By John Goolsby, For the Tribune
BIRMINGHAM – Pato O’Ward, the NTT IndyCar points leader, was in Birmingham Monday. The 2021 Barber winner, coming off a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, spent the day visiting with patients at Children’s Hospital. Children’s of Alabama replaces Honda as the title sponsor of the IndyCar race this year.
O’Ward spent the day inside the hospital listening to patient stories, answering questions about racing, playing bingo, and painting wooden race cars. “It was great to spend time with the kids and have the opportunity to give back.”
O’Ward is looking forward to returning to Birmingham later this month and has high praise for Barber. “I love that place,” he said. “It really is my favorite track.” The 23-year-old Mexican has had success at Barber in the past. He had two wins in the Star Mazda series and two wins in Indy Lights before winning in an IndyCar last year.
“As a driver, the commitment that Barber requires is really high,” the 2018 Indy Lights Champion said. “The car requires a lot of commitment to get it where it needs to be to get the most out of it.”
O’Ward says the entire track is challenging, but the last section of the track, turns 11 through 13, are the most difficult. “It is insane,” he said. “It is flat out downhill, then down a gear, and then flat uphill,” O’Ward said. “You don’t see the apex of the corner, you have to time it with the boards on the outside, and you don’t get it identical every single time.”
“I have always loved very high-commitment tracks,” he said. “I feel that’s why I am very strong on superspeedways and ovals.” O’Ward’s commitment was on full display Sunday at Texas. He made 93 passes during the race, the most in IndyCar since 2016, and was battling Josef Newgarden for the lead when a caution flag came out with two laps to go in the race.
O’Ward, in his fourth year with Arrow McLaren, is feeling good about his team and the addition of 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi. “He has been great to work with,” said the 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. “The team has embraced him, and he has embraced the atmosphere.”
O’Ward says the culture at Arrow McLaren is what makes the team special. “We share everything; strategy and data,” he said. “We don’t section off.” That sharing and openness has seen the team have great qualifying results early on this season. Felix Rosenqvist, Rossi, and O’Ward qualified in the top-5 on the 1.5-mile Texas oval this past weekend.
While O’Ward is extremely happy to be racing in IndyCar, he has always had his eye on Formula One. O’Ward would most likely be racing in Formula One this year if not for a rule change by the FIA , the governing body of international racing, regarding his “super license.” That controversial decision left him six points shy of the total needed to obtain the license for Formula One. “Right now, there is no point in focusing on that because I want to win an IndyCar championship,” he said.
Later this year O’Ward will get testing time behind the wheel of a McLaren Formula One car. He tested previously for McLaren in 2021 and 2022. Arrow McLaren is the U.S.-based team of the storied McLaren racing team in Formula One. O’Ward says that his relationship with American Zac Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, gives him a “path to Formula One and is an ongoing project that will continue.”
O’Ward is looking to increase his points lead as the series heads to the historic Long Beach Grand Prix April 16. The series then makes it’s way to Barber, April 28-30, before spending the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Tickets for the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix can be purchased at indyalabama.com or by calling 877-332-7804.