
The No. 5 Arrow McLAREN Chevrolet Challenger Has Arrived
"Improving would mean we are challenging for the Indy 500 win and for the championship again"

“I’m Pato, and that’s all I need to say.”
Do we need to say more?
Pato O’Ward returns for his fifth full-time season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, after producing four wins, 20 podiums and three seasons finishing fourth or better in the standings.
Confidence is high heading into the season and looking forward to working together with his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team to better their results from 2023.
“We need to continue to build on what we have so far and that would be a great year already,” Pato said, “because we have been having some great years. Improving on that would mean we are challenging for the Indy 500 win and for the championship again.”
Today, the excitement begins as we are now 31 days until the green flag of Race 1 of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The day started with releasing Pato’s No. 5 Chevy, featuring it’s familiar black and Papaya look we’ve become accustomed to over the years.
“Looking back at my previous cars through the years,” Pato told us, “there are small changes, but I’d say it is exactly what I expected."

As the season draws closer, Team Principal Gavin Ward at the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team says Pato has shown a lot of development in his consistency and his mental approach coming into 2024.
“The name of the game is having an improvement mindset so we are looking for how we can be better as individuals and as a team,” Gavin says. “Pato is in great shape. He has some of the best in the business on his crew and the have got a point to prove this year.”
It’s noticed around the team that you will see Gavin bouncing between timing stands during different sessions and even during the race. While he may start the race watching Pato and his team, he will bounce between different timing stands to get a clear and equal understanding of each car’s performance.
“It's so important to work as one team rather than three individual units,” he says. “We have a mantra here that we're not going to do things just because that's the way they always been done. We're going to do what we think is best. I think to really understand how the team is working you need to not be too plugged in with just one car or driver.”
Will Anderson, Race Engineer on the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, understands the value of a team and the effort that requires to be successful in this series. Working with Pato O’Ward since he joined Arrow McLaren in 2020, he isn’t the only familiar voice on the timing stand.
“I work very closely with Pato to understand where he is feeling weak or not so confident in the car, in the chassis, or in the setup,” Will told us. “With my performance engineer, Kate Gundlach, we determine where we’re losing time, what the data itself means and how to interpret what Pato tells us into actions.
“It may be cliché, but I really think this team and this crew can be in the hunt for the championship. I don’t know how the season will go, but I think it’s a good goal to have – to be in the championship hunt and hopefully be leading at the end of the season.”

It’s no secret the Arrow McLaren Chevrolets stand out on the track and are easy to spot within the pack. As Will put it, each car ties well together across the team, but he enjoys the classic look of the No. 5 car.
“Some of my favorite aspects (of the 2024 livery) is the classic contrast of the papaya on the black,” Will told us. “You know it’s an Arrow McLaren car when it drives by, and the livery looks amazing this year.
“It's a really sharp and clean update to the classic No. 5 car design and colors we've all come to love over the years.”
The personality under the helmet, behind the wheel and what we see on social media, is a fierce competitor in everything he does. Pato is competitive to the max, looking for every edge possible to extract the best of himself on and off the racetrack.
And, he admits that bringing enjoyment every day is what everyone needs.
The 2023 season showed promise, multiple occasions where he was fighting for the win or podium, but came up short of the ultimate goal each race weekend. In 2024, the team understands what needs fixed.
“I want to really just enjoy it all with the team, because too much work goes into this to not enjoy it,” he said. “I’m looking forward to tackling the challenges (ahead). Challenges are inevitable and will happen.
“Patience is a virtue.”