Pato O’Ward has not forgotten the dramatic - and somewhat cruel - end of last year’s Indianapolis 500. The Mexican driver was heading for a historic victory when Josef Newgarden passed him on the penultimate corner of the final lap.

“Timing is everything,” says Pato O’Ward as he tries to summarize what he learned from that painful experience after which the Monterrey native broke down in tears after having let a great opportunity to taste sporting glory slip away.

But as a new start for the biggest auto race in the United States approaches (Sunday, 9:45 a.m. Pacific/FOX), O’Ward tries to keep his mind clean, clear and without looking back, not even because the 2024 result could have been tainted by the same cheating that emerged this week and shook the IndyCar Series.

Two of the Penske team cars violated the regulations by presenting modifications to the so-called rear attenuators of the cars, which presumably give them an illegal advantage, so the Newgarden and teammate Will Power were penalized for Sunday’s race and will start from the back of the grid.

But there is apparent evidence that the infringing regulations were in place as early as last year, as explained in an ESPN Deportes article, which raises the question of whether Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward lost the checkered flag because of Team Penske cheating.

O’Ward recently questioned the conduct of members of Team Penske, which later fired some of its managers for multiple instances of willful rule violations.

The 26-year-old driver said Thursday in an interview with La Opinion that he still wouldn’t have liked to be awarded last year’s Indy 500 victory had he been penalized.

“He won last year and that’s how he fell, that’s how he’s going to go down in history,” O’Ward said.“I want to win well and really absorb the experience of what it’s like to win here, but the truth is I don’t think about it much anymore; that was in the past, it’s not my problem... I’m really focused on my own things.”

O‘Ward’s best starting position at the Indy 500

Beyond the bitter taste of last year, O’Ward feels very motivated and, in his own words, ready to try again on Sunday. He will start from the front row (position 3), which is his best position on the legendary Indianapolis oval.

“Before the race even arrives, many of the goals I had in mind have already been achieved,” said the charismatic Mexican driver. “It’s a very long race, a lot of things can happen. You really don’t know who you’re going to be fighting with until the end or if you’re going to be fighting for the lead. You have to position yourself in a very specific way to have that chance… but we’re ready for another Indy 500, which surely won’t be similar to last year’s because they’re all different.” Asked what the key could be to achieving the most important victory of his racing career, the man who has twice finished second in the Indy 500 responded: “Being there at the end, that’s the most important thing. If you’re in contention for the last 15 or 20 laps… The last five laps are the ones that count.” Pato O’Ward buys 300 tickets to give away to fans In his interview with La Opinión, Pato O’Ward explained his decision to buy 300 tickets to give away to fans who have purchased merchandise from the driver who drives the No. 5 Arrow McLaren, as reported by The Athletic in an article focused on the Monterrey native’s growing popularity.

“I haven’t forgotten why I’m doing this. I can have one fan or I can have millions, and at the end of the day I keep doing this because I love it and it gives me life… It’s been my life,” O’Ward says. “It’s an unforgettable experience, and I wanted to be able to give people, the people who support me, the chance: if they buy something, give them a little gift, and that little gift was a seat so they could come see the Indianapolis 500.”

As of Thursday morning, O’Ward had already delivered about 200 tickets, he said. And he clarified that for this edition he purchased a suite at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but those seats are not part of the promotion.

“It’s the first time I’ve had a suite, but I’m not giving that one away because each ticket is worth an arm and a leg.”

O’Ward is in fourth place in the IndyCar standings after five races with 148 points. Spaniard Álex Palou (Ganassi Racing) has 248.