Pato O’Ward on INDYCAR’s new officiating plan: “We just want it to be fair”

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Staff report

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – January 27, 2026

Asked Tuesday about INDYCAR’s new “independent officiating” structure — including an FIA-appointed seat on the new board — Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward said the underlying problem is avoiding conflicts of interest when the series owner also fields a race team, adding, “We just want things to be fair.”

O’Ward made the comments during the opening day of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Content Days in Indianapolis, where full-time drivers are scheduled for media sessions Jan. 27-28.

In the exchange, O’Ward said he hadn’t “read too much into it,” but referenced learning that an FIA appointee would be involved. PatoTranscript When the discussion turned to the reality that the series is owned by Roger Penske — who also owns Team Penske — O’Ward said that’s precisely why independence matters.

“Obviously the owner of the series has also a race team,” he said. “We don’t want conflicts of interest.” PatoTranscript O’Ward added that it’s “very good to have people that have nothing to do and are not paid by him,” before concluding: “We just want things to be fair.”

INDYCAR announced in December that it has created a new independent, not-for-profit entity — INDYCAR Officiating Inc. — to oversee officiating beginning with the 2026 season. The organization is to be governed by a three-person Independent Officiating Board, with two members selected by team owners and a third appointed by the FIA.

The move followed renewed scrutiny of governance after Team Penske was penalized in May 2025 when INDYCAR ruled that unapproved modifications had been made to rear attenuators on two Penske cars during Indianapolis 500 qualifying — a violation the sanctioning body said could have produced an aerodynamic advantage. Team Penske accepted the penalties, and the fallout included major personnel firings announced days later.

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