Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Thursday, July 9, 2026
O’Ward Asks McLaren to ‘Politely Fire’ Him From F1 Reserve Role
Pato O’Ward has asked McLaren to “politely fire” him from his Formula 1 reserve role, drawing a line under years of F1 ambition that never yielded a race seat. In comments published Wednesday, the Mexican-American said multiple off-seasons packed with F1 commitments left him no personal time, and that he has grown disenchanted with 2026’s F1 car regulations. Following his Mid-Ohio victory last weekend, O’Ward says winning the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar championship are now his exclusive priorities. He is confirmed at Arrow McLaren through 2027 alongside newly signed Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist.
How Dixon’s Shock Move to McLaren Overshadowed O’Ward’s Mid-Ohio Win
Scott Dixon’s bombshell exit from Chip Ganassi Racing after 24 years dominated IndyCar headlines at Mid-Ohio, overshadowing Pato O’Ward’s race victory. The six-time champion is joining Arrow McLaren for 2027 alongside O’Ward and 2026 Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist, who had already triggered silly season weeks earlier by announcing his departure from Meyer Shank Racing. Dixon said: “It was a long thought process and it’s not easy. Sometimes change is inevitable.” Third-placed Christian Lundgaard, whose contract status was already uncertain, emerged as the leading candidate to replace Dixon at Ganassi—though his oval record complicates any deal.
Lundgaard: ‘Mistake of My Own’ in Turn 2 Cost Him the Mid-Ohio Victory
Christian Lundgaard led 41 of 90 laps at Mid-Ohio from pole position before losing the lead to teammate Pato O’Ward after a self-described error in Turn 2 on lap 42. “At the end of the day it was a mistake of my own,” Lundgaard said after the race, explaining that he had struggled with rear grip on corner entries throughout. O’Ward capitalised by seizing the lead in Turn 5 shortly after. Lundgaard said he could have defended more aggressively in Turn 4 but chose not to: “I think that’s always good racing.” The Dane sits third in the championship, 65 points behind leader Alex Palou.
Sources: Motorsport.com Racer Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
O’Ward Defends Dixon Against Fan Backlash at Milwaukee Mile Oval Test
Pato O’Ward spoke out in defence of Scott Dixon at Tuesday’s Milwaukee Mile oval test, pushing back on fan criticism sparked by Dixon’s signing to Arrow McLaren for 2027. “I’ve been shocked at the disrespect that he’s received,” O’Ward said, defending the six-time champion against those he described as talking down one of IndyCar’s all-time greats. Dixon’s arrival at McLaren will displace Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, whose futures remain uncertain. The Milwaukee test drew 25 drivers from ten teams to the historic one-mile oval for pre-Nashville Superspeedway oval preparation.
Mid-Ohio IndyCar Audience Up 73 Per Cent Year-on-Year to 1.34 Million on FOX
Mid-Ohio’s IndyCar race on July 5 drew 1,344,000 average viewers on FOX, a 73 per cent increase from the 775,000 who tuned in for the same race in 2025, according to figures published Tuesday by Racer. The audience peaked at 1,541,000 in the closing laps as Pato O’Ward took the chequered flag. Seven of eleven races in 2026 have exceeded one million viewers, compared to five of seventeen in 2025. Overall, the series is running 18 per cent ahead of last season’s average on FOX, reflecting growing momentum for American open-wheel racing in its broadcast network era.
Drivers’ Championship
1. Alex Palou — 404 pts
2. Kyle Kirkwood — 348 pts
3. Christian Lundgaard — 339 pts
4. David Malukas — 338 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 310 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 270 pts
7. Felix Rosenqvist — 265 pts
8. Scott McLaughlin — 262 pts
9. Scott Dixon — 224 pts
10. Marcus Ericsson — 222 pts
11. Rinus VeeKay — 219 pts
12. Marcus Armstrong — 219 pts
13. Graham Rahal — 218 pts
14. Will Power — 209 pts
15. Kyffin Simpson — 194 pts
16. Alexander Rossi — 190 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 179 pts
18. Louis Foster — 159 pts
19. Dennis Hauger — 148 pts
20. Nolan Siegel — 145 pts
21. Christian Rasmussen — 143 pts
22. Romain Grosjean — 139 pts
23. Caio Collet — 132 pts
24. Sting Ray Robb — 108 pts
25. Mick Schumacher — 108 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel — 6 pts
30. Helio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Teams’ Championship
1. Team Penske — 704 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 685 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 671 pts
4. Andretti Global — 628 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 484 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 410 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 333 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 327 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 311 pts
10. Dale Coyne Racing — 287 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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