Pato O’Ward strongly expressed his disappointment after the 2025 Indianapolis 500 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, openly criticizing the race’s chaotic finish and overall dynamics. Although he eventually secured a podium place when Marcus Ericsson was disqualified following post-race inspection, O’Ward, from Monterrey, Mexico, the standout star of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, was openly unhappy with how the event unfolded.
Race Summary and O’Ward’s Final Position
The 26-year-old driver completed the 200-lap race originally in fourth place but was promoted to third after Ericsson’s penalty. Unlike the previous year, when O’Ward nearly clinched victory but lost to Josef Newgarden in the final moments, the 2025 race saw him out of contention for the lead beyond laps 9 and 10. Throughout the race, he remained mostly among the top ten but slipped behind the eventual winner, Alex Palou, crossing the line two seconds after him.
Discontent Over Restarts and Race Conditions
O’Ward singled out the frequent restarts as a major issue, pointing to six caution restarts during nearly three hours of racing that disrupted the flow and shuffled positions unpredictably. He described the restarts as a gamble, saying,
“Pretty crap race I would say. Just kinda sucks that it went down to — the switcheroo was for the last position of the race and Ericsson actually kinda choked there and let (Alex) Palou by and just kind of, he just had to pedal it there,”
—Pato O’Ward, Driver, then added,
“I don’t think it’s a finish anybody here would of wanted to see.”
O’Ward was critical of the inexperienced drivers who led during restarts, stating,
Image of: Pato O’Ward
“I just feel like there was a bunch of non-experience in the front of the restarts and I think some of those restarts were pathetic,”
—Pato O’Ward, Driver, and emphasized,
“Those were not of the level (of restarts) that we should be seeing at the Indy 500.”
Challenges with Strategy and Unpredictability of the Race
Highlighting the unpredictable nature of the race, O’Ward compared the restarts to gambling, expressing frustration,
“You’re playing a coin flip for what lane you were going to choose,”
—Pato O’Ward, Driver. He likened the situation to roulette, saying,
“it was like playing roulette, pick black or red, and then apparently it was zero.”
He felt that lapped drivers indirectly benefited the raceleaders, which made the competition less fair.
O’Ward summed up the turmoil of positioning shifts during the race by explaining,
“you either got screwed or you made like 10 positions”
—Pato O’Ward, Driver and admitted,
“we got hosed there a couple times.”
O’Ward’s Consistency and Future Prospects at Indy 500
Despite the disappointment, O’Ward continues to deliver strong performances at the Indianapolis 500, with three podium finishes in his last four appearances. Over six total Indy 500 starts, his results show steady improvement and competitiveness, with placements ranging from 24th due to a crash in 2024 to as high as second place twice. Reflecting on his effort, O’Ward said,
“We made it back up a little bit after being in the middle,”
—Pato O’Ward, Driver and added,
“Fought my way as hard as I could, that’s all you can do sometimes.”
With his candid critique of the race’s execution and his demonstrated resilience, O’Ward’s comments highlight ongoing concerns about how race conditions affect competition in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, especially at a marquee event like the Indy 500.
