Everyone knows that consistency is the key to building a championship campaign. Ahead of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward reiterated this sentiment. As the season nears the halfway mark, the driver of the No. 5 has been one of the consistent forces on track, with six top-five finishes over eight races.
“Consistency pays off very strongly whenever you start racking up some podiums and wins. We’ve yet to do that this year, but I’d say we’ve done a good amount of what is expected. The standard that you expect from Arrow McLaren and myself is to at least be in the fight in many of these weekends, and we have been.”
~ Pato O’Ward to Dave Furst from INDYCAR.
The series heads straight into another race week for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race. Here, O’Ward has five podium finishes in seven visits. Ahead of the weekend, The Girls Who – Motorsport got the opportunity to talk to O’Ward. From what makes the upcoming race special to his part in the historic McLaren outfit, here is what he had to say.
Night Races “Look Cool”
The standout feature of the upcoming race is that it’s the sole night race on the INDYCAR calendar. Racing the short oval under the lights is a rarity in the series. However, it is an exciting challenge for the drivers. “I love the night race. I think [it’s] something that every driver looks forward to.” O’Ward was enthusiastic about his enjoyment of the alternative format. He went on to share how whilst racing under the lights “looks cool”, the lower evening temperatures cool everything down. Consequently, the night race ends up being “better for the racing … the cars really do like that.”
Earlier in the conference, he had been honest that, despite the uneven layout of the oval, “you’ve got opportunities to attack people on both ends of the track.” When The Girls Who spoke to him, he followed this sentiment up to explain that “the nature of [the] track is quite helpful” to understand and highlight what the cars are “like when they’re racing up against each other“.
This weekend also brings about another challenge for O’Ward and Arrow McLaren. A new aero configuration will be on the cars at the oval, as well as new tyres. These two new aspects will be “crucial to the racing product”, O’Ward thinks. He also hopes that the changes will continue to improve the on-track racing, acknowledging that “every race at this circuit keeps getting better and better year after year”.
A Historic Weekend For The Papaya Team
As well as competing in INDYCAR this weekend, the wider McLaren outfit heads to Monaco for the sixth round of the Formula 1 championship. On the streets of Monte Carlo, the Papaya Team will be celebrating their 1000th Grand Prix in the series. Since the brand was founded in 1963, they have participated in a range of motorsports and seen continued success.
O’Ward recognises that he’s a part of a “huge organisation”, but was clear that he is a “huge and proud Papaya member”. Racing for Arrow McLaren, he also serves as their reserve driver in Formula 1 and has competed FP1 sessions and tests. Reflecting on his role within the team, he shared what it is like to be able to “support and see other sides of motorsport that we’re obviously not participating in”.
Recognising that the Monaco GP is like their equivalent to the Indy 500, O’Ward believes that it is “nice to support them”. He is wishing Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and the rest of the team the best this weekend as they look to complete this historic milestone. For him, it is “definitely cool to be part of such a great family.”
Whilst O’Ward is waiting patiently to take his place on that top step, he is proud to be a part of McLaren and believes they are making the necessary progress. Holding previous success at this track and having momentum this year, what can he achieve this weekend?