O’Ward Excitedly Gearing Up To Beat Palou This Month

Keep an eye on the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet this weekend because Pato O’Ward is on a mission. The Mexican star is sitting fourth in the championship standings after five races, but fourth isn’t where he wants to be, not when you’ve got a guy like Alex Palou playing the role of the Terminator out front. Palou leads the standings, and O’Ward is chasing a 69-point deficit that’s bigger than what a single race can offer.

O’Wards’ Lack Of May Success

The problem? Consistency isn’t the issue; it’s the lack of wins. O’Ward has racked up four top-five finishes in five starts this season, including a fifth-place result at Long Beach, where he qualified second but simply didn’t have the race pace to stick with the Honda brigade.

Three of those top-fives have come on street circuits, St. Petersburg, Arlington, Long Beach, plus a fourth at Phoenix, but the lone road course outing at Barber went south, dropping him to 17th after starting 12th.”We seem to be full of these fifth places this year,” O’Ward said, frustration creeping into his voice.

Honda’s 2026 Struggle

And he’s right. Four Honda-powered drivers finished ahead of him at Long Beach, and O’Ward’s assessment was blunt: “It’s been a Honda show. We’ve got work to do”. Arrow McLaren’s Chevrolet package is missing something, and he knows it.

But here’s where it gets interesting. The calendar flips to May, and O’Ward’s favorite playground is up next. He’s finished second in last year’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course and has racked up three podiums in his last four starts there. Then comes the big one, the Indy 500, where he’s finished runner-up twice in the last three years.

Is Finding Comfort At Indy The Answer?

O’Ward’s comfort level at Indianapolis isn’t just about results. It’s the way he races there. He’s one of the few drivers in the field who can slice through traffic without losing momentum, and his ability to manage the draft has turned the Speedway into a place where he’s dangerous every single lap. When the car is close, he doesn’t need a perfect strategy or clean air to put himself in the fight.

And this year, he arrives with more stability behind him than he’s had in a while. McLaren’s offseason reset has given him a car that unloads closer to the window, and the team’s pit‑stop execution has been sharper through the opening stretch. If that carries into May, O’Ward won’t just be a contender. He’ll be one of the drivers everyone else has to plan around.

What’s Next

Palou won both May races at IMS last year, and O’Ward isn’t shy about acknowledging the standard. “Alex Palou is on fire still. Honestly, it’s impressive to see”.The Month of May is O’Ward’s chance to flip the script. If Arrow McLaren can find something extra on the speedway, watch out. Because when this guy is feeling it at Indianapolis, he’s a problem for everyone else.