, as the different strategies converged, Siegel fell to 11th, whereas Lundgaard and O'Ward finished P3 and P5, respectively.

Pato O'Ward's race was further not helped by the timing of the caution flag which pushed drivers to make a choice between a two-stop and three-stop strategy. The Mexican driver opted for a three-stop, whereas race leader Scott Dixon opted for a two-stop.

The Arrow McLaren driver came out after the race and reflected on how the poor qualifying had stopped him from progressing further.

"It was a really, really fun race for me. The guys at Arrow McLaren did a great job. Good strategy, good pit stops."

“This car was a race winning car. Shot ourselves in the foot yesterday during qualifying. We were a little bit compromised, we had a bit of a refueling issue to get an actual run on the reds and we were around cars which were actually in sequence and didn't quite get a good chance there. That was a shame because I thought we were as good as last year,” Pato O'Ward said via Tony Donohue.

Pato O'Ward won last year's IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio and had similar pace this weekend, but was not able to convert it into a podium result. Nonetheless, it was a good recovery from the Mexican driver.

“Been a while”: Pato O'Ward on the #5 Chevrolet feeling alive at Mid-Ohio

Pato O'Ward had a strong race at the Thermal Club, where he took the pole position and finished the race in P2. However, ever since, O'Ward hasn't had a strong car around the street/road courses. The oval performance has been great with podiums at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Gateway.

However, coming to Mid-Ohio, O'Ward found his mojo back at the road circuit. He said afterwards during the same interview:

“It’s such a difference when you have the confidence, place the car where you want, attack where you need. It's been a while since I've felt this way in a race where, apart from the oval and Thermal maybe. We've struggled to get the car and are able to fight our way out.”

O'Ward currently sits third in the IndyCar standings behind Kyle Kirkwood and Championship leader Alex Palou.