O’Ward denies McLaren favoritism and hits back at Lundgaard: “He is full of shit”

News summary

Pato O’Ward denied Christian Lundgaard’s claims that Arrow McLaren favors him, particularly when it comes to developing oval setups.
O’Ward called Lundgaard’s version of events “pure bullshit” and said the 2 drivers usually develop their cars in different directions.
The Mexican heads into the Grand Prix of Monterey fighting for second in the 2026 IndyCar standings, after sweeping both Milwaukee races.

Tensions at Arrow McLaren have risen ahead of the Grand Prix of Monterey, the 2026 IndyCar season finale at Laguna Seca. Christian Lundgaard, who will leave the papaya team at the end of the year, recently suggested that the team’s oval development has been tailored to Pato O’Ward, particularly when it comes to car setup.

O’Ward responded on Friday (4) during a Spanish-language interview with ESPN Deportes, using English to deliver a blunt assessment of Lundgaard’s comments: “He is full of shit.”

Lundgaard, who has won 2 races in 2026 but will not remain with Arrow McLaren next season, had previously argued that Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist could face difficulties working alongside O’Ward because of the Mexican’s different driving style.

“You need teammates who need the same thing. In my opinion, Scott and Felix are going to have difficulties with Pato in that regard. Pato runs something very different. In my time with the team, the oval performance has only gone in one direction for whatever reason,” Lundgaard said in an interview with Will Buxton.

Lundgaard is moving to Chip Ganassi Racing for 2027, while Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist will join Arrow McLaren. The Dane’s criticism came shortly before his departure from the team.

O’Ward, meanwhile, entered the Laguna Seca finale with momentum after winning both races at Milwaukee, moving himself into contention for the championship runner-up position behind newly crowned 5-time champion Álex Palou.

But the Mexican rejected the idea that McLaren’s oval development revolves around his preferences.

“Everyone in IndyCar is on their own little island. I know Christian loves to say that everything is made for me and he loves to say that the car only goes in the direction I ask for. But that thing he says about the oval program being only for what I want is pure bullshit, as we love to say in English: ‘he is full of shit.’ It’s not true,” O’Ward said.

The #5 driver also explained that the 2 McLaren cars generally follow different setup directions, rather than sharing a single philosophy dictated by O’Ward.

“On most tracks, we are always on opposite sides of the setup. He develops his car and I develop mine. In fact, in several races, if one is struggling a lot, you switch to the other’s setup and you do better,” O’Ward explained.

O’Ward points to his own oval results

O’Ward also used his own 2026 results to challenge the suggestion that McLaren’s oval package has been designed around him.

The Mexican finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500, 11th at World Wide Technology Raceway and seventh at Nashville before winning both races of the Milwaukee doubleheader. The Milwaukee sweep was particularly significant because it also moved him firmly into the battle for second in the championship.

“I know there are a lot of people talking and saying that everything is for Pato. As you can see, I’ve struggled on ovals all year. In fact, the only ones I managed to pull off were Milwaukee. The rest I struggled with. Indy was so-so, but all the others were terrible compared to previous years,” O’Ward said.

“So if everything were for me, I would have won all the other ovals too. That’s pure smoke,” he added.

The results also underline the complexity of the argument. O’Ward had struggled for much of the season on ovals before finding the pace to win both Milwaukee races. At Mid-Ohio earlier in the year, he had also beaten Lundgaard to give Arrow McLaren its first 1-2 finish in IndyCar.

O’Ward says runner-up battle is not personal

Despite the increasingly public disagreement with Lundgaard, O’Ward insisted that his push for second in the championship has nothing to do with beating his departing teammate.

“In recent years, that has been automatic, right? I had always finished as the team leader. Christian has had a great year, but honestly, whether I finish second or third, I really don’t care,” O’Ward said.

“If Christian finishes second and I finish third, I want to finish as high as possible because it would be a way to match my previous year. But at the end of the day, I don’t target any other driver,” he added.

Pato O’Ward responds to Christian Lundgaard’s claims of favoritism at McLaren (Photo: IndyCar)

O’Ward enters the Laguna Seca finale with a realistic chance of finishing runner-up, while Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood and O’Ward remain separated by only a handful of points in the fight for second. IndyCar’s official site described the battle as one of the key storylines heading into the season finale.

“I want to finish second in the championship because it’s the best we can do this weekend. I knew that having a very good Milwaukee would open up that opportunity for me, and that’s what has happened,” O’Ward concluded.

The IndyCar season finale continues Saturday (5) with Practice 2 for the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, followed by qualifying. The race takes place Sunday (6).

FAQ

1. Why did Pato O’Ward criticize Christian Lundgaard?

O’Ward was responding to Lundgaard’s claim that Arrow McLaren’s oval development is primarily tailored to the #5 car. O’Ward denied that the team favors him and said the 2 drivers generally develop their cars in different directions.

2. Who is fighting for second in the 2026 IndyCar championship?

Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O’Ward are fighting for the runner-up position behind Álex Palou, who has already secured his 5th IndyCar championship.