INDYCAR: O’WARD MASTERS THE MAYHEM IN TORONTO

The Canadian weekend in Toronto — the only IndyCar event held outside the United States — turned into a true battleground. Emerging victorious from the chaos of the street circuit was Patricio O’Ward, who followed up his Iowa triumph just a week ago with another commanding win, delivering McLaren its second victory of the season under the satisfied gaze of CEO Zak Brown.

The race was anything but straightforward: five caution periods, numerous crashes, and strategies thrown into disarray. Starting on soft tires, O’Ward was called into the pits early to shed the fragile compound. The gamble paid off, thanks in large part to the wave of yellows that followed, allowing the Mexican driver to climb back through the field and claim the top spot. The win also helped solidify his second place in the standings, narrowing the gap — though still considerable — to championship leader Alex Palou, who had a lackluster day.

Behind O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay made a surprising return to the podium. The Dutchman drove a smart and consistent race, earning Dale Coyne Racing its first podium since 2022. And while VeeKay celebrated a long-awaited return to form, it was a debut podium for Kyffin Simpson. The young Barbadian salvaged the day for Chip Ganassi Racing, as both Palou and Scott Dixon failed to capitalize on early opportunities. Their decision to stay out during the first caution period backfired, pushing them out of contention and resulting in 12th and 10th place finishes, respectively.

Colton Herta, who had claimed pole position with a stellar lap in qualifying, had to settle for fourth. Despite closing in on Simpson in the final laps, Herta’s chance to attack was thwarted by a late caution caused by contact between Felix Rosenqvist and Nolan Siegel. The yellow flag froze the running order and effectively ended the race with three laps to go.

Andretti Autosport, expected to be one of the top contenders this weekend, managed to place all three of its cars in the top six — but none posed a serious threat for the win. Marcus Ericsson came home fifth after a strong comeback using a strategy similar to O’Ward’s, while Kyle Kirkwood took sixth, never truly in the fight for a podium. Graham Rahal finished a steady seventh, staying out of trouble but far from the spotlight.

A standout performance came from Callum Ilott, who delivered Prema Racing its best IndyCar result to date with an impressive eighth-place finish. The Brit was quick all weekend, building on his strong qualifying performance. His teammate, Robert Shwartzman, finished a quiet but clean 16th.

The same couldn’t be said for many others. Scott McLaughlin triggered the day’s first caution when he crashed after losing a wheel while exiting the pits. Soon after, Christian Rasmussen spun, and Alexander Rossi found the wall, both retiring from the race.

More drama followed on the restart after the third caution, when an incident took out Jacob Abel and Josef Newgarden — capping off a disastrous afternoon for Team Penske. Only Will Power managed to finish, recovering from an early run-in with the barriers to claim 11th after restarting from the back. Santino Ferrucci didn’t even make it to the grid, sidelined by a crash in the morning warm-up that left his car too damaged to repair in time.

Once again, Toronto proved to be a circuit that shakes up the order and rewards boldness and timing. And right now, Patricio O’Ward seems to have both.

© Cavalieri Garage & Co.