Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward flexed his muscle early in 2025, setting the fastest lap in Monday morning’s IndyCar test session at Sebring International Raceway. The young Mexican driver clocked a blistering 52.347s, leaving reigning champion Alex Palou trailing by nearly 0.15s.
After a brief delay due to a power failure in IndyCar’s medical trailer, engines finally roared to life at 9:35 a.m., kicking off the four-hour session under sunny Florida skies. O’Ward wasted no time in making a statement, posting the quickest time on Sebring’s short course while teammate Christian Lundgaard slotted into third place, just behind Palou.
“We’re back, baby,” O’Ward declared, setting the tone for Arrow McLaren’s 2025 ambitions.
O’Ward Leads, Palou Tests New Steering Wheel
Alex Palou, always a formidable force, was second fastest with a 52.495s lap, continuing his fine form from last season. The defending champion also used the session to test IndyCar’s new, larger Cosworth steering wheel, a piece of tech aimed at improving driver control and feedback.
Christian Lundgaard (52.663s) was third fastest, ensuring that Arrow McLaren had a strong presence up front, while Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Sting Ray Robb surprised many with a fourth-place finish (52.776s), showing promising speed early in testing.
Marcus Armstrong, who was initially set to run just his No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, had an unexpected double shift. With his new teammate Felix Rosenqvist sidelined due to illness, Armstrong stepped into the No. 60 car for the afternoon session, an early endurance test for the young Kiwi.
Full Monday Morning Test Results:
Position | Driver | Time (Gap) | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Pato O’Ward | 52.347s | Arrow McLaren |
2 | Alex Palou | +0.148s | Chip Ganassi Racing |
3 | Christian Lundgaard | +0.316s | Arrow McLaren |
4 | Sting Ray Robb | +0.429s | Juncos Hollinger Racing |
5 | Marcus Armstrong | +0.457s | Meyer Shank Racing |
6 | Kyle Kirkwood | +0.503s | Andretti Global |
7 | David Malukas | +0.547s | Arrow McLaren |
8 | Scott McLaughlin | +0.574s | Team Penske |
9 | Louis Foster | +0.625s | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
10 | Christian Rasmussen | +0.657s | Ed Carpenter Racing |
11 | Marcus Ericsson | +0.672s | Andretti Global |
12 | Graham Rahal | +0.754s | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
13 | Rinus VeeKay | +0.854s | Ed Carpenter Racing |
14 | Robert Shwartzman | +1.048s | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Looking Ahead: Afternoon Session & More Testing
The afternoon test session will run from 2:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m., featuring the second group of drivers, before teams swap testing slots on Tuesday.
With Sebring’s notoriously bumpy surface mimicking street circuits like St. Petersburg and Toronto, these test runs provide valuable insight into how teams’ 2025 setups will fare on real-world road courses.
Can Arrow McLaren carry this early momentum into the full season? Will Palou’s new steering wheel give him an edge? With just a month until the season opener, the battle lines are already being drawn.