Pato O’Ward has accomplished almost everything a driver can ask for in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
He has 12 career victories. He has finished among the top five in the championship six times in his seven full-time seasons. He finished a career-best second in the standings in 2025 and has been runner-up twice in the Indianapolis 500.
But two accomplishments continue to elude the popular Mexican driver: an Indianapolis 500 victory and an NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. He’s getting closer to both.
O’Ward finished fourth in the 2026 championship, adding three victories, 10 top-five finishes and 11 top-10 results to his résumé. He closed the season especially strong, sweeping both races at Milwaukee Mile and scoring three top-five finishes in the final five events. Yet O’Ward’s season wasn’t always as straightforward as those numbers suggest.
“It was a bit of an odd one,” he said. “I felt very confused. I’m always kind of on my own island, always have been, and this year I just couldn’t seem to get a direction. More times than not, I’m more kind of like, ‘Where do we go?’ It was one of those seasons.”
Arrow McLaren still produced an impressive season, with Christian Lundgaard third in the standings and O’Ward fourth. Only Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing and Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global finished ahead of the Arrow McLaren duo.
O’Ward and the team are digging deep in data this offseason to figure out how to improve. They’re close. It’s just how many of those top-five finishes could have landed on the podium. The team is all-in on helping O’Ward, so much so it’s surrounded him with three Indy 500-winning teammates and seven combined championships.
The team didn’t retain Lundgaard or Nolan Siegel, O’Ward’s teammates the past two seasons. Lundgaard finished in the top five in points in each of the last two seasons and won two races this past season. Arrow McLaren brought back Felix Rosenqvist and added six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon as replacements. (Photo, above: O’Ward, Rosenqvist and Dixon)
Rosenqvist returns following a three-year stint with Arrow McLaren from 2021-23. He and O’Ward became close friends during that time and have remained close. Rosenqvist drove for Meyer Shank Racing the past three seasons and won the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
Dixon brings a résumé no current driver in the series can match. The 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner has 59 career INDYCAR SERIES victories and six championships. Ryan Hunter-Reay returns to the team for a second consecutive year as an Indy 500-only participant. Hunter-Reay won the 2012 championship and 2014 Indianapolis 500.
That gives O’Ward three highly accomplished teammates from whom he can learn as he continues his pursuit of the two biggest goals missing from his résumé. It’s a combination that gives Arrow McLaren optimism entering 2027, especially after team principal Tony Kanaan called 2026 the best season in team history.
“There is so much to be proud of this past season, starting with our move into our new home, the McLaren Racing Center, in Indianapolis where we launched our season liveries back in February,” Kanaan said. “We celebrated Christian’s (Lundgaard) first Arrow McLaren win at the Indy GP; we sped down the Miami streets to unveil Ryan Hunter-Reay’s Indy 500 livery; we snagged our team’s first-ever 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio; we raced in awesome new markets (Phoenix, Arlington, Markham and Washington); and we made history in Milwaukee with Pato’s back-to-back wins in a single day, just to name a few of the highs through the year.”
Kanaan isn’t satisfied with simply celebrating what Arrow McLaren accomplished in 2026. He views the season as a foundation for something bigger, with O’Ward at the center of those plans.
“We’ve been fighting to establish our team among the top in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and we proved ourselves this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re ready to settle,” Kanaan said. “Just the opposite. I’ve always said winning is addicting. We’re still building, still developing and still racing for more wins.
“We’re building on a strong foundation. The experience Pato, Scott and Felix bring is nearly unmatched, and we’re working hard this offseason to hit the ground running in St. Pete next March.
“And of course, we’re locked in on the Indy 500. We’re hyper-focused on making a statement at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one that ends with milk.”
The challenge for O’Ward is turning consistency, speed and experience into the two achievements that have remained just out of reach. His 2026 season showed he can contend throughout a championship battle. His late-season surge provided momentum. It’s time to capitalize.
“It’s all about building on what you learned the previous year,” O’Ward said. “Doesn’t always work out perfect, but I’ve got some very experienced teammates coming into the picture, and I’m so excited to learn from them.”
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