Latest news with #O'Ward
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Paddock Buzz: Santino Ferrucci Continues Foyt's Recent Resurgence
INDYCAR Santino Ferrucci made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in 2018 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit with Dale Coyne Racing. Fast-forward to Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, and Ferrucci delivered the best result of his INDYCAR SERIES career, finishing second in the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. 'Huge shoutout to this whole team,' Ferrucci said. This is the second consecutive week an A.J. Foyt Enterprises entry has finished runner-up. David Malukas secured second place in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 25. Ferrucci's podium finish on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile Detroit street circuit also represents the team's best road or street course result since Takuma Sato finished second in 2015 at Belle Isle. But Ferrucci admitted frustration that his task to reach the front was made more difficult because he qualified 21st Saturday. 'I struggled in qualifying,' Ferrucci said. 'I made a lot of mistakes. I was really hard on myself yesterday. I thought it was all on me.' Ferrucci steadily worked his way through the field during Sunday's race, but a pivotal moment came on Lap 67 when Callum Ilott crashed in Turn 1, bringing out a caution. Ferrucci had just made his final pit stop on Lap 65, and with many of the leaders still needing to stop, the caution allowed him to cycle to the front when they pitted under yellow on Lap 69. He held the lead until Lap 78 when Kyle Kirkwood made the race-defining move to take over the top spot. Kirkwood went on to secure his fourth career victory and second of the 2025 season, both coming on street circuits after also winning the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13. 'The pit stops were phenomenal,' Ferrucci said. 'The stand was amazing. Perfect strategy. I just got lucky with that yellow.' The result capped off a historic two-week stretch for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, marking the first time since 2013 the team has finished on the podium in back-to-back races. That year, Takuma Sato won at Long Beach and followed with a runner-up finish in Brazil. Frustrated O'Ward Still Gains Points Pato O'Ward turned a challenging weekend into a solid result by climbing 11 positions from 18th to finish seventh Sunday in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. 'We survived it,' O'Ward said. 'It's been the worst performance weekend I've probably ever had in INDYCAR, really. We legit qualified 18th on just pure pace. We've had other times where we've been back there, but it's always been because of an issue, or I made a mistake here and there. This one was truly where we deserved to be.' Despite his frustrations, O'Ward made the most of the race through smart strategy and tire management. He and Josef Newgarden were the only two drivers in the 27-car field to start the race on Firestone Firehawk primary tires, then follow with another stint on the same compound, opting for durability over early pace. O'Ward pitted on Lap 53 to switch to the softer alternate tires, but when the caution came on Lap 67 due to Ilott's crash, it allowed him to pit again with the leaders and return to the more durable primary tire. That strategic move kept him in the top 10 mix during the closing laps. The seventh-place finish gave O'Ward a much-needed 22-point gain on championship leader Alex Palou, who crashed in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on Lap 72. O'Ward heads into the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway second in the standings, trailing Palou by 90 points. 'That's a positive considering where we were starting,' O'Ward said. 'There's plenty of racing to go. There's more championship left than what we've done. I think that there's a lot of points on the table, and you can't expect (Alex) Palou to be making a lot of mistakes.' Late Caution Costs Power Potential Podium Will Power was on track for a runner-up finish in Sunday's race, but late-race cautions and a challenging restart dropped him to fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power was running second on the primary pit strategy before the Lap 67 caution triggered by Ilott's crash. That yellow shuffled the field, as Ferrucci, Kyffin Simpson and Marcus Armstrong had already pit and cycled ahead. Power exited pit lane behind Kirkwood but rejoined the race in fifth. By Lap 77, the running order was Ferrucci, Kirkwood, Simpson, Power and Colton Herta. Power made swift moves to get around Simpson and Ferrucci just before another major incident on Lap 83 when Louis Foster suffered a mechanical failure entering Turn 3, colliding with Felix Rosenqvist in a frightening crash. Foster walked away uninjured, and Rosenqvist was seen and released from the infield care center following evaluation. The race was red-flagged with Power sitting in second, but that moment turned out to be his undoing. On the restart with 11 laps to go, his car struggled on cold tires, and he lost positions, first to Ferrucci, then to Herta – ultimately settling for fourth. 'My car was very tough on the restart,' Power said. 'We were as good as them once our tires were warmed up but struggled before. It was almost like I'm driving on snow.' While Power acknowledged he likely didn't have the pace to challenge Kirkwood for the win, he believes he could have held second without the late cautions. Still, the result marked a significant personal milestone, earning his 140th career top-five finish, moving him past Michael Andretti (139) and tying him with Al Unser for sixth on the all-time INDYCAR SERIES list. 'A little disappointed I didn't get a podium, but obviously results really matter for me at the moment,' Power said. Simpson Earns Career-Best Fifth Simpson is establishing himself on street courses in his second season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. After earning a then career-best 10th-place finish at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13, the young driver took another leap forward by finishing fifth in Sunday's race, his best result in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The turning point came during Sunday morning's final practice session, where Simpson and his Chip Ganassi Racing team discovered Firestone alternate tires dramatically improved the performance of his No. 8 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. 'We found that the alternate tire really made the car come alive,' Simpson said. Capitalizing on that knowledge, the team opted for two mid-race stints on the alternates, giving Simpson the grip and speed to move up the order. He made his final pit stop two laps before the Lap 67 caution brought out by Ilott's crash, which handed him crucial track position as others pitted under yellow. The strategy paid off, and Simpson stayed in the mix with the frontrunners for the remainder of the race, ultimately delivering a strong top-five result and building momentum as the series heads toward the summer stretch. Odds and Ends The last time prior to Sunday that three American-born drivers swept the podium in Detroit came in 1995 with Robby Gordon, Jimmy Vasser and Scott Pruett. The last time three Americans stood on the podium in any INDYCAR SERIES race was the second race in 2020 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, when Andretti teammates drivers Herta, Alexander Rossi and Ryan Hunter-Reay were in the respective podium spots. Graham Rahal finished fourth that day, too, giving Americans a lockout of the top four spots. Scott Dixon finished 11th, extending his winless streak to 19 races with his last victory coming here in 2024. This is the fourth-longest winless drought of his career, trailing 39 races between 2003 and 2005, 36 races between 2001 and 2002 and 22 races between 2021 and 2022. Kirkwood delivered Andretti Global its 76th career INDYCAR SERIES victory. Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Global have three podium finishes each since the series returned downtown in Detroit in 2023. Team Penske, A.J. Foyt Enterprises and Arrow McLaren each have one. Kirkwood has a 2.33 average finish on street courses this season. The race featured 261 on-track passes, a record for this downtown circuit and the second-highest total in the history of the event, including races on Belle Isle. The race also featured an event record 181 on-track passes for position. recommended
USA Today
2 days ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
Pato O'Ward calls for IndyCar to ditch the hybrid due to zero benefit
Pato O'Ward calls for IndyCar to ditch the hybrid due to zero benefit In 2024, the NTT IndyCar Series introduced a new hybrid system that changed the on-track product. It has been very controversial since its debut with the drivers and fans not being shy about their thoughts. The racing on track has suffered due to the hybrid system and one of IndyCar's most popular drivers has had enough. Following the first Indianapolis 500 with the hybrid system, McLaren driver Pato O'Ward spoke to Marshall Pruett about the recent issues. O'Ward didn't hold back and is calling for IndyCar to make changes. 'The reason why we keep seeing the restarts being so...I don't even think chaotic reaches the right wording for what we've seen. But, just so desperate is because of the fact that that is your only chance to get multiple positions,' O'Ward said to RACER. "Doesn't matter how good your car is. You know when you make positions now, it's in the restarts by just placing your car somewhere where someone else didn't, and just hoping to God that nothing goes wrong. And by strategy, just having maybe like an overcut. That's how you saw [Ryan Hunter-Reay], [Marcus Ericsson], make their way up while [Conor Daly] was slowing the whole field down, fuel saving." 'I feel like, in all honesty, the hybrid has brought zero benefit to the series in every way, shape and form. I know they're trying to get a third manufacturer. But in my most humble and honest opinion, I believe IndyCar should trust their own history." IndyCar's on-track product has suffered and the drivers are well aware that it's not the same as the past. The hybrid system has only been in place for one year, but it may not have a long tenure in the sport. IndyCar drivers are fed up, and the sport might be forced into making changes sooner rather than later. More: Jimmie Johnson wants Kyle Larson to keep attempting 'The Double'
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
‘We're not here to watch them.' Was Indy 500 lessened by hybrid, rules? Drivers weigh in
DETROIT — In the wake of two consecutive years featuring last-lap passes for the win in the Indianapolis 500 – a race that has only had four such finishes in its century-plus history — Pato O'Ward, twice a runner-up, called this year's edition a 'boring, pretty crap race' from his position finishing fourth at the checkered flag. Or was it sixth? The Arrow McLaren driver remained worried post-race that the two nearly (but not completely) lapped cars of Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster might've confused casual fans while their presence largely prevented any high-action battles for the lead in the final 10 laps of Alex Palou's first Indy 500 win on Sunday. Though opinions weren't uniform across the paddock, O'Ward was not alone in his frustration. 'That's just not a finish an Indy 500 race deserves. People want to be excited and see an exhilarating finish,' O'Ward said Monday evening ahead of the Indy 500 victory celebration. 'Last year, that was a race. That was a friggin' race. I know I didn't end up winning, but I think it's safe to say that was a race. '2023? That was a race. 2022? Those are the fights I believe everyone really looks forward to having, and that last bit was ruined by that.' The culprits that have drawn the ire of O'Ward, his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard, Team Penske's Will Power and others? The presence of two cars at the back of the lead lap down the closing stretch that effectively made Palou, on-track runner-up Marcus Ericsson and Co. feel as if they were battling in a pack — something that's near impossible to do at the moment with the additional 100-plus pounds of IndyCar's hybrid system that debuted in the 500 this month. The way the 500 ended has been a sticking point for Power for years, because, unlike in Formula 1 — where a car that is about to be overtaken by the race leader, putting them one lap down — IndyCar rules do not require slower cars to move over until they're about to go two laps down. In layman's terms, Foster and DeFrancesco had no obligation to swerve aside once Palou or Ericsson reached their rear wings in the closing laps because, according to IndyCar's rule book, cars on the lead lap are allowed to fight to stay there, and not until a car has been lapped by all the lead-lap cars it need to cede track. The idea behind IndyCar's long-held rules is that a car that hasn't yet been lapped stands to be put right back into a prime position to pick up spots, should a caution come out and require a restart with the field bunched back up. To Power, that's not enough of an excuse over the final 10 laps or so to ruin what could have been an edge-of-your-seat finish between Palou, the most dominant driver of the last couple years, Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner and 2023 500 runner-up. 'Fans want to see first- and second-place doing what the last cars on the lead lap were doing, going back and forth, and that's what you would've gotten with (more than) 8 million people watching at the end (on Fox). It's a pity, it's a pity,' Power said. 'We're not here to watch (DeFrancesco and Foster). 'Can you imagine? (Palou and Ericsson) would've been going back and forth, but it was smart for (Alex) to just sit there and stay in the draft, and to be honest, you could pay someone to do that for you. At the end of the race, you could just have one of your team cars who's out of it back up and go back and forth, and there's nothing in the rules that says you can't do that. You absolutely can do that and win that way.' DeFrancesco, who finished 14th on track before advancing up to 11th due to post-race tech inspection penalties, acknowledged that those hopes for a late-race caution were precisely why he and his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate traded spots back and forth during Sunday's closing laps, while staying just far enough out of reach of Palou to maintain their lead-lap position. 'I get (other drivers' frustration), but at the time, I was doing as instructed, and that's the way it works out sometimes,' DeFrancesco said. 'It's a tough one. I understand from their point of view, but it's not my place to comment or decide. We have the IndyCar stewards in place to make that decision, and we followed the rules.' Insider: Fox's Indy 500 broadcast hit 17-year high. What happens next is important for IndyCar's growth Scott Dixon, Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, backed DeFrancesco's sentiments. 'They're on their own race, too,' he said. 'I think people who are going to complain are the people that lost. It's just how the cycle of the race worked out, and good for Alex.' Added Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin: 'It's the luck of the draw in IndyCar racing. At the end of the day, that's just how it works. There were no yellows, and those guys were trying to stay in the game on the lead lap, and if there's a yellow, those guys are back in the race.' Somewhat surprisingly, Sunday's first-time 500 winner has mixed feelings about the topic. 'In my opinion, (showing them a blue flag) is what I would've liked, yes. You always want no traffic cars when you're going for the end of the race, but they've always left those cars there because they're on the lead lap,' Palou told IndyStar on Monday afternoon. 'But then at every track when there's 30% of the race to go, that's it, they shouldn't be up there, but the rules are like that, and Helio (Castroneves) used them the same way I did.' As Palou made a point to note Sunday evening, the three-time IndyCar champ was forced to settle for runner-up in his first Indy 500 with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 because Castroneves, who was running second behind Palou with just under two laps to go, looked up the track and noticed the pair was quickly approaching (nearly) lapped traffic. So in a race where in clean air the car second in line could pass at ease, Castroneves took what to Palou seemed as if it was a bit premature pass back for the lead. But soon after, the pair essentially joined the train of cars ahead, and in the turbulent air, Palou no longer had an easy pass to make on Castroneves, and he'd remain a few too many car lengths back for the final five miles of the race headed toward the checkered flag. '(Sunday) wasn't boring for me. I was very tense,' said Palou in reference to O'Ward's 'boring' comment about the race that was from his view. 'I mean, would it be better without traffic? Maybe, maybe not. 'It was the situation we were in, and I think he'd probably change his words if he was the guy winning.' The idea that the third or fourth car in line would have difficulty passing a car directly ahead, even if the one trailing was the eventual Indy 500 winner, and the one ahead was a mid-pack car at best, has been a feature of the 500 and IndyCar for a couple years now, as a car that debuted in 2012 has continued to take on more and more weight than it was ever intended to run with. But the addition of the 100-plus pounds related to IndyCar's move to hybrid technology has only exacerbated the issue over the last 11 months, leading to several races with abnormally low numbers of on-track passes, historically long caution-free droughts and passes for the lead on road and street courses that are few and far between. Technology that IndyCar and manufacturer leaders pledged would improve the racing product has, at least in reference to the competitive side of the sport, hampered what cars can do. Though we still saw several passes for the lead throughout Sunday's race from cars jumping one spot up from second-place — as well as a notable highlight-reel move from Conor Daly that saw the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver leap to the lead from third — the Indy car's lack of nimbleness has only further hampered what was already a car, many drivers believe, past the point of no return. 'I think you'd head the same from everybody: (the hybrid) is kinda useless,' Lundgaard said. 'I don't think any one of us really enjoy it. It doesn't give us any benefit, and I think it's just made the racing worse. 'It just causes more problems than it does good.' IndyCar's "car problem," Lundgaard said, has only been worsened by promises of a new car that have been kicked down the road for more than half a decade, now with promises of a new one either in 2027 or 2028. And so the fact a new one wasn't yet ready when IndyCar reached do-or-die mode with its need to shift to hybrid technology to appease its manufacturers, the change only made worse the Frankenstein monster of a car. 'I think the Blackhawk helicopters flying over us (on the pace laps) was the highlight of the day,' Lundgaard said of his 500 that ended with a ninth-place finish on-track and a seventh-place finish in the final results. 'Get (the hybrid) out of the car and give us a new car as quick as possible. We've known for a long time that a new car was coming, but it keeps getting moved, and that's a problem.
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: Drivers Waste Little Time Finding Limit in Detroit
INDYCAR With the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the mirrors of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the road ahead features 11 races at 10 venues to end the season. The pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup is in high gear. Up next: Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood turned the fastest lap of the first practice on the downtown street circuit, but the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda sat quiet on pit road for most of the session after taking rear contact from Team Penske's Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) in a two-corner shove that might foreshadow another chaotic race. Mid-race rain and eight cautions slowed last year's 100-lapper, and there was additional car-to-car contact that didn't necessitate a yellow flag. Here are three takeaways from what has transpired in this event after one on-track session: An Adventurous First Practice The 27 car-and-driver combinations have already pushed the limits of the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit. If the contact between Power and Kirkwood wasn't enough, Juncos Hollinger Racing's Sting Ray Robb (No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet) nosed into the tire barrier, and a slew of other drivers directed their cars to run-off areas to avoid wall contact. The question was, who didn't have a tire lockup on the bumpy streets? One of those who scooted off course was Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet). He finished second on the speed chart, which is a morale boost after the New Zealander crashed out of the '500' before the race even started. Indy's top two finishers, Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) and AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technology Chevrolet), went off course in this weekend's first practice session without contact. Basically, no harm no foul. But again, maybe it's a preview of what's to come for the third race held on this circuit. The drivers will get more track time Saturday in the form of a second practice (9 a.m. ET) and qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (noon ET). Both sessions will air live on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Sunday's 100-lap race is on FOX at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Race for Second With Palou clutching a staggering 112-point lead after winning five of the season's first six races, the standings reflect a battle for second place. As it stands, it's Arrow McLaren teammates Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) and Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) tussling for that position. O'Ward leads Lundgaard by 13 points. The battle for second applies to races, as well. Five different drivers have finished second in the season's first six races. That's Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, O'Ward in The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Thermal Club, Palou in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Lundgaard in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, O'Ward in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Malukas in the '500.' Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Siemens Honda) finished second to Dixon in last year's Detroit race, and he considers this his best track on the schedule, which is saying a lot since he has had three outstanding drives in the '500,' including a win in 2022. Dixon, who has 58 career race wins, has 52 career runner-up race finishes. Both totals rank second all time in their respective categories. Chip Ganassi's Honda-powered team has won both downtown street races in Detroit – Palou in 2023, Dixon last year. Lundgaard: Palou Can't Win 'for the Rest of His Life' Lundgaard scored his best finish in the '500' – he was seventh – and continues to be one of the drivers on the upswing. Lundgaard believes he is having a championship-worthy season, but there's not a lot more he can do until Palou bobbles. 'He can't win the rest of the races for the rest of his life,' Lundgaard said of the Spaniard who was a surprising 15th on Friday's speed chart. 'They're doing everything extremely well. They're executing every opportunity they have, and even if they do make a mistake, they make up for it at the next opportunity they have. It's just a really strong group, and they're just good at every (type of circuit). There is no real weakness. 'But it doesn't take much (to slip up). A small bit of contact, and he's out of a race, you know? It could be (not) his fault, and that could end the streak.' Lundgaard had the fifth-best lap in Friday's practice. O'Ward was seventh. Both hope to be in position to capitalize on Palou's misfortune, if or when that ever comes. recommended
Newsweek
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
How to Watch Indianapolis 500: Live Stream IndyCar Racing, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and you can catch all the action with FuboTV. Alex Palou, driver of the #10 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, leads the pack of drivers at the start of The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May... Alex Palou, driver of the #10 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, leads the pack of drivers at the start of The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. MoreHow to Watch Indianapolis 500 Date: Sunday, May 25, 2025 Time:12:00 PM EDT Channel: FOX Stream: Fubo (Try for free) Kyle Larson's attempt to run the Indianapolis-Charlotte double headlines the major storylines heading into the 2025 Indianapolis 500. Rookie Robert Shwartzman is on the pole for the race, which is a major surprise since this is his first oval start. Will he be able to contend, or will it be one of the expected names like Pato O'Ward or Scott Dixon that winds up winning the 500? Last year, Josef Newgarden won, becoming the first driver since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002 to win back-to-back Indianapolis 500s. On the final lap, O'Ward took the lead from Newgarden in Turn 1, but Newgarden managed to pass him back in Turn 3. Dixon was third last year, followed by Alexander Rossi, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood, Santino Ferrucci, Rinus VeeKay, and Conor Daly. Entering this race, Palou sits atop the IndyCar standings, leading Kirkwood by 97 points. It's been a dominant start to the year for Palou, but the battle for second is tight. Christian Lundgaard is just one point behind Kirkwood, and O'Ward is just three points back in fourth. Watch the 2025 Indianapolis on FOX. You can stream this race and every 2025 NTT IndyCar Series race on Fubo, as every race this year is airing on FOX. Don't miss out on the racing action. Live stream the Indianapolis 500 on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
