Pato O'Ward reveals biggest Indy 500 learning after "uncontrollable" emotional outburst in 2024

So close yet so far, that's been the tale of Pato O'Ward at the Indy 500 as he has finished runner-up at the fabled race in two of his last three tries. Not being able to achieve the impressive feat took a toll on the Mexican driver last year as he had an uncontrollable emotional outburst while exiting his No.5 Arrow McLaren post-race.

O'Ward has been a part of the 33-car grid at the Indy 500 since 2020. Though his early years saw him get up to speed at the oval track, his 2022 venture witnessed his best result at the track ever, a second-place finish. However, finishing the race less than two seconds from taking the chequered flag as the leader seemed like a lot.

With a torrid 2023 Indy 500 kept aside, the 26-year-old was back at it again. Despite qualifying eighth, he made several moves up the grid and was the lead car on the final lap. But his happiness was soon snatched away by Josef Newgarden, who overtook the Mexican driver with a few corners to go, throwing O'Ward under the bus.

This led to one of the rare moments in the IndyCar field, where the Arrow McLaren driver was witnessed sobbing after losing the race lead with less than a lap to go. Reflecting on it, O'Ward said (via FOX News):

"I mean, at that moment, it was a moment that a lot of emotions were kind of exploding out of a bottle, and they truly were uncontrollable. It was a very raw scene of what it’s like to be just right there, but just missing it. It’s been a few times that that’s happened, so that’s why I think it was such a heavy emotion.

"I dedicate and do everything for this moment, and sometimes it’s just right there, but haven’t quite gotten it. It’s just the human side of it, I would say."

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What was Pato O'Ward's biggest lesson that he learned from last year's Indy 500?

Pato O'Ward at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Source: Getty

The 26-year-old has had his time to mature in the series. He has run five Indy 500s and knows the know-how of the elusive race. After losing two Indianapolis 500s with mere seconds separating him from the race winners, Pato O'Ward has learned his lesson the hard way.

Talking about how having the upper hand in the final stint is important, the No. 5 driver said in the same interview:

"The last stint is super important, but also a race that can turn around one lap to another just because of a yellow flag falling. There’s a lot of different strategies going on, and it’s a race that constantly wants you to be flexible, agile."

Pato O'Ward has scored two podium finishes so far this season. He bagged his first podium at Thermal Club and repeated this feat in May at IMS' road course.