The Mexican Pato O'Ward achieved his first victory of the season in IndyCar this Sunday by winning the Honda Indy 200 Grand Prix, held at the Mid-Ohio circuit. The Arrow McLaren driver thus added the tenth victory of his career in the category, on a day in which the championship leader, Àlex Palou, managed to climb back to fifth position.

The race also left a double positive result for Arrow McLaren, as the Dane Christian Lundgaard finished second, while the American Kyle Kirkwood, of Andretti Global, completed the podium. Despite not getting into the box, Palou maintained the lead in the general classification by expanding his tally to 404 points.

O'Ward built his victory based on a strategy that, as he explained at the end of the race, allowed him to wait for the right moment to take the lead and manage the advantage until the checkered flag.

"It has been a tough year, without a doubt. I think today is the perfect example of execution. I waited for the perfect moment to overtake and, from there, we simply controlled the race. The guys were incredible in the pits," said the Monterrey driver.

O'Ward celebrates victory while Palou retains the lead

The Mexican also highlighted the performance of his car throughout the weekend, an aspect that he considered decisive in achieving the result.

“This car has been a delight to drive throughout the weekend,” commented O'Ward, who also expressed his desire to complete a perfect day for Mexican sport. “I hope to complete a Mexican sweep this Sunday with a victory for ‘Tri’ against England in the 2026 World Cup,” he added.

Meanwhile, Àlex Palou staged a comeback after starting from eighth position on the grid, as a result of a complicated qualifying session. The Spaniard managed to advance three places during the competition, although he acknowledged that he did not find the necessary rhythm to fight for higher positions.

"We lacked a little more speed today. I started very well, very comfortable with the soft tires, but as soon as we mounted the primary ones it was difficult for me to keep up," he explained.

Chip Ganassi's driver appreciated, however, the work done by his team from the strategy. "A complicated day, trying to fight, but happy that our strategy worked very well. We went from eighth to fifth position, so I'm already thinking about the next race," he said.

After the Mid-Ohio test, Palou continues to lead the championship with 404 units. Kyle Kirkwood occupies second position with a disadvantage of 56 points, followed by Christian Lundgaard, who remains at 65. O'Ward, boosted by his first victory of the year, rises to fifth place in the standings with 310 points.