O’Ward completed third in Saturday’s opening race on the 7/8-mile quick oval, having been the one McLaren driver to qualify within the high 10 for both race.
After Race 1, O’Ward stated of Team Penske’s dominating automobiles: “They have been particularly robust in getting by site visitors, and I’d get caught. I wasn’t in a position to actually place the automotive the place I wanted to to be able to get by among the gradual automobiles.
“I am clearly pleased with [a podium], however contemplating how a lot tempo we had right here final yr, it was a little bit of like, ‘The place is it?’”
In Sunday’s race, he might solely end tenth and was left exasperated by his automotive’s dealing with, including that he was merely pleased to maintain it out of the wall.
“I haven’t got an evidence for what occurred at the moment,” he shrugged. “We clearly went the improper means, no less than that is what it looks as if.
“The group goes to see if we missed in that switch from yesterday. You come into these weekends figuring out the place you often have been prior to now, and with an opportunity to have the ability to type of bounce again, and clearly at the moment it seems like we threw that away.
“I haven’t got an evidence for that, and I do not assume any of us actually know why. It felt prefer it was the best path, and I am simply confused.”
Crew-mate Felix Rosenqvist suffered fairly the reversal of fortunes, struggling badly on Saturday after which being within the hunt for victory till the ultimate restart on Sunday.
Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
“Huge shout out to the group,” he stated. “We have been scratching our heads a bit after yesterday’s race, so it was a hell of a turnaround. We had numerous velocity right here, and some mega stints to push from P16 to ending P4.”
McLaren’s race director Gavin Ward defined: “We discovered a mechanical subject on Felix’s automotive [on Saturday evening] that affected the dealing with. Felix then confirmed some velocity right here at the moment, and he was proper within the battle there till the tip for the win.”
Of his different automobiles, he added: “Pato was proper up there for the primary half of the race. Then, unexpectedly, appeared to wrestle with the rear. We’ll must look into why.
“It appeared like Alexander [Rossi’s] automotive went the identical means, too – free with the stability. Round right here, that is fairly powerful to deal with, so he did job bringing it house in a single piece.”
Rossi struggled for tempo all weekend and completed the double-header races in tenth and fifteenth.
“This was just about a misplaced weekend for us,” he said. “With it being a double-header, double factors, we would have liked to capitalise right here, and it simply didn’t occur.
“We have been exterior the window and simply didn’t have the tempo we would have liked to compete. Now we have quite a bit to look into earlier than Nashville.
“We’re all hungry for greater than what it confirmed this weekend.”