Pato O’Ward delivered an impressive performance at the Thermal Club GP, leading a race-high 51 laps, but ultimately fell short of victory as Alex Palou surged to his second consecutive IndyCar win. Despite securing a strong podium finish, O’Ward was left frustrated by a combination of hybrid issues, uncooperative traffic, and the dominant Chip Ganassi machinery.
Starting from pole position, O’Ward looked set to emulate McLaren’s recent success in Formula 1. The Mexican driver controlled the early stages of the race, building a comfortable lead while his teammate Christian Lundgaard also ran near the front. However, the pace advantage was not enough to fend off the charging Palou in the latter stages.
Reflecting on the result, O’Ward acknowledged the missed opportunity. “No, it’s all very good points day for the team today,” he said to Pit Debrief and other media outlets.
“Obviously, we were the car that had everything to lose because we were starting on pole. I think we led like 50-something laps. It kind of sucks to lose it there in the end.”
While the result was a strong one for McLaren, O’Ward admitted that they had room for improvement.
“Yeah, we need to keep pushing. We obviously weren’t perfect. There is obviously something that we could have done better in order to give it more of a proper fight to the 10 car.”
Hybrid and traffic issues hamper O’Ward’s Thermal Club GP
One of the key challenges O’Ward faced was the reliability of IndyCar’s hybrid system, which significantly impacted his ability to maintain the lead.
“Yeah, for 50% of the race I couldn’t use the thing. Just overheats.”
Thermal’s stop-start nature made the hybrid system a crucial tool for acceleration out of slow corners, making the issue particularly costly. However, O’Ward remained realistic about its impact on the final result.
“Obviously here it’s probably one of the most helpful areas where the hybrid is of good use because of those very stop-and-go corners and long straightaways.
“In race trim, like, if you’re asking me if I would have won that race if I didn’t have those issues, the answer is still no.”
Another source of frustration for O’Ward was dealing with backmarkers, particularly those who also use Chevrolet engines.
RLL’s Louis Foster — who is perfectly entitled to stay on the lead lap — cost the Mexican valuable seconds by holding him up before eventually getting by to put the Brit a lap down. However, a lead of over 7s had come down to less than 2.
“I mean, I hate to whine about it, but it sucks to be the leader. All of our Chevy affiliate teams are worthless with helping when a Chevy leader is coming up on them.
“Honda seem to work as a team very, very well because Foster was doing everything in his power to keep me behind. Palou gets right behind him, and he just lets him cruise by.”
Chasing McLaren’s success in F1
McLaren’s recent resurgence in Formula 1 has been a source of motivation for their IndyCar squad, with O’Ward and his teammates eager to replicate that success.
“Oh, we’re aware, man. We want to be doing what F1 is currently doing.”
He acknowledged that while McLaren’s F1 team has made significant strides, their IndyCar programme is still in pursuit of the top teams.
“I think the fight here in INDYCAR is different, definitely different. I think McLaren right now are leading the way in their situation, and we’re still chasing. We’re still chasing to be the best, so… We’ll get there.”
Despite the frustration, O’Ward remains optimistic about McLaren’s progress, noting that they are in a much better position than they were a year ago.
“Definitely better. Definitely. I mean, to be fair, this probably was one of the tracks where I personally felt like we really didn’t have a fighting chance. We put two cars on the front row, and we got some hard work today.”
However, he also acknowledged Palou’s continued dominance in the series.
“It just seems like every time someone is winning, it’s always Palou in the 10,” he admitted. “He’s obviously figured it out. He’s got a great team behind him. We just need to keep pushing. There’s really not another way.”
It came down to tyre strategy at the Thermal Club GP
Ultimately, O’Ward pointed to the difference in tyre strategy as the decisive factor in the race. He was on blacks in the final stint, with he Spaniard using his new reds in the. Palou quickly overturned a deficit of 10s and converted into a 10s victory.
“Sticker set of red tyres. That was the answer for losing the lead.”
He also noted that the pace of the race was not particularly demanding from a physical standpoint, as the focus was on tyre management.
“No, honestly the pace was super slow, the whole pace of the race. We were just kind of out there controlling it really because you’re just taking care of the tyres. Physically for me really wasn’t an issue.”
Despite the frustration, O’Ward remains determined to fight back in the coming rounds. With Long Beach up next, McLaren will be looking to close the gap to Palou and finally convert their strong pace into a victory.
