​WEST ALLIS, WI – Pato O’Ward spoke bluntly, addressing the chatter head-on for the first time since Arrow McLaren announced its 2027 lineup. The popular Mexican driver took aim at detractors who doubt Scott Dixon or question why Arrow McLaren would recruit a 46-year-old as the team looks ahead.
“I’ve been shocked by the disrespect he’s received,” O’Ward said Wednesday during an IndyCar test at the Milwaukee Mile. “For people to talk down on somebody like that really is a shame. Talk down on me all you want. I don’t care. But to talk down on somebody like Scott Dixon … sometimes I wish people felt a little more ashamed, because to disrespect someone of that caliber and level …”
As Dixon and the six-time IndyCar champion’s rival status is debated, O’Ward emphasized that such disrespect erodes basic decency in sports. He noted that athletes will go through cycles and that victory in every race or championship every year is impossible. Still, he believes Dixon will prove to be a tremendous addition to Arrow McLaren, especially as the team shifts forward.
Dixon’s standing is well established: a legend in the sport, second on the all-time IndyCar wins list with 59, eight behind A.J. Foyt, and a career marked by 58 wins over 25 seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing, the team he joined in 2002 while still in Champ Car. Yet since the start of 2024, Dixon has captured only three victories, while teammate Alex Palou has surged with 16 wins. Palou also clinched four of the last five championships since Dixon’s last title in 2020, leading the standings after 11 of 18 races this season.
O’Ward acknowledged the evolving landscape: “He may not have had his best runs in the last couple of years, but guys like him don’t forget how to drive. This sport’s cycles go up and down, and I feel that someone like him, making a long-overdue change after so many years somewhere, has faced backlash. I really hope he arrives and has a great run for a championship and wins many races because I believe he deserves it as a person. He deserves it as a champion.”
O’Ward also reflected on Dixon’s influence in his life. Rosenqvist, 34, began IndyCar with Ganassi in 2019, securing one win over two seasons, before joining McLaren from 2021 to 2023 and later moving to Meyer Shank Racing. There, he posted a career-best sixth in the standings in 2025 and won the Indianapolis 500 in May. For O’Ward, Dixon has always been more than a competitor; he was “my guy” growing up, a sentiment that echoes since Dixon’s Champ Car debut with Ganassi at Milwaukee in 2002, when O’Ward was just a toddler.
Now, with Dixon stepping into a pivotal new role alongside O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist, the duo’s partnership is under the spotlight as the team pivots toward the future. O’Ward’s public defense of Dixon reflects the respect and admiration that persists across the paddock, even as the sport’s competitive dynamics continue to shift.