Pato O'Ward breaks silence on Josef Newgarden's St. Pete controversy that gifted him the victory

Pato O'Ward has come out to speak about rival Josef Newgarden's 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg controversy. Newgarden, who dominantly won the race, was stripped of it six weeks later by IndyCar officials, and O'Ward, who finished in second place, secured the win.

The controversy stemmed from Team Penske forgetting to disable an unofficial version of the push-to-pass button from the cars of its three drivers. As a result, Newgarden illegally used the extra horsepower boost thrice in the race en route to a dominant victory from pole position. Pato O'Ward's runner-up finish was heroic as he had to battle his inadequate Arrow McLaren car to fend off Team Penske's other two drivers, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power.

In a recent interview with FOX reporter Bob Pockrass from the St. Petersburg circuit, O'Ward revealed the manner in which he was later crowned the winner was quite disappointing. He wanted to feel the high of winning the race by crossing the finish line.

"You want to be the lead car crossing the finish line. You know for us, it's not just a win, but it also... you get to enjoy it with the team. We do this for these moments. When you get the win three weeks later, it's not the same effect. It doesn't feel the same. You get the points, which are nice. But it's obviously not the same as doing it then and there," the Mexican driver admitted.

O'Ward also joked about how he didn't get the winner's trophy from Newgarden, as one would have expected.

"I did get the trophy. I didn't get it from Josef though. It just showed up in my trailer," he said with a laugh.

O'Ward wasn't the only beneficiary that day. IndyCar also disqualified Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin from his P3 finish. This meant P4 finisher Will Power and P5 finisher Colton Herta got upgraded to the podium. All three Team Penske drivers were fined $25,000. Power was the only one who wasn't disqualified. However, he was docked 10 points from the championship.

Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden exchange helmets before IndyCar's 2025 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Josef Newgarden and Pato O'Ward made a great show of sportsmanship on Friday by exchanging helmets at the St. Petersburg circuit. They made a collaborative post on Instagram, sharing pictures that captured the heartwarming moment.

Newgarden, a two-time Indy 500 winner, piqued fan curiosity with the post's caption. He wrote:

"I bet you want to know what was written on these helmet visors 😜 We have many more battles to go!"

O'Ward holds a unique IndyCar record. The 25-year-old has the most number of second-place finishes when Josef Newgarden won the race.

The duo had a decent outing at practice one at St. Pete, with O'Ward finishing in fifth place and Newgarden further back in ninth. The difference between their laps was just over one-tenth of a second.