Senna, a Brazilian Formula One legend, was killed on May 1, 1994, in Imola, while leading the San Marino Grand Prix.
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Pato O’Ward of McLaren returned to winning ways on Sunday, winning the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at the Barber Motorsports Park with a clear mind and a quick car, dedicating the victory to Ayrton Senna. Senna, a Brazilian Formula One legend, was killed on May 1, 1994, in Imola, while leading the San Marino Grand Prix. In the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, O’Ward, from Mexico, won his first race of the season, beating reigning NTT Indycar Series champion and 2021 Barber winner Alex Palou to the checkered flag by.9800 of a second. Rinus VeeKay, the NTT P1 Award winner, placed third in the No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet.
After finishing 12th and 15th in the first two races of the season, respectively, in St. Petersburg and Texas, O’Ward admitted he was distracted by contract negotiations with Arrow McLaren SP. O’Ward bounced back with a fifth-place performance at Long Beach last month, and he’s back in the form that let him finish third in the 2021 championship standings this weekend.
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“It sucks to be at war within your own team, right?” O’Ward said. “I’m glad there have been very positive talks for the future. I wanted to do it for these guys, for Arrow, for McLaren SP, Team Chevy. I was tired of being 10th and 11th and fifth, so I said, ‘Let’s get a win under our belts so we can claw our way back into the championship fight.”
I dedicate this win today to the memory of Ayrton Senna on the anniversary of his loss 28 years ago. I know he means a lot to everyone at McLaren and to McLaren fans all over the world.? pic.twitter.com/NQ7wuTWPvu
— Pato O’Ward (@PatricioOWard) May 2, 2022
The race emerged as a strategic fight between drivers who picked a three-stop strategy and those who chose two stops, which took place in dry, sunny weather following morning thunderstorms. Newgarden, Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean, and Marcus Ericsson were among the contenders who chose three pit stops in the hopes of getting a better grip on their Firestone tyres during shorter stints. On Lap 32, rookie Callum Ilott spun his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet into the gravel trap close to Turn 9 and ruined his plan. That incident brought out the race’s lone full-course caution, thus reverting the whole 26-car field to the same tyre strategy.
On the restart on Lap 35, VeeKay led O’Ward, McLaughlin, Palou, and Alexander Rossi, with nearly every driver pitting either either before or after Ilott’s collision. By Lap 60, VeeKay had gained a lead of 2.0875 seconds over O’Ward. On Lap 62, VeeKay, O’Ward, and McLaughlin made their last pit stops in unison, with VeeKay and O’Ward opting for fresh primary Firestone tyres and McLaughlin opting for old primary tyres on his No. 3 Sonsio Team Penske Chevrolet.
