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IndyCar: Patricio O’Ward turned down 8-race deal from Andretti Autosport

By Asher Fair

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Patricio O'Ward, driver of the #8 Harding Racing Chevrolet, on track during pracrtice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Sonoma Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway on September 14, 2018 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Patricio O'Ward, driver of the #8 Harding Racing Chevrolet, on track during pracrtice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Sonoma Grand Prix at Sonoma Raceway on September 14, 2018 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images) /
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Patricio O’Ward turned down an offer from Andretti Autosport to compete in eight races throughout the 2019 IndyCar season.

Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti revealed that he offered 2018 Indy Lights champion Patricio O’Ward, who drove for Andretti Autosport in the 2018 Indy Lights season, an offer to drive for Andretti Autosport in eight races throughout the course of the 17-race 2019 IndyCar season following his departure from Harding Steinbrenner Racing.

The 19-year-old Mexican reportedly turned down this offer, which was made this past weekend before it was publicly revealed that he would not drive the #8 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda this season like he had been slated too since this past September just after the 2018 season ended.

Here is what Andretti had to say about his offer to O’Ward, according to Autoweek.

"“I offered him a ride in one of our cars for eight races this year and he turned it down. He wanted a full season. He had a pretty good offer on the table, and he turned it down. I offered that to him this past weekend. I don’t know what he is going to do, now. Maybe he has something else.“It’s always dependent on cars and money. He had an opportunity and decided he thought he could do something better with someone else. Good luck. Maybe he’ll find it. I spent a lot of time on the phone with him trying to convince him to do it and he dug in that he had to do a full season. I told him I can’t do that. I wish I could offer it to him, but I couldn’t.”"

By winning the 2018 Indy Lights championship, O’Ward was awarded a $1 million scholarship that guarantees that he will compete in at least three races throughout the 2019 season. One of these three races is the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 in May.

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Andretti Autosport, which just formed a technical alliance with Harding Steinbrenner Racing for the 2019 season, are set to field four cars on a full-time basis in the 2019 season, and as of now, they are set to field a fifth car in the Indy 500.

The team’s four full-time drivers are set to be Zach Veach, Alexander Rossi, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, just like they were last season. Veach is set to return to the cockpit of the #26 Honda while Rossi is set to return to the cockpit of the #27 Honda, Hunter-Reay is set to return to the cockpit of the #28 Honda and Andretti is set to return to the cockpit of the #98 Honda. Conor Daly is set to drive the team’s fifth car, the #29 Honda, in the Indy 500.

Following O’Ward’s departure from Harding Steinbrenner Racing, their lone full-time driver for the 2019 season is set to be 2018 Indy Lights runner-up Colton Herta, who is set to drive the #88 Honda.

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With Patricio O’Ward having turned down a deal to drive for Andretti Autosport in eight races throughout the 2019 IndyCar season, does he have a full-time deal lined up with another team? If so, for which team will he drive in the 2019 season, and if not, will he end up landing a full-time ride?

With the 2019 season scheduled to get underway in just over three and a half weeks on Sunday, March 10 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Florida, expect these questions to be answered relatively soon.