IndyCar: Patricio O’Ward proving he belongs as a full-time driver

By Asher Fair | May 3, 2019

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) /

Even with only four career starts, including three this season, under his belt, Patricio O’Ward has proven that he belongs in IndyCar as a full-time driver.

After making his IndyCar debut driving for Harding Racing in the 2018 season finale at Sonoma Raceway as the newly crowned Indy Lights champion, Patricio O’Ward landed a full-time ride for the 2019 IndyCar season.

Harding Racing formed a partnership with Steinbrenner Racing, which partnered with Andretti Autosport to field an entry for Colton Herta in the 2017 and 2018 Indy Lights season, to become Harding Steinbrenner Racing, and they named O’Ward and Herta, who also made his IndyCar debut in the 2018 season finale, as their drivers for the 2019 season.

However, less than one month before the 2019 season got underway, Harding Steinbrenner Racing released the 19-year-old Mexican due to funding issues, leaving him without a full-time ride.

As the season approached, it became clearer and clearer that he would not end up landing a full-time ride for the 2019 season, much less driving for a competitive team.

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However, after not accepting an offer from Andretti Autosport to drive for the team in eight of the season’s 17 races, it was clear that he had to have something else lined up, especially given the fact that he still possessed the $1 million scholarship that he earned by winning the 2018 Indy Lights championship.

O’Ward ended up signing with Carlin to drive the #31 Chevrolet in 13 races throughout the course of the 2019 season. He was only set to miss the season opener the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, the season’s ninth race at Texas Motor Speedway, the season’s 14th race at Pocono Raceway and the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Many people questioned O’Ward’s decision given how competitive Andretti Autosport have been compared to how competitive Carlin have been. Carlin only entered IndyCar last season, and they struggled to find good pace all season long with Max Chilton and Charlie Kimball as their two full-time drivers.

But in reality, O’Ward’s decision gave him an opportunity to prove his worth driving for a team that many people perceive as a team that do not have what it takes to compete at a high level, and it gave him an additional five races in which to do it.

Chilton returned to Carlin as the full-time driver of the #59 Chevrolet this season while Kimball returned as the driver of the #23 Chevrolet, but on a part-time basis. He signed a five-race deal with the team to compete in the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the four races in which O’Ward is not set to compete.

In the first four starts of his IndyCar career, including his first three starts of his rookie season, O’Ward has proven that he belongs in the series as a full-time driver.

Last season in his IndyCar debut, driving for a team that had not recorded a single top seven qualifying effort or a single top 12 finish all season long, he qualified in fifth place and finished in ninth.

This season, driving for a team that recorded just one top nine qualifying effort and three top eight finishes in a combined 34 starts last season, he made his debut in the season’s second race at Circuit of the Americas, and he qualified for and finished that race in eighth. Meanwhile, Chilton finished in 21st after starting in 13th.

O’Ward then finished ahead of Chilton in the season’s third and fourth races at Barber Motorsports Park and on the streets of Long Beach, California, respectively, as well, as he finished those two races in 16th and 12th place while Chilton finished them in 22nd and 14th.

In just three starts so far this season, O’Ward has recorded Carlin’s two top finishes of the season, and despite the fact that he has competed in only three races this season while Chilton has competed in all four, he sits in a 17th place tie in the championship standings while Chilton sits in 22nd.

In fact, while the fact that Chilton is his teammate makes this especially notable, O’Ward is tied with or sits ahead of six of the 22 drivers who have competed in each of the season’s first four races despite the fact that he has only competed in three of them.

Let’s hope that a top-tier team recognizes the talent he possesses and signs him to a contract as a full-time driver ahead of the 2020 season.

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Will Patricio O’Ward end up landing a full-time ride for the 2020 IndyCar season? If so, for which team will he compete on a full-time basis next year? If not, will he still compete in the series on some level?