'These are the guys that I grew up watching': When Pato O'Ward opened up about having reverence for competitors 

The year 2021 was a memorable campaign for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward. He ended the campaign in third place in the drivers' standings, and following the end of it, he sat for a post-season interview in which he talked about having "reverence" for his rivals on track.

Back then, O'Ward talked in detail about his rivals on the tracks and specifically mentioned top drivers like Josef Newgarden (two-time world champion) and Scott Dixon (six-time world champion).

"I just love competition. I mean, these are the guys that I grew up watching, Josef, Scott [Dixon], Will [Power], but as soon as I got to INDYCAR I was like, 'I want to beat you and I really want to race you for it.' I don’t want things handed to me. I really enjoy the rush that you get when you truly win something, when you’ve earned it; I feel like both of our wins this year were like that. They weren’t just handed to us because someone in front had an engine failure or a penalty," O'Ward said via Arrow McLaren.

In the 2021 season of the highest class of open-wheel racing in America, Pato O'Ward secured 487 points alongside two wins, three pole positions, nine top-fives, and 11 top-ten finishes. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou won the championship with 549 points.

Pato O'Ward's take on his biggest learning from 2021 IndyCar campaign

While Pato O'Ward talked about having respect for his fellow drivers while bumping wheels on the race track in 2021, via the same interview, he also shed light on the biggest learning he had during the campaign.

In light of this, the driver had the following to add:

"Consistency does win championships, but I feel that INDYCAR is so competitive now that, where maybe a few years ago a bunch of top fives might be enough, you need to score consistently well and win races. You have to win races because all the other drivers you’re fighting will be winning races," O'Ward added.

Pato O'Ward has been competing in IndyCar since the 2018 Grand Prix of Sonoma. He has so far managed 91 starts in the sport and secured seven Grand Prix wins, 27 podiums, and six pole positions.

In last year's extremely competitive campaign, O'ward once again proved his mettle by putting on a great showing in his 17 outings. The 25-year-old ended the season in fifth place behind Team Penske's Will Power and managed 460 points. Moreover, in the process of doing so, he secured three wins, six top-fives, and 10 top-ten finishes.

In the recent 2025 Thermal Club Grand Prix, O'Ward ended his 65-lap outing in second place behind Alex Palou.