INDIANAPOLIS — Pato O’Ward inked a contract extension two days earlier than the Indianapolis 500 that makes him the centerpiece of Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar and maybe past.

The deal introduced Friday extends O’Ward’s contract by means of the 2025 season and features a pay increase, a McLaren for his private use and potential alternatives for the 23-year-old with McLaren’s Method One staff, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown advised The Related Press.

“Pato is a vital a part of McLaren’s future in IndyCar, and we’re comfortable that he will likely be a key a part of Arrow McLaren SP for years to return,” Brown stated. “He’s an extremely proficient driver who has already proven what he’s able to in IndyCar, and I look ahead to watching him take the subsequent step in his promising profession.”

O’Ward is in his third season driving the No. 5 for Arrow McLaren, and the Mexican is taken into account a championship contender. He scored two victories final yr — profitable a wager with Brown that earned O’Ward a take a look at in December in McLaren’s F1 automobile — and completed third within the IndyCar standings. He was in competition for the championship as much as the season finale.

He opened the yr partnering with fellow IndyCar drivers Colton Herta and Devlin DeFrancesco for a category victory within the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona after which turned his consideration to IndyCar. However he turned up for the season opener sad along with his contract, which McLaren admits was staff pleasant, and O’Ward’s displeasure confirmed on the monitor.

O’Ward completed twelfth and fifteenth within the first two races and was thirteenth within the standings. Even worse, Herta signed a contract with McLaren to check its F1 automobile as O’Ward was holding out for a greater deal.

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It wasn’t till Lengthy Seaside that O’Ward determined to clear his head of the contract dispute, and he parlayed his new method to a fifth-place end. He and Brown started hammering out the offers on an improved contract proper after.

Then O’Ward received at Barber, was in competition for the victory on the street course at Indianapolis and challenged for the Indy 500 pole. O’Ward will begin seventh, alongside teammate Felix Rosenqvist, on Sunday when he makes his third profession begin in “The Best Spectacle in Racing.”

O’Ward completed sixth in his Indy 500 debut and was fourth final yr.

“I’m extremely comfortable to have locked in my future with Arrow McLaren SP. This staff has actually felt like residence for me over the previous three years, and I am unable to wait to construct on our success as we compete for wins and championships,” O’Ward stated. “I need to thank the entire staff for this chance. That is precisely the place I need to be.”

It isn’t clear what alternatives Brown might need for O’Ward in F1, which is the sequence that he hopes to achieve. He did the younger driver take a look at at Abu Dhabi in December as a reward for profitable an IndyCar race, however now Herta is subsequent in line to get in McLaren’s F1 automobile.

For now, the IndyCar staff is hoping its younger ace will likely be a important a part of its success.

“All the staff is worked up that Pato is onboard for the lengthy haul. He is a vital a part of our plan right here at Arrow McLaren SP. His power and work ethic is infectious,” staff president Taylor Kiel stated. “Having watched him develop since he joined the staff, I look ahead to constructing on these foundations to extend our efficiency and obtain our frequent targets within the years to return.”