Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in the No.5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet says that even though the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has been racing on the IMS road course a number of seasons now, each year is different.
It was a disappointing race last time out in Barber for O’Ward who was classified in 23rd place but looking ahead to the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday he said:
We’re headed to the Indy Road Course this weekend for the only time this season. Even though we’ve raced here quite a bit over the last few years, I would say every year is different. It’s always kind of surprising seeing where people stack up; sometimes, it’s completely the opposite of what you expect. I’m looking forward to the challenges that we’ll have this weekend. We’ll try to roll out with the best package as a team and score some good points.”
It has been a busy time for Thèo Pourchaire who made his debut for Arrow McLaren in Barber and came home in 22nd place as the French driver has been confirmed as the driver of the No.6 Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2024 season with the exception of the Indianapolis 500.
I’m looking forward to discovering another new track this weekend. However, I’m a bit more familiar with this track given it’s history, plus I’ve been able to have some time in the simulator to prepare. This is home for a lot of teams in the series, including Arrow McLaren, so I’m excited for my first ever race in Indianapolis. I’ll give it my all this weekend and hopefully we can bring home a good result.”
Alexander Rossi in the No.7 VELO Chevrolet has had a good record here on the IMS road course having won here in 2022.
Looking ahead to this weekend, Rossi says:
The Indy Grand Prix last year was very kind to us both times we races there, but we still had a bit of pace to find. I think that there is a really good opportunity for us to start the Month of May in a strong way this weekend, and we’ll be doing everything in our power to make that happen.”
Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward says:
The best month of the year is finally here, and there’s no better time for us to get back on the right track. We have so much exciting stuff going on this month, from celebrating the 50th anniversary of Johnny Rutherford’s 1974 Indy 500 win to Tony Kanaan getting inducted into the IMS Hall of Fame later, but it really all starts this weekend at the Indy Road Course. We’ve been fast here historically, especially last year when Pato and Alexander both landed on the podium. With Théo, we just keep continuing to build up and improve each time he gets in the car. I’m confident we’re going to have three cars fighting at the top this weekend, and I’m looking forward to starting the Month of May with a great result.”