Championship contender Pato O'Ward reveals IndyCar ambitions as title bid takes huge dent

IndyCar

Championship contender reveals IndyCar ambitions as title bid takes HUGE dent

IndyCar contender reacts as championship ambitions take HUGE dent

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson

Sunday 18 August 2024 17:00

Arrow McLaren star and IndyCar championship contender Pato O'Ward has insisted he is simply focused on winning races as the 2024 season comes to a close after his title ambitions took a huge dent in Michigan.

O'Ward was forced to retire from the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway with an engine issue on Saturday.

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O'Ward was P5 in the drivers' standings ahead of the race and starting ahead of championship leader Alex Palou on the grid, so it felt like a good opportunity for the Mexican driver to close the gap on the Spaniard in the standings.

That was not to be, however, with mechanical issues forcing him to pull into the pit lane and retire from Saturday's race.

Pato O'Ward races the No 5 car for Arrow McLaren

O'Ward: It's been a year of ups and downs

Speaking to NBC Sports mid-race, O'Ward explained that his engine had failed, and later reflected on his overall ambitions as he dropped valuable points in the championship battle.

“We're not quite sure if it was that or if it was just a plain-out engine failure. So we’ll just have to see.

“So we don't quite know exactly what it was, but pretty sure our day is done.”

For the rest of the season, O'Ward insists he is simply trying to get race wins, and will see where he stacks up championship-wise at the end of the season.

"Engine failure - engine, engine!"

MAJOR mechanical issues for championship contender @PatricioOWard! pic.twitter.com/YEUWkjJeYq
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) August 17, 2024

“It's been a year of ups and downs and I think at this point we just want to be winning races,” O’Ward said on his ambitions for the remainder of 2024.

“There’s four to go, so there's plenty of points on the table and in terms of championship, we'll just see where we stack up at the end of the year.

“I think to this point, all I care about is winning races.”

After Saturday's race in Michigan, O'Ward now sits P6 in the IndyCar standings, 98 points shy of Alex Palou in P1.

IndyCar Pato O'Ward Arrow McLaren Michigan World Wide Technology Raceway