"It's a bit of a shame": Pato O'Ward pulls no punches in his verdict on Arrow McLaren 'plowing like pigs'

Pato O'Ward recently spoke about the issues with his Arrow McLaren car. The Mexican driver remarked how the car 'plows like a pig'.

The new hybrid engine was introduced in Mid-Ohio on July 5 last season. The hybrid system adds up upto 100 pounds of extra weight to the car. For some, the extra weight is something that they have figured out to work with, while others continue to struggle with the car. Pato O'Ward seems to be struggling with the added weight as he no longer finds the car on edge like before.

While in conversation with Autoweek, O'Ward spoke about the issues he faces with the car and how he had to change his driving style and adjust to the needs of the car.

“You used to have them a lot on the edge without the hybrid, but with all this weight in the rear, they just plow like pigs, really. It's a bit of a shame, because they feel like they can go a lot faster. But we can't really get them there to that edge where maybe I have put it in the past," the Arrow McLaren driver said.

"The problem now, is with this hybrid, we've got so much more weight and the car is a lot lazier and it just can't do that anymore. It's been a bit of an adjustment, because I've had to change my driving style, I would say. Or the approach to how you extract lap time from the car is very different now, because you can't have it strong at the front. It's a snowball effect,” he added.

Pato O'Ward won the first hybrid era race at Mid-Ohio on July 7. However, he seems to be struggling with figuring out the car since then. During the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he ended qualifying in 23rd place and ended the race in 11th place, scoring crucial points. But during the second race of the season at Thermal Club Grand Prix, the 25-year-old saw a ray of hope as he managed to qualify with pole position, finishing the race in second place.

During the 50th ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach, Pato O'Ward qualified in ninth place and ended up finishing in 13th place, making him lose his second position in championship standings. O'Ward will be looking forward to improving during the next few races.

Pato O'Ward apologized to fans post Long Beach Grand Prix

Pato O'Ward had a terrible outing at the Long Beach Grand Prix as he finished in 13th place. The 25-year-old put out a tweet apologizing to the fans.

Kyle Kirkwood emerged as the winner of the race weekend, while Alex Palou took second place to extend his championship points. However, it was an uneventful race for O'Ward, who was stuck behind Marcus Ericsson for most of the race.

O'ward put out a tweet for his fans admitting the disappointment and apologizing.

"Disappointed is an understatement. The fans remain the highlight of this weekend as always. Thanks to all that came out to support me and sorry for today," he wrote.

Pato O'Ward will be looking forward to improving at the upcoming Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, scheduled for May 4.