Toronto brought an exciting race with a number of different strategies and a ton of battles. Here’s what happened on the streets of Toronto, which led to Pato O’Ward’s victory
Pato O’Ward Wins Toronto, Veekay and Simpson Impress With Podium Finishes
IndyCar’s only international race on the calendar has been won by Pato O’Ward, earning his second win of the season. More importantly, he slices Alex Palou’s lead in the championship by 30 points with four races to go.
Joining him on the podium was Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay in second, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson rounded out the podium, finishing third, earning his first-ever IndyCar podium.
Pato on the Prowl
On a street course that the Mexican driver historically has struggled on, there was no sign of that on Sunday’s race. After starting in 10th on a set of alternate Firestone Firehawk tires. Pato then made the switch just before a caution on Lap 3 was triggered by Scott McLaughlin hitting the wall after losing a tire.
This strategy required him to execute a three-stopper, but it allowed him to use the primary compound for the remainder of the race, which worked out well when trying to make up those important places.
“I was feeling so good on the (primary) tires all weekend. We were just struggling to get the alternates to work in qualifying. Sadly, that’s the one you need to transfer,” O’Ward said.
The turning moment of the race was after a caution that ended Josef Newgarden, and Jacob Abel’s race. At the restart on lap 43, O’Ward was sitting in fifth, and by the end of lap 45, he was up into 2nd behind Veekay. The different pit strategies between the top two runners worked out in O’Ward’s favor as he was able to use the overcut on the Dutchman.
Read More: Revisiting Pato O’Ward’s Career Milestones
Strategy woes for Chip Ganassi
Alex Palou started second behind pole sitter Colton Herta. He and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon were among the few starting on the primary tire, a strategy call from the Spaniard.
It looked like the call had been the right one, given the amount and length of the caution periods in the first half of the race; four cautions in the first 37 laps. But as the race settled ultimately, the call had both CGR drivers spending the final segment in the mid-pack. Dixon finished 10th while Palou finished 12th.
Palou entered the weekend with a 129-point lead over O’Ward. But 30 points evaporated at Exhibition Place, dropping their separation to 99 points with four races remaining.
Other Notable Moments
Toronto brought everything to the table. It featured 226 on-track passes, the most in the event since 2014. It also had 201 passes for position, the most since 2019. Both totals were the fourth-most overall for racing on the downtown streets of this Ontario city.
Only 26 drivers took to the grid as it was announced before the race that AJ Foyt Santino Ferrucci would not participate due to heavy damage to his car that he sustained in a crash at the end of warmups. Ferrucci hit the Turn 7 wall on the left side, sending the car sliding into the Turn 8 run-off area.
First, the left rear lug nut of Scott McLaughlin’s car came off following a pit stop, pushing the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet into the Turn 2 wall.
Practice for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca begins Friday at 5 p.m. ET (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The 95-lap race, the 14th of the 17-race season, is Sunday at 3 p.m. on FOX.
Read Next: Chip Ganassi Gets a 1-2 Finish at Race 2 at Iowa Speedway
Main Photo: Travis Hinkle, Penske Entertainment
Recording Date: 7/20/2025
