An unexpected mutual exit has just been revealed, with Gavin Ward leaving the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team after only two seasons as Team Principal.
The Canadian had begun his motorsport career at Red Bull in Formula One, where he covered a range of roles concerning race engineering and aerodynamics, collaborating in the years of Sebastian Vettel’s four World Championship titles.
In 2018 Ward had returned stateside, joining Team Penske in his first IndyCar experience, covering the role of race engineer.
Ward led Arrow McLaren IndyCar to its most successful season ever in 2024, with Pato O’Ward scoring three race wins at St. Pete, Mid Ohio and Milwaukee and a very close second in the Indianapolis 500, while also navigating the car no. 6 driver issues and the difficult Palou process.
The Indianapolis-based team has also revealed that Ward will not have a singular substitute, with his previous responsibilities now handled by a leadership team consisting of former Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, former IndyCar director Brian Barnhart, former Andretti strategist Scott Harner, Performance Director Nick Snyder, Head of Finance Brad O’Brien, Director of Communications Lauren Gaudion and Chief of Staff Sophie Markakis-Smith.
Ward commented on his departure, highlighting the progress the team has made in the past seasons and what was achieved with him as chief:
“I leave Arrow McLaren after two years developing a people-first culture set to topple the 20-year domination of INDYCAR’s championship teams. We’ve made major strides during my tenure. Our 2024 INDYCAR season delivered the team’s most-ever race wins, and we came within two turns of victory in the Indianapolis 500.
“Arrow McLaren is positioned for further success – with a stable driver lineup, significant off-season recruitment and thoughtful organizational changes. I wish my former colleagues well and hope our work together leads to more wins on and off the track. I plan to spend some time at home with my wonderful wife and two daughters while I evaluate what’s next in my career.”
In the 2025 season Arrow McLaren will field as drivers returning Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel, who had joined mid season after an impressive showing while attempting to qualify for the 500 with Coyne, with the addition of Christian Lundgaard, who will be replacing Alex Rossi.
In spite of the very low average age of the trio, with O’Ward the eldest at 25, the lineup will not lack talent or experience, and with all of them on multi year deals there are definitely the right bases to build on a solid, long term partnership.
CEO Zak Brown saluted Ward, thanking him for the effort he put in in the rebuilding of the team:
“I want to thank Gavin for the time he gave to our Arrow McLaren team the past two seasons. We’ve grown significantly from where we were when he joined the team in 2022, and he was a big part of that transformation. We have a strong team in place, having grown this off-season, and we’re fired up heading into 2025 to fight for race wins and championships.”
