Solid performances from Kiwis as O’Ward nabs win

New Zealand drivers Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin have both recorded solid finishes in the latest round of the IndyCar Series in the US.

Six-time champion Dixon crossed the line fifth, with McLaughlin sixth at the Grand Prix of Alabama.

It was a jump of eight places for Dixon, who qualified 13th, while his countryman had started from fourth.

Mexican driver Pato O’Ward won the race, ahead of defending champion Alex Palou of Spain and Dutchman Rinus VeeKay.

Palou holds a narrow championship lead of three points over McLaughlin, with Dixon sixth overall.

The next stop for the series is on May 14 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

O’Ward entered the season vocally unhappy about his current contract with Arrow McLaren SP, which has the popular Mexican signed through to 2024 on team-friendly terms.

He wanted more money, more assurances for his Formula One aspirations and a new contract.

But when his unhappiness began to hurt his on-track performance, O’Ward made a conscious decision to compartmentalise his complaints and focus on his job.

The effort led to yesterday’s win, his first of the year and third of his career.

The win broke a Team Penske stranglehold on this year’s IndyCar results.

The victory rocketed O’Ward from ninth to fifth in the standings.

Penske drivers McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden swept the first three races of the season, all while O’Ward was pouting over his contract.

But on the eve of the Long Beach Grand Prix two weeks ago, the 22-year-old decided he didn’t want to throw his season away over hurt feelings.

He dug deep for a fifth-place finish at Long Beach, huddled with McLaren head Zak Brown on the terms of an extension, then showed up in Barber ready to win some races. His shot came after a pit stop with 28 laps remaining when VeeKay and O’Ward pitted at the same time.

VeeKay came out ahead but O’Ward hunted him through the first four turns then used a brave move — and his push-to-pass — around the Dutchman to seize control of the race.

The win made Chevrolet four for four as IndyCar heads to Indianapolis.

“The driver in our team . . . is the quarterback, right? As the quarterback goes, the rest of the team goes. As the driver goes, the rest of the team goes,” said McLaren team president Taylor Kiel.