Pato O'Ward continues to hold firm in his fight for the IndyCar championship. This Saturday, the Mexican Arrow McLaren driver qualified second for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey, which will be held this Sunday at the legendary Laguna Seca circuit in California. He was only beaten by Spaniard Alex Palou, who achieved a near-perfect lap and took pole position. Palou, the current championship leader and defending champion, recorded his fifth pole position of the year in a season he has dominated almost unopposed. The Chip Ganassi driver has seven wins from thirteen races and 536 points in the overall standings. O'Ward, however, has begun to close the gap thanks to a positive run that keeps him as the main pursuer, now with 437 points.

"It was a monstrous lap that Alex put in," acknowledged O'Ward after qualifying. "But we keep pushing. Tomorrow we'll do everything possible to stay ahead," he added, convinced that he can still fight on the Californian track.

O'Ward's comeback was consolidated in Toronto

The Monterrey native's good form was confirmed last weekend, when he won with authority on the Toronto street circuit. Starting from tenth place, O'Ward capitalized on a yellow flag that hurt Palou —who had been leading up to that point” and ended up winning his second race of the season.

That result allowed him to cut 30 points in the general classification and consolidate his position as the only driver with a real chance of threatening the Spaniard's dominance. I thought that strategy would give us the best chance of winning but it wasn't our day, Palou admitted after the test in Canada.

With only four rounds left on the calendar, every point counts. The race at Laguna Seca will be crucial in determining whether the championship heads to an early finish or whether O'Ward can continue to close the gap.