Tensions inside Arrow McLaren have boiled over forward of the IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca, as Pato O’Ward issued a blistering response to departing teammate Christian Lundgaard over allegations surrounding the group’s oval setup improvement.
The friction spiked after Lundgaard – driver of the #7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, who won’t proceed with the group in 2027 regardless of two wins this season whereas contending for runner-up honors – publicly criticized the group’s oval program previous to final weekend’s Milwaukee doubleheader. Talking with Fox Sports activities host Will Buxton, the Dane pointed to the #5 driver as the foundation of his setup struggles.
“Effectively, for starters, you want teammates who want the identical factor,” Lundgaard mentioned. “For my part, Scott (Dixon) and Felix (Rosenqvist) are going to have difficulties with Pato in that regard. Pato runs one thing very completely different… in my time with the group, the oval efficiency has solely gone in a single course for no matter cause.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Finn Gomez through Getty Photographs
In a latest interview with ESPN Deportes, O’Ward fired again immediately at his teammate’s claims, calling them pure smoke and mirrors.
“Everybody in IndyCar is on their very own little island,” O’Ward mentioned. “I do know Christian likes to say that the whole lot is made for me and he likes to say that the automotive solely goes within the course I ask for… However that factor he says concerning the oval program being just for what I need is pure bullshit, as we like to say in English ‘he is filled with shit’, it is not true.”
O’Ward emphasised that the drivers function on distinct setups relying on the monitor.
“On most tracks, we’re at all times on reverse sides (of the setup), he develops his automotive and I develop mine, and, in actual fact, in a number of races if one is struggling loads, you turn to the opposite’s (setup) and also you do higher,” O’Ward mentioned.
Following a sweep of each races at Milwaukee on August 30, O’Ward climbed to fourth within the championship standings with 503 factors – putting him simply two factors behind Kyle Kirkwood and 4 factors behind Lundgaard for the runner-up spot. The IndyCar title has already been clinched by Álex Palou.
O’Ward famous that his personal combined outcomes on ovals – fourth (Indianapolis 500), eleventh (World Broad Know-how Raceway), seventh (Nashville), and two Milwaukee wins – this season disprove Lundgaard’s narrative.
Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren
Picture by: Jake Galstad / Lumen through Getty Photographs
“I do know there are lots of people speaking and saying that the whole lot is for Pato,” he mentioned. “As you possibly can see, I’ve struggled on ovals all yr, in actual fact, the one ones I managed to tug off had been Milwaukee, the remainder I struggled with. Indy was so-so, however all of the others had been horrible, evaluating them to earlier years, so if the whole lot had been for me, I might have gained all the opposite ovals too (…) that is pure smoke.”
Whereas ending runner-up would match his career-best outcome from 2025, O’Ward insisted his motivation at Laguna Seca is solely private efficiency, not intra-team retaliation.
“Lately that has been automated, proper?” O’Ward mentioned. “I had at all times completed because the group chief, Christian has had a fantastic yr, however truthfully, whether or not I end second or third, I actually do not care, if Christian finishes second and I end third, I wish to end as excessive as attainable as a result of it will be a technique to match my earlier yr, however on the finish of the day I do not goal another driver.”
O’Ward went on to additional add, “I wish to end second within the championship as a result of it is the very best we are able to do that weekend, I knew that having an excellent Milwaukee would open up that chance for me and that is what has occurred.”
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