O’Ward tops 14-car IndyCar test at Sebring
Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet driver Patricio O’Ward landed top time in the third day of IndyCar testing this year, heading Alexander Rossi and Josef Newgarden.

O’Ward, who finished fourth in the 2020 championship, his first full season in the NTT IndyCar Series, lapped the 1.7-mile course in 51.790sec.
That put him 0.138sec faster than Andretti Autosport-Honda’s Alexander Rossi, who traveled straight to Sebring Raceway from his victory with Wayne Taylor Racing’s Acura in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona.
Team Penske-Chevrolet’s two-time champion Josef Newgarden was third fastest a quarter second down but ahead of Colton Herta and Oliver Askew, who was subbing for the unavailable James Hinchcliffe in Andretti’s #29 car.
Felix Rosenqvist, in only his second test with the Arrow McLaren SP team, was sixth, just under half a second from O’Ward.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda’s Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal were seventh and ninth, split by Conor Daly in the Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevy whose teammate Rinus VeeKay – 2020 Rookie of the Year – completed the top 10.
As in the previous Sebring test, Rahal turned the most laps of the day – 157 – although all but two cars hit triple digit lap counts.
Team Penske’s Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and rookie Scott McLaughlin ended the day in 11th, 12th and 14th, with Ryan Hunter-Reay slotting the fourth Andretti car into 13th.
While the Arrow McLaren SP team ran the same testing livery it wore this time last year, McLaughlin ran a striking new colorscheme for PPG, which will be primary sponsor at 10 of his 17 races this year, while Power’s car will this season carry matte black with red trimming for the 5G Verizon network, a livery previously only seen at the Indy 500.
RANK | NO. | DRIVER | TEAM | ENGINE | FASTEST LAP | DIFF | LAPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Pato O'Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 51.790 | 124 | |
2 | 27 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 51.928 | -0.138 | 122 |
3 | 2 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 52.055 | -0.265 | 138 |
4 | 26 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 52.061 | -0.271 | 116 |
5 | 29 | Oliver Askew | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 52.240 | -0.450 | 109 |
6 | 7 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet | 52.258 | -0.468 | 91 |
7 | 39 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 52.302 | -0.512 | 139 |
8 | 20 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 52.311 | -0.521 | 123 |
9 | 15 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 52.356 | -0.566 | 157 |
10 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 52.358 | -0.568 | 99 |
11 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 52.362 | -0.572 | 145 |
12 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 52.378 | -0.588 | 120 |
13 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Honda | 52.464 | -0.674 | 106 |
14 | 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevrolet | 52.469 | -0.679 | 130 |

Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet
Photo by: Will Power

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet
Photo by: Team Penske

Previous article
Chevrolet: Improving Indy 500 performance has been priority
Next article
Grosjean signs with Coyne for IndyCar road and street races

About this article
Series | IndyCar |
Event | Sebring February testing |
Author | David Malsher-Lopez |
O’Ward tops 14-car IndyCar test at Sebring
Trending
IndyCar: Romain Grosjean tests the car
IndyCar Rookie of the Year: Rinus Veekay
IndyCar: Scott McLaughlin's rookie testing
Is Arrow McLaren SP ready for IndyCar’s title fight?
With Patricio O'Ward and Felix Rosenqvist leading its line-up, 2021 could be the year Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet joins the IndyCar elite, writes David Malsher-Lopez.
Dale Coyne picks the Top 10 drivers in his giant-slaying team
Over 37 seasons, Dale Coyne has run no fewer than 80 Indy car drivers – including himself! Ahead of his first season running Romain Grosjean, we asked Coyne to pick the best 10 drivers ever to compete for him. By David Malsher-Lopez.
Why enigmatic Marco Andretti will be missed
Last Friday, Marco Andretti announced he is withdrawing from fulltime IndyCar racing. David Malsher-Lopez explains how this third-gen racer was a puzzle in the car, but a straight shooter off-track.
Why Roger Penske is an American motorsport icon
In this exclusive one-on-one interview, Roger Penske reveals the inner drive that has made him not only a hugely successful team owner and businessman but also the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar. He spoke to David Malsher-Lopez.
Is the mighty McLaren M16 the greatest ever Indy car?
When founder Bruce McLaren died in June 1970, his team could have folded. Instead, his loyal band rallied to produce a string of winners - including an Indy car game-changer that won three Indy 500s in six years.
How Newgarden delivered his best season, yet still lost
Josef Newgarden was our pick as top IndyCar driver of 2020 but his finest season-long run of performances failed to yield the championship. David Malsher-Lopez explains why.
2020 IndyCar Review and Top 10 drivers of the year
David Malsher-Lopez explains how the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series was unlike any other, and why it featured familiar and unfamiliar faces competing for glory.
How Dixon won his sixth IndyCar title, in his own words
Chip Ganassi Racing’s newly crowned six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon takes us round by round through his remarkable season. David Malsher-Lopez listens.