“What example are you setting?”: Pato O'Ward questions IndyCar owner's ethics amid the Indy 500 controversy

Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward has spoken up about the example Team Penske is setting for the series amid the Indianapolis 500 scandal. The 26-year-old highlighted how the series looks up to the team.

On Sunday, May 18, after the Fast 12, it was announced that two of the three Team Penske cars were found violating the IndyCar rule 14.7.8.16 for illegal modifications and were disqualified. However, on Monday, May 19, the series announced that the team was handed a $200,000 fine for cars #2 and #12, with suspensions for two of their team personnel. This drew a lot of reaction from fans, team owners, and drivers, including Pato O'Ward.

During a conversation with Motorsports.com, the Arrow McLaren driver spoke about the issue and raised questions about the example being set by the team and the owner. He opined that all of this was not a good look for the series in general.

O'Ward said:

"It's important to also realize that while there's so much at stake. The team that is also doing these infractions owns the series. They own the Speedway. They own the series. They are the benchmark. They're the heroes to many of us. We are the underdogs striving to be like them. We are the team that's striving to beat them. What example are you setting?"

He added:

"First of all for your fans. Second of all for the honor of your own series. And three: what are you showing people? Are you doing that because you don't believe in your drivers? You've got amazing drivers in your team. I get that we're always pushing the limits of what's legal or not in order to gain that advantage, (but) it's not a good look."

Roger Penske owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as the IndyCar series. He owns the series via his company, Penske Entertainment Corp.

As for Pato O'Ward, he has qualified in third place for the Indianapolis 500 after putting in a lap of 232.089 seconds. This will mark the papaya driver's best start at the 'Greatest Spectacle of Racing.'

Pato O'Ward opens up about his 'frustration' after finding out about Josef Newgarden's illegal car during the 2024 Indy 500

Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward recently weighed in on Josef Newgarden's car being illegal during the 2024 Indianapolis 500. Last year, Josef Newgarden overtook O'Ward to win the race for a second consecutive year. As the news about the scandal continues to spread, it was recently revealed that Team Penske used the same illegal modifications on their car in 2024 as well.

The whole fiasco came to light on Sunday after the qualifying session, as cars #2 and #12 were penalized. On May 19, Monday, it was announced that the cars had been sent to the rear end of the grid. These events have led to a lot of speculation in the paddock about last year's Indy 500. The suspensions were eventually confirmed, which led many to question as to how it was fair to last year's runner up Pato O'Ward.

The Mexican driver has spoken about the issue and expressed his frustration about the same, saying (via journalist Angela Moryan's X handle):

"I want to win outright, and we lost that race last year, but obviously it's just frustrating that it wasn't caught beforehand, I would say. It's just not right, we are going to try to go out there and win it properly... with a legal car."