“We got some solid points”: Pato O'Ward shares honest feelings from a difficult first race at St. Petersburg

Pato O'Ward has shared his candid feelings following what was a difficult St. Petersburg Grand Prix race. The Arrow McLaren driver started the race after qualifying 23rd but managed to finish the 1.8-mile course in 11th position.

The young Mexican, who had clinched victory at the 2024 edition of the event, was hoping for an even more commanding race victory at the Firestone St. Petersburg Grand Prix. However, a far-from-ideal qualifying session set the stage for a complicated race weekend for Pato O'Ward.

Things didn’t shape up any easier for the 2018 Indy Lights champion, as he faced a tire puncture early in the race, along with his team selecting a less preferred tire strategy for him in the Grand Prix.

However, amid this barrage of adversity, Pato O'Ward weathered the storm to finish the Grand Prix in P11, gaining the most positions of any driver through the 100-lap event.

Reacting to how things played out in the opening race weekend of the IndyCar season, the 25-year-old, who initially provided the media with a brief but telling response, “I would say we maximized things,” took time to detail his thoughts on the race.

Speaking to the media, as quoted by the IndyCar official website, Pato O'Ward appeared to offer a more positive outlook on the event at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.

“We got some solid points, and it’s important to make sure our bad days aren’t too bad,” he said. “(It was a) great job by the team with the pit stops and the strategy, and I’m looking forward to (the next race) in a couple of weeks.”

O'Ward, who is among the several drivers tipped to clinch the 2025 IndyCar Series title, currently finds himself in 11th place in the drivers’ standings, 31 points behind championship leader Alex Palou.

The Arrow McLaren driver will be on the hunt for redemption at the Thermal Club Grand Prix when IndyCar heads to California for Round 2 of the 2025 season.

Pato O'Ward speaks on tire puncture at St Petersburg race

Pato O'Ward during the INDYCAR Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Source: Getty

Pato O’Ward spoke about his tire puncture despite gaining 12 places during the IndyCar St. Petersburg Grand Prix. The Mexican driver had started the Florida street race as the 23rd-placed car on the grid.

However, against the odds created by several tire strategy mishaps, O’Ward racked up multiple overtakes to finish the race in 11th place. Speaking after the race, the 25-year-old shared his thoughts with IndyCar journalist Bob Pockrass.

In a video posted by Pockrass on X (formerly Twitter), the former Harding Steinbrenner Racing driver recounted the challenges he faced:

“Today, in the race, we didn't get collected in the chaos, but it collected us, I would say, and we got a puncture. So that wasn't ideal because it was one of our prime sets, and we had to change the strategy. But I think 11th is the best that we could have done today with what we got thrown at us.”

Further quizzed about the effect of the early tire puncture he suffered in the Grand Prix and how it affected his race strategy, O’Ward stated:

“I mean, these IndyCar races are so long, man. There are a hundred laps. The problem was, it was a prime set, and no one wanted to run the alternates... But since it was a prime and it was a new prime, I was like, damn, that sucks.”

Arrow McLaren had a St. Petersburg Grand Prix laced with mixed feelings. While Pato O’Ward was able to salvage his race, Christian Lundgaard could only muster up P8, and Nolan Siegel saw his race end on the first lap following a crash involving Will Power and Louis Foster.