McLaren CEO Zak Brown has expressed excitement at the prospect of the refreshed, youthful driver-line up within the Arrow McLaren Schmidt Peterson IndyCar project for the 2020 NTT IndyCar season.
Long-time SPM racer James Hinchcliffe was drafted out of the driver line-up in favour of the two most recent Indy Lights champions, ’18 victor Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew, for the ’20 campaign.
“Much like in Formula 1, we’ve got a very exciting, pretty young driver line-up in IndyCar,” said Brown.
“Actually, the youngest driver line-up in the series. Pato O’Ward, the 2018 Indy Lights Champion, has been super-exciting. He’s definitely a go-getter. I watched him race at Long Beach last year and followed his career.
“And Oliver Askew, an American and the 2019 Indy Lights Champion, is extremely quick, so I think the combination of two young drivers shows that the Indy Lights system works, and drivers can progress.
“I like that we’re giving two young drivers an opportunity. For sure they’re going to be very exciting, very fast in our Arrow McLaren SP.”
O’Ward took IndyCar by storm with stunning debut outing at the 2018 season finale in Sonoma for Harding Racing, qualifying fifth and eventually finishing the race in ninth.
The Mexican driver spent much of the 2019 season in a part-time drive with Carlin having failed to secure a full-time seat with the Harding Steinbrenner outfit due to financial complications.
Askew has risen through the ‘Road to Indy’ ladder in recent years and in 2019, came out on top of a season-long battle with fellow IndyCar rookie Rinus Veekay, who will drive for Ed Carpenter Racing in 2020.
Brown’s decision to hire youth for McLaren’s Formula 1 operation in 2019 proved to be a success with Carlos Sainz Jr. ending the season sixth place in the drivers’ standings and Lando Norris displaying a keen prowess in his debut season.
