O’Ward leads historic McLaren 1-2 in IndyCar at Mid-Ohio

Silverstone may not have delivered the result McLaren wanted in Formula 1, with the team missing out on a podium on home soil, but the papaya squad more than made up for it across the Atlantic with a dream result in IndyCar.

Arrow McLaren celebrated its first-ever 1-2 finish in the NTT IndyCar Series at Mid-Ohio, as Pato O’Ward ended his year-long wait for victory by leading teammate Christian Lundgaard home in a commanding display of teamwork, pace and flawless execution.

Lundgaard started from pole and controlled the early stages before O’Ward seized his opportunity on Lap 42, capitalising on a small mistake out of Turn 2 to complete a decisive pass. From there, the Mexican never looked back, expertly managing the race and extending his advantage with a smart strategy during the final round of pit stops.

The victory was O’Ward’s first since Toronto last season, ending a frustrating 15-race winless streak and marking the 10th triumph of his IndyCar career. It also came after a season in which he had yet to stand on the podium despite consistently running near the front.

“It’s been a year, it’s been a tough one for sure,” O’Ward said. “I think today is just a perfect example of execution. I waited for the perfect time pounce and from there we just controlled it.”

For McLaren, it was a tale of two championships in one weekend. While Formula 1 left the team searching for answers after Silverstone, IndyCar delivered a milestone result that underlined the strength of the papaya operation in America – and provided the perfect reminder that, sometimes, success simply arrives on a different stage.