Arrow McLaren part ways with key figure following promising 2024 IndyCar season

One of IndyCar's powerhouse teams, Arrow McLaren, recently announced that Gavin Ward would be leaving the Papaya team. Ward was the team principal of McLaren for the last two seasons, having come across from Team Penske in 2022.

Gavin Ward joined Arrow McLaren as the race director, but his role was changed to Team Principal in 2023.

Speaking about his departure from the team, Ward wished his former colleagues and his team well. He said in a statement,

"I wish my former colleagues well and hope our work together leads to more wins on and off the track. I plan to spend some time at home with my wonderful wife and two daughters while I evaluate what’s next in my career."

Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, thanked Ward in a statement, emphasizing that the team has "grown significantly" with Ward at the helm.

Brown added:

"He was a big part of that transformation. We have a strong team in place, having grown this off-season, and we’re fired up heading into 2025 to fight for race wins and championships."

Ward also remarked that along with developing a "people-first culture" that challenged the two-decade-long domination of older teams in IndyCar, the team made "major strides" during his tenure.

He added that Arrow McLaren is positioned for more success in the future because of a stable driver lineup, good off-season recruitment, and "thoughtful organizational changes."

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Arrow McLaren's Gavin Ward once deemed NASCAR's Kyle Larson "one of the best drivers" he's seen

Earlier this year, 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson attempted the Double, running the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren and the Coke 600 with Hendrick Motorsports on the same day. Larson, one of the top drivers in his arena of racing, had to go through a rookie orientation program as well as numerous tests and practice sessions to get used to the single-seater for the 500.

And after working with Larson in his preparation for the 500, Gavin Ward, who has worked with drivers like Sebastian Vettel in the past, deemed the NASCAR driver as one of the best he's seen. He said of Larson:

"Kyle‘s one of the best drivers I‘ve ever worked with for sure, without a doubt. I can‘t believe how well he‘s done here. I‘m over the moon, the team at Arrow McLaren is over the moon, and Hendrick Motorsports is absolutely over the moon with how things have gone from here. We‘ll just keep trying to execute from here.”

It's worth mentioning that apart from overseeing Kyle Larson's Double attempt, Gavin Ward also oversaw McLaren enjoying a season with its most race wins, as its drivers stood atop 3 podiums in 2024.