Mexico’s Pato O’Ward has at all times loved the sights and sounds of Toronto, it’s simply the IndyCar Sequence race round Exhibition Place he didn’t like, struggling 12 months after 12 months on the road course.
O’Ward lastly received the Ontario Honda Sellers Indy Toronto on Sunday – the seven-year veteran’s first victory in Canada. A pep speak from Arrow McLaren crew principal Tony Kanaan to the crew the night time earlier than, some stable technique, and a little bit little bit of luck made the win occur.
“It’s a giant day. It’s a really huge day,” mentioned O’Ward on the post-race information convention. “It feels fairly particular in a spot that has arguably been one of many greatest complications each single 12 months that we come right here.”
Pole sitter Colton Herta of the US leads the sphere into Flip 1 initially of the 2025 Honda Indy Toronto in Toronto, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn
Like a lot of the drivers within the 11-turn, 2.874-kilometre race, O’Ward began on a set of less-favourable alternate Firestone Firehawk tires. He had them switched out in his first pit cease simply forward of a Lap 3 warning.
That meant O’Ward solely had to make use of the less-favourable set for the higher a part of two green-flag laps. Though that technique compelled him right into a three-stop race, he was in a position to run the first compound the remainder of the way in which.
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“It’s a very good feeling that we didn’t simply nail the technique and get fortunate, however we additionally needed to earn our win as we speak,” mentioned O’Ward. “It wasn’t given to us. We had the automobile to have the ability to try this.”
Kanaan, the IndyCar Sequence champion in 2004 and the winner of the 2013 Indianapolis 500, mentioned he was sick of the narrative that O’Ward and Arrow McLaren wrestle in Toronto.
“It hasn’t been traditionally weekend for us right here, which I didn’t wish to hear that coming in right here,” mentioned Kanaan. “I used to be by no means that kind of individual.
“As a crew, we acquired collectively final night time and I mentioned, ‘Let’s change that.’ (…) I don’t wish to imagine that’s why we received, however…”
Pole sitter Colton Herta of the US leads the sphere into flip 1 initially of the 2025 Honda Indy Toronto in Toronto, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn.
Rinus VeeKay of the Netherlands completed second and Kyffin Simpson of the US positioned third. Defending champion Colton Herta, who began in pole place on Sunday, was closing in on Simpson with a handful of laps to go when a warning solidified the rostrum.
“Positively the ultimate half, wanting ahead, actually making an attempt to shut the hole to Pato, it was actually onerous to shut,” mentioned VeeKay. “I believe the monitor didn’t actually enable many overtakes.
“All three of us had been form of hovering across the identical tempo, closing in, making the hole greater at occasions. It wasn’t very thrilling on the finish, but it surely was lots of work within the automobile.”
Whereas VeeKay felt there weren’t lots of alternatives to overhaul on the entrance of the pack, there have been truly many passes within the 90-lap race round Toronto’s downtown fairgrounds. There have been 226 on-track passes (essentially the most within the occasion since 2014) and 201 passes for place (essentially the most since 2019).
Spain’s Alex Palou, the general standings chief, completed twelfth on Sunday, shedding vital floor to O’Ward within the factors record. O’Ward entered the weekend trailing Palou by 129 factors, however has minimize that to 99 factors with 4 races left within the season.
“We have to be sure that we proceed to have days like as we speak, not only one however just a few,” mentioned O’Ward. “Clearly, we’re at a time within the championship the place we’re going to must get a little bit bit extra into the dialog of getting our elbows out as a result of that’s what I needed to do as we speak simply to open the doorways to having an opportunity to win this race.
“That’s the one method we’re even going to catch a whiff of constructing him sweat a little bit bit.”
Toronto’s Devlin DeFrancesco, the one Canadian on the grid, completed twenty second, finishing 57 laps. His day was derailed when he needed to take a prolonged pit cease to have his automobile repaired after taking some injury in an accident within the thirty seventh lap.
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