Pato O'Ward expecting nostalgia of “old Iowa” from IndyCar’s race at Thermal

Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward has voiced his opinion on the Thermal Club race track ahead of the Thermal Grand Prix. O'Ward is set to start the event from pole position.

Arrow McLaren driver and Mexican motorsport star O'Ward was the man of the hour in the inaugural weekend of the Thermal Grand Prix. The track, which was used for the first time by IndyCar last season for a non-points $1 millon challenge, was brought into its points-paying race calendar for the first time this season.

Ahead of the race, it was none other than O'Ward who secured pole position. The 25-year-old, who had finished 11th in the season-opening race at St Petersburg, recorded a lap time of 1:39.9567s to claim the sixth pole of his career and his first since the 2022 campaign.

Following his pole-winning run, O'Ward spoke to the media about what to expect from the race at Thermal. While the track is categorized as a road course, the Mexican driver suggested that the variety of strategies at play could make it feel reminiscent of the Iowa Speedway before its repave, a circuit known for its tire degradation. He stated (via Bob Pockrass on X):

"This is a road course, but I think tomorrow it's gonna be very reminiscent of what old Iowa was. You're probably not going to know where you are. You might know what place you're in at the moment, but there's going to be like multiple different strategies going. I think we're in for a treat."

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What were Pato O'Ward's words after his pole win in Thermal Club

Speaking to the media after the race, Pato O'Ward expressed confidence in his car and gratitude toward his team for their hard work leading up to the race. He stated (via Motorsport.com):

"I knew if we could get the car to my liking I would get it done. I’ve gotta thank the guys. We’ve been working hard coming back here. We haven’t had the best of weekends in the past, but we turned it around."

He further explained how a slight adjustment in Q2 made a significant difference in his performance. He added:

"We dialed it in after Q1, because I was somewhat happy with it, but (it was) not perfect. We just made a little bit of an adjustment. As soon as we went out in Q2, I said ‘I’ve got this.’"

Pato O'Ward's strong performance was complemented by his teammate Christian Lundgaard, who qualified second, just 0.1678s behind. Speaking about the scenario, the Mexican acknowledged the importance of having multiple competitive cars within the team. He explained:

"I'm happy to have strong teammates, and I'm happy to have people that are very fast, and that's just going to make me better. It's going to make the whole team better. We need multiple cars -- like we need team cars to be at the front. We can't just have one that's fighting up there."

Last year, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing had emerged victorious at the Thermal Club. He qualified third for Sunday's race ahead of Colton Herta, Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi.