News summary
- Pato O’Ward praised Álex Palou’s ability to extract performance even when Ganassi does not have the best car.
- The McLaren driver said he feels “a little bit of a step behind” Palou and Ganassi after the Spaniard secured his fifth IndyCar championship.
- O’Ward also highlighted Palou’s ability to recover from mistakes, saying he can often back them up with a win.
News summary
- Pato O’Ward admitted he feels one step behind Álex Palou throughout the IndyCar season.
- The McLaren driver praised Palou’s ability to “do truly magical things with the car” even when Ganassi does not have the best equipment.
- O’Ward won both races in Milwaukee but remains locked in a tight fight for second place in the 2026 championship.
Pato O’Ward acknowledged Álex Palou’s status as the benchmark in IndyCar after the Spaniard secured his fifth championship at Milwaukee. Speaking after sweeping both races at the Milwaukee Mile, the Arrow McLaren driver praised Palou’s ability to deliver results even when Chip Ganassi Racing does not necessarily have the best car.
Palou clinched his fifth IndyCar title and fourth in a row after finishing 10th in the opening Milwaukee race. O’Ward, meanwhile, completed a historic double by winning both races on the same day, becoming the first driver to achieve the feat since 1981.
The contrast between the two drivers was particularly notable. While O’Ward enjoyed one of his strongest weekends of the season, Palou once again secured the championship through the consistency that has defined his recent dominance. O’Ward believes McLaren still has some ground to make up on Palou and Ganassi.
“I feel like we’re always a little bit of a step behind because it has taken a little bit to kind of get up there,” O’Ward said during the post-race news conference. “They deliver and they execute.”
The Mexican then emphasized that Palou’s advantage cannot simply be attributed to having the best equipment.
“He doesn’t have the best car everywhere. Like, the guy also does some pretty magical things in it. He’s obviously human. He will make mistakes just like we all do.”
O’Ward’s point was that Palou’s ability to respond to those mistakes is what makes the Spaniard particularly difficult to beat.
“But the amount of times that he does make mistakes, he could always back it up with a win,” the McLaren driver continued. “Those are truly the times that give you the faults of having an issue or having a crash or whatever. Going into a weekend, we can back it up with a win, we’ll kind of rebalance ourselves into this championship.”
O’Ward also joked that Palou has become an ever-present figure in the minds of his rivals.
“The guy lives rent free in everyone’s head in the paddock,” he said, before adding that Palou and Ganassi have “raised that bar” and praising the performance of the #10 car.
The comments came after O’Ward produced a remarkable weekend of his own. The Mexican entered Milwaukee having endured a difficult 2026 campaign, but victories in both races dramatically improved his position in the championship fight. The result put him back into contention for second place in the standings, alongside Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard.
O’Ward believes the biggest opportunity to finally challenge Palou over an entire season could come with the next-generation IndyCar, which is scheduled to debut in 2028. However, he stressed that McLaren will continue pushing its current package rather than waiting for the regulation change.
“I think the biggest opportunity is going to be the new car. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop pushing this current package. They’re going to keep pushing as well,” O’Ward said.
“Every step they take, every step we take, we keep pushing the boundaries. I feel like we’re always a little bit of a step behind because it has taken a little bit to kind of get up there.”
With the 2026 IndyCar season now heading to its finale, O’Ward has an opportunity to finish the year strongly and carry momentum into 2027. The IndyCar 2026 championship battle will conclude at Laguna Seca, where the Mexican will fight for the runner-up position while Palou can race without the pressure of a title fight.
GRANDE PRÊMIO will follow all the action from the 2026 IndyCar season finale.
FAQ
What did Pato O’Ward say about Álex Palou?
O’Ward said Palou “does some pretty magical things” with his car even when Ganassi does not have the best equipment everywhere. He also praised Palou’s ability to recover from mistakes with victories.
Why does O’Ward believe Palou is so difficult to beat?
According to O’Ward, Palou and Ganassi consistently deliver and execute, while Palou can compensate for mistakes by winning races soon afterward.
What is next for Pato O’Ward?
O’Ward will fight for second place in the 2026 IndyCar championship at Laguna Seca. He also identified the new IndyCar, scheduled for 2028, as potentially the biggest opportunity for McLaren to close the gap to Palou.
