“I definitely see a little more commonality on some areas with that shared experience,” Ward said. “It’s been fun to talk through.
“I’m a firm believer having lived it and seen it, that kicking ass in an Indy car is not to Formula 1-ify it. We’re not going down that road. We are trying to find the best of everything here.”
Rossi enjoys working with Ward and has tremendous admiration for the way he is directing the team.
“I think Gavin is a fantastic leader, but also his background is really in everything, whether it’s engineering or systems engineering or aerodynamics; now kind of in an all-encompassing role that has that technical director standpoint, but team manager and team principal standpoint,” Rossi told SPEED SPORT. “His door is always open. He’s a very involved kind of person from every aspect of the whole organization. I think that’s been really cool to see and to work with him on.
“He is someone who understands the ins and outs of the sport from top to bottom. I think his big thing is maximizing people, their strengths, what they can bring to the table. If you can do that every single day, every single position, you’re going to set yourself up in a good position.
“I think Zak also kind of leads the charge in that. It’s pretty amazing to me how involved he is with every aspect of the IndyCar organization, the F-1 organization and his sports car program,” Rossi said. “I don’t know how he’s in so many places at once seemingly.”
Brown, who has shaken up the paddock in both F-1 and IndyCar, is a strong believer in Rossi.
“Our expectation of Alex is that he will be as fast as the car we give him; he is very experienced and very fast,” Brown told SPEED SPORT. “I think when we looked at Alex as a driver, it is great that he has Formula 1 experience. I’ve been following Alex prior to being in Formula 1.
“Alex and I first met in England. When we looked at Alex, alongside Felix and Pato, we thought it was the perfect complement of speed, experience and kind of global knowledge of motorsports. We think Alex will bring a lot to the table for what is still a pretty young team.”
Arrow McLaren will have four cars in this year’s Indianapolis 500, with drivers Rossi, Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Tony Kanaan.
“I think we are one of the teams when everyone shows up that we are in the same conversation with Team Penske, Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Autosport,” Brown said. “We’re doing what we want to do. It’s always good to have healthy competition because that raises the competition for everyone.
“If our presence helps others raise their level, then that is good for the sport.
“McLaren at the Indianapolis 500 just feels right. People enjoy having McLaren back in this big race.”
Rossi believed he had a family at Andretti Autosport. But like many families, sometimes they have to travel separate paths. Rossi’s path led him to Arrow McLaren, and he was able to bring an important member of his days at Andretti Autosport with him.
“Brian Barnhart,” Rossi said of his race strategist, who is now general manager at Arrow McLaren. “I had one year of working with him last year and it was pretty much perfect from every standpoint and metric that I could judge him on.
“It was very cool for me to be able to get to work with him coming over to a new organization, but also an amazing opportunity for him. He’s been in so many roles throughout the paddock and has had varied levels of success in really everything he’s done.
“For him to get kind of a senior role at one of the best teams on the grid is just a testament to the work and effort that he’s put in, and also the capabilities that he has, not only from an on-track timing stand standpoint but also back at the shop, kind of a leader-of-men standpoint.”
It would also be great for IndyCar for Rossi to return to prominence.
“I hope so,” Rossi told SPEED SPORT. “It’s a fantastic organization whose results speak for themselves. I think what they’ve done the past couple of years is very impressive. They’re a great organization with great partners and great people. Getting to work now with GM and Chevy has been pretty cool as well, to see what they’re doing, how they’re helping push the program forward.
“Like I said, it’s been a lot of conversations and things in theory. We don’t really know anything until we get on track. But from where we sit right now, we’re very excited about what’s to come.”
This story appeared in the May 10, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
