There has been no shortage of challenges for the IndyCar Series over the course of this off-season, including another hybrid delay.
Penske leadership met with a select group of drivers over dinner on Tuesday night, ahead of IndyCar’s annual Content Days, to answer questions and address concerns. O’Ward wasn’t part of that meeting, so his view was different than the optimism shared by attendees such as Arrow McLaren team-mate Alexander Rossi and Graham Rahal.
O’Ward has been outspoken throughout the offseason. Last month, prior to the hybrid delay, he told Autosport a new chassis should have been the priority over an updated engine. Speaking with the media on Thursday, the Mexican provided some strong thoughts about how the series needs to push for innovative concepts to further fan engagement beyond the racing product.
“I'm only 24 years old, so I know there's a lot more people that have a lot more experience than I do,” O’Ward said.
“But from my years of life so far, when you see things grow - it could be a person, it could be a company, a business, a group of people. But when you're just speaking of growth, change will usually kind of rattle people's floor. Like it'll kind of move things around. Some people will like it, some people won't like it.
“But when you don't evolve and when you don't change, you sure as hell will not grow. The only way to doing that is to change things up.”
Source: Autosport