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Pato O'Ward has come close to glory in the Indy 500 on two occasions: in 2022 Marcus Ericsson's final 'serpentine' prevented him from overtaking and in 2023 it was an accident in the final laps, also involving the Swede, that prevented him from engraving the face of a Mexican driver on the famous Borg Warner trophy for the first time.
This year Pato O'Ward is once again among the great favorites to win at Indianapolis. Although he is worried about the performance of his McLaren, he is confident that the good performance of his car in the race will allow him to finally achieve what has eluded him in previous editions of the 500 Miles.
"Well, I've always felt that I do," said O'Ward when asked if he has what it takes to win. "I've always said I know I have what it takes to win this race.
"I'd love to tell you how to win it, but since I haven't won it yet I can't. I've been in a lot of situations where I've been able to win it. I've been in a lot of situations where I've been able to be there fighting and I know how to put myself in that opportunity. I have to try to get those doors open again and make sure that when the checkered flag drops we're in the lead."
As for this year's race and whether overtaking will be easy, O'Ward has a clear idea of how things will play out on Sunday.
"It will be very similar to last year," said O'Ward. "The first two cars can be fighting and changing positions, but I think third and fourth in line will be a little more difficult.
"Of course, if the car in front of you makes a mistake you can take advantage of that, but it's not very easy to be fifth or sixth in line and be moving forward."
When asked if he's worried about his engine for the race, the Mexican believes McLaren have looked into what's been causing him problems.
"No, I'm not worried," he said. "I hope it's not an issue. At the very least they've already gone through to see what's causing that, I would say. But no, I think we're going to be fine."
Not giving up on F1 dream
Now 25 years of age, O'Ward still has his sights on an F1 seat. Currently signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme and McLaren's reserve driver for the 2024 F1 season, the Mexican still has hopes of showing his talent in the series in the future.
"I hope that I will have free practice this year with McLaren. And because of my dream in Formula 1... that dream will never die," he said.
"That dream is what brought me to be in this position now, today, that I wouldn't trade for anything. But I feel like I have an opportunity that not many people have. And that is, apart from possibly making a move to Formula 1 a little bit later in my career, which is not normal, to also have the opportunity to win the Indy 500 which is the biggest race in the world.
"And it's a very, very, very, very big dream of mine. And I'd love to tell you how it feels, but it really hasn't hit me yet. But whenever the month of May comes around I always feel grateful to be part of this great event, because it's really special."