IndyCar: Red Bull won’t fund Patricio O’Ward's ride at Carlin

Red Bull will not fund Patricio O’Ward’s IndyCar ride at Carlin for him to continue driving throughout the remainder of the 2019 season.

IndyCar rookie Patricio O’Ward, who signed with the Red Bull Junior Team last month before the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has hit a rough patch when it comes to funding for the 2019 IndyCar season.

The 20-year-old Mexican, who ultimately failed to qualify for the Indy 500 after wrecking his #31 Chevrolet in practice for the race, used up his $1 million scholarship that he earned by winning the 2018 Indy Lights championship prior to last weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader.

Fortunately for him, Gallagher Insurance, the primary sponsor of the #59 Carlin Chevrolet, funded his entry in these two races. But unless their generosity continues, O’Ward’s 2019 season may be over.

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Now his rookie season is in even further jeopardy, as it has been confirmed that Red Bull will not fund his ride throughout the remainder of the season.

As a result, if O’Ward cannot come up with additional funding, what was originally a 13-race deal to drive for Carlin this season may effectively end up being a six-race deal that has already expired.

This 13-race deal was already effectively reduced to a 12-race deal after he failed to qualify for the Indy 500, and it was effectively reduced to a 10-race deal after it was confirmed that the two remaining oval races on his schedule, the races at Iowa Speedway and Gateway Motorsports Park (now World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, would be scrapped from his schedule.

Red Bull never had an agreement to fund O’Ward’s IndyCar ride, but losing his IndyCar ride could be damaging to his aspirations of capitalizing on his role as a Red Bull Junior Team driver and going on to compete in Formula 1, at least in the near future, as he has not yet been given an FIA Super License.

O’Ward is set to attend this Sunday’s Formula 1 race, the Canadian Grand Prix, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and he is set to meet with Red Bull Racing team manager Helmut Marko to discuss his future.

Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark. Next

What does Patricio O’Ward’s future look like, not only in IndyCar but in racing in general? Will he compete in any more IndyCar races in the 2019 season? Regardless, will he land a ride in any other series through Red Bull?

IndyCar: Red Bull won’t fund Patricio O’Ward’s ride at Carlin

By Asher Fair | Jun 8, 2019

Red Bull will not fund Patricio O’Ward’s IndyCar ride at Carlin for him to continue driving throughout the remainder of the 2019 season.