Inconsistency has plagued Arrow McLaren’s IndyCar operation on and off the track in 2024 despite claiming multiple victories.
After winning the season opener at St Petersburg, Pato O’Ward failed to finish inside the top 15 at any of the following four races.
He found consistency after that though, banking seven top eight finishes in a row, before slumping again and falling outside of the top 10 for three races in a row.
The first race at the Milwaukee Mile 250 has seen him return to form again, and he will be hoping to replicate that in Sunday’s second IndyCar race.
2024 IndyCar campaign ‘really frustrating’ for McLaren and Pato O’Ward
McLaren‘s main issue this year has been thoroughly understanding the tyres, struggling to put them in the correct operating window.
It has made life difficult for their drivers, who have to cope with a tricky and sometimes unpredictable car balance as a result.
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“We can forget about the championship,” O’Ward told RACER. “Miserable, all three cars. The fact of the matter is, right now, we suck. Not because of effort. But because with this new tyre, we didn’t seem to get it to engage, and then in the race, it was the opposite of qualifying.
“We couldn’t get the tyre to work, but we could get the tyre to work. So it’s just very confusing. It’s really frustrating. I’m glad we’re getting our a—– kicked.”
“I feel like in the past, it hasn’t been this aggressive or this bad, but this will force everyone to look deep at things.”
Can McLaren bounce back in 2025?
McLaren will have the youngest driver line-up in the series next year, with Nolan Siegel and Christian Lundgaard partnering O’Ward.
It’s a lot of talent that the team will need to harness and maximise if they are to challenge IndyCar’s big three of Team Penske, Chip Ganassi or Andretti.
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Their tally of race victories suggests that they do have the car to compete on their day, but they have to find that consistent baseline more often.
Losing Alexander Rossi and his experience could have an impact on their ability to make positive adjustments to the car, but the three young drivers they have aren’t exactly rookies either.
If O’Ward can win Sunday’s second race at Milwaukee, there will be a real feeling of ‘what could have been’, if the team had managed to find some more consistency, with the most wins of any driver on the grid.