Pato O’Ward will be driving with renewed confidence in his first full season in IndyCar this season after a tough turn of events last year drastically changed his plans.
O’Ward won the Indy Lights championship in 2018 after a tough battle against Colton Herta and had an IndyCar seat lined up, but then saw the full-time drive for Harding Steinbrenner Racing fall through due to sponsorship troubles just before the 2019 campaign started.
Suddenly without a seat, The Mexican driver was able to secure a last-minute deal with Carlin to drive eight races in the first half of the season and picked up other races in the Japanese Super Formula series and FIA F2 campaign with the brief backing from Red Bull throughout 2019.
The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series campaign will see the Mexican driver will contest a full IndyCar season driving for the newly formed Arrow McLaren SP.
“I want to help the team,” said O’Ward. “I want to deliver for them because I know they’ve been working extremely hard.
“It’s not hidden that this sport requires a lot of economic support, and when people are working as hard as they are, it’s really stupid to think that they’re working this hard to finish tenth. We want to win.
“We don’t really want to set specific objectives, but we want to win races, we want to be challenging for championships, and we want to be a top team.
“It definitely fuels me up even more and makes me hungrier to give them what they deserve for putting their trust in me and believing in me.”
O’Ward competed in just enough IndyCar races last season so as to not be listed as a rookie for this year. 2019 Indy Lights champion and AMSP teammate Oliver Askew will be vying for Rookie of the Year honours beginning in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 15.
