Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward blame each other for contact during the IndyCar GP of Long Beach.
Travis HinkleIt’s rare that Scott Dixon calls out a rival driver. Ditto for Pato O’Ward.
But both drivers called out each other for an incident in Sunday’s IndyCar Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, pointing fingers at the other for an incident early in the race that eventually led to Dixon dropping out of the race after 47 laps with mechanical issues, ending up an extremely disappointing last in the 27-car field, with a DNF placed in the record books.
Early in the race, Dixon and O’Ward were coming into Turn 8 side-by-side. Here’s how O’Ward saw it:
“I was on the inside, he decided to stay on the outside,” O’Ward said of Dixon, “I’m pretty much alongside him. I don’t know what to say. I’ve been racing Scott for a few years. If he feels it’s my fault, I’m sorry he feels that way, but I don’t agree.”
Dixon, indeed, placed all the blame on O’Ward for the incident, and in somewhat of an uncharacteristic move, Dixon essentially called out O’Ward and hinted at potential retribution in the future.
“If that’s how the series wants us to race, then I guess it’s all gloves off from this point.” – Scott Dixon
Indycar
“That seemed extremely late,” Dixon said of O’Ward’s dive-bomb into the corner. “I had already committed to the corner there. I can understand if there’s tire deg (degradation) and all that kind of stuff was going on, but I wouldn’t have chosen to do that.
“But if that’s how the series wants us to race, then I guess it’s all gloves off from this point. Yeah, I’m disappointed. … Frustrating day. It’s going to be hard on the strategy we were. Plus, the start was a complete joke, as well. I don’t know what they were calling up there.”
Ironically, both Dixon and O’Ward hit the same tire barrier in Turn 8 that O’Ward punted Dixon into themselves in separate incidents.
Dixon locked up his brakes and plowed into the tires but was able to continue after being pulled out by the safety team.
.@scottdixon9 is in the tire barrier after contact with @PatricioOWard.#INDYCAR // #AGPLB pic.twitter.com/NvIAefN3hl
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 16, 2023
O’Ward made a big mistake trying to get past Ericsson and in front of Kirkwood also on Turn 8, which dropped him from being in the top-5 to an eventual and disappointing 17th-place finish.
O’Ward told his team on the radio that his brakes locked up and that his car was okay, even though he made slight contact with Ericsson, yet there was no damage to either car.
And now @PatricioOWard is in the tires!
The No. 5 was able to continue with the rest of the field.#INDYCAR // #AGPLB pic.twitter.com/TsFlH44X3q
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) April 16, 2023
“It’s been definitely a weekend not to forget,” O’Ward said. “I think there’s a lot of positives we can take out of this weekend, but definitely disappointed at myself, I don’t have to be making those stupid moves, not up to the level I expect of myself.”
But don’t expect O’Ward to apologize to Dixon for their incident – if they even talk at all in the next two weeks, either in the two-day test at Indianapolis later this week, or two weeks from now on the road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
“I’m sure I’ll circle back with him either this weekend or the next one, but I’m not going to apologize for that,” O’Ward said defiantly. “We’re racing. A lot of times when I’ve been in that situation, I kind of just let the guy go because if you’re on the outside, you’re more vulnerable to those kinds of things happening. … This is a race to learn from and forget.”
With his 17th place finish, O’Ward dropped from first to second place in the standings as defending Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson takes over the points lead.
Keyword: Dixon, O’Ward Tangle On and Off Track at IndyCar GP of Long Beach