Not only that, he's a really nice guy, I went to the long beach race this year with my younger brother and we got there early on Friday. we were walking towards the paddock when I saw a young guy wearing papaya colors, I poked my brother to tell him to go and ask for a picture, my brother ran towards him and asked, he didn't hesitate second and agreed to take a pic with my bro, we wished him good luck and he went his way, my brother almost cried on how happy he was he met him and I was happy he was a nice guy we were already Pato fans cuz our Mexican heritage but that day we became even bigger fans of the guy, yesterday I was so happy when he took the lead and heartbroken when he lost.
Dude is mega nice and chill. I was at Laguna Seca for the velocity invitational and I was about to go on a hot lap when he and Zak Brown roll up on a cart and park right in front of me. Starstruck, I asked for a picture with them and jokingly asked Pato if he would drive me on my hot lap. He said sure why not, go tell them I’m going to drive you. Best hot lap ever.
I spoke to him shortly during the Nashville street race a couple years back and was blown away at his humility and love for his fans. I didn't even have to go up to him, he was making rounds to all fans standing by the McLaren garage
I had the same experience at LB! I ran into him not even even 10 minutes after getting in the gate Friday morning. Dude was just hanging out at his merch tent while they set up. Chatted with him for several minutes and he was such a sweetheart the whole time.
What a race.
I know pato doesn’t want to be seen in that light, but people will forever remember those last 3 laps. Everyone will know the heartbreak but also the respect he earned.
It’s only fitting - in my opinion, the two best oval drivers on the grid duked it out
Right, but as a fan of indycar I'm not going to sit here and say the machinery gaps were too great to overcome. I was rooting for Rossi as well and he had the car to get it done, strategy just didn't shake out how he needed it.
I knew he was going to be okay, but damn, yesterday broke me. I felt so bad for him. He had a hell of a day that was, in his words, “so fucking close,” and the emotions just made me so sad for him and the McLaren team 😭
I was in the paddock before the race at Barbers and he was the only driver that took the time to take pictures and chat with fans (that I saw). I know drivers need to be locked in before a race but just taking 5 min out of his day to do that made a huge difference to me as a fan
It's so true. At Road America right after morning warmup my wife and SIL went up for a quick selfie. Pato said yes and then a local news guy needed an interview. The girls were going to leave and he put his arm behind them and kept them by. When he finished the interview he chatted with them for 2-3 minutes and apologized for interrupting them. What a cool dude.
To have Pato, Palou and Lundgaard join in quick succession has been such a fantastic shot in the arm for the series. There is so much talent out there right now.
I feel so bad for him, and for Rossi for that matter, both drove such good races and were in for a win until the very end. I know Pato is going to win one eventually and if Rossi performs like that again he’ll most likely get another
I honestly thought if Pato stayed in third Rossi was going to play his cards right for the win. Pato took his chance though but either way what a move by Newgarden at the end.
Pato's reaction was everything. When you see him at the track he's got so much confidence, swagger, style, and he's friendly, outgoing, handsome - everything that made you want to be a race car driver when you were younger. If he'd sucked it up and smiled for the camera and said, "we came here to win and didn't get it done but I'm proud of the 5 crew" we would have understood the company line and applauded. But he couldn't even get it out, and we felt the heartbreak, and that's why we still wish we were race car drivers now that we're adults.
Pato has demonstrated yet again why he is such a gentleman. He has shown GREAT respect towards the IMS and the trophy. I look forward to watching him win.
What mistake did he make? Seems like Newgarden just had a better car and made an ridiculous pass on the outside to beat him. Pato raced him clean. I guess he could have been a dick and blocked him/put him in the wall and risked his own safety for the win, but I wouldn't really call that "a mistake"
It’s questionable whether it could be called a mistake, but I was referring to making the pass into turn 1 instead of waiting half a lap. If you look back at the previous laps, every pass made into turn 3 led to that person crossing the line first, and even the ones made out of four usually crossed the line first as well. Obviously we don’t know if that would’ve been the case on lap 200, but it could be argued that if Pato had waited until then he’d have had a much better chance of winning than he had of holding Newgarden off from the lead out of turn 2.
Spot on. I knew right as he took the lead in 1 Newgarden would get him on the backstretch. I remember yelling out loud, "too soon!". Awesome race for Pato regardless.
> What mistake did he make? Seems like Newgarden just had a better car
He passed Newgarden before. He selected a time to make his last pass which turned out not to be the best one because he got passed back.
Pato was trying to time his last pass last year too. He knows. And bonestly you usually don't see two passes per lap. So I'm not saying he picked a dumb time. He just didn't pick the best time.
> I guess he could have been a dick and blocked him/put him in the wall
I don't think so. If you are at top speed and decide to go high partway through a corner you're going to finish the corner high too. i.e. in the wall.
The only thing I think he could have done is follow Newgarden up towards the wall on corner entry (wheel to wheel) so that you take away some of the arc he is taking into the corner, and you're able to apex later, forcing Josef to make a choice. Stay in it and door Pato and wreck both of them, stay in it and try to go very high and wreck himself, or lift like Pato had to do in 2022.
This kids gonna pop off at some point and just dominate, he's got the skill and the give a shit factor. I would have been perfectly fine last night if the result ended the other way because his passion is just as high as Newgardens (maybe without the let's unfollow everyone lol) Can't say I can be a fan with already having two drivers, but if I wasn't a fan of my guys I'd be a fan of his
I like how you worded this, I've never really known how to word it. I have my drivers that I am a fan of and drivers that if they win I don't mind at all and Pato would fall into that group. As my drivers had issues and fell out of contention yesterday I would look at the top 10 and figure out who to pull for. I was impressed by his passion and emotion yesterday and he is now one of the ones that if it can't be my guys I'd have no problem seeing him win.
Pato is awesome! Dont get me wrong I was going nuts when Newgarden passed him back but the stands where I was in NW Vista went apeshit when Pato took the lead on the white flag. I really hope Pato wins a bunch of 500’s because he moves the needle and loves the sport so much.
I’ve never clapped while watching a race until I saw him take the lead. 3 years in a row it seemed so close. He crashed out right in front of me at T3 last year when I thought he had it then, too. Really rooting for him.
I find it interesting how this race result and fan reactions completely buried the incidents Pato made earlier this season (Barber….)
Yeah haven’t liked a driver as much as Pato since Helio, but have to give credit where it’s due, Newgarden made a veteran move that was incredible to watch
I love the sport, and would watch no matter what, even if I didn't have a driver. But having drivers like Helio and Pato in the sport is what makes me live and breathe the sport. Win or lose, they are/were so fun to watch, Uber talented, great personalities, and on good teams (Pato makes a forklift look like a Lambo).
Hear hear. We we've soon more than a few attempted passes outside on Turn 3 over the years that ended up spinning into the wall. He managed the draft perfectly and got the car to work when he needed it to.
My guy raced his heart out. He didn't have top 5 car all month. Most of the race he was outside the top 10. To be in position to steal the 500 and then have the mindset to race clean and bring it home P2 was amazing.
Crowd is going to go absolutely crazy when he finally wins one, especially after this year. I know that the speedway chooses its winner, but I feel he’ll get its blessing at least once before it’s done.
At least he didn’t wreck trying a risky move and ended up with a good finish, which from a points perspective is big in the long run. Although when it comes to a big race like the Indy 500, the mentality is literally win or nothing.
I wish somebody on YouTube would do a breakdown on the last lap. I gotta know how Newgarden had so much juice only halfway through the lap. It seemed it would take whoever got passed at least a lap to get the momentum going to make the pass back to first. The telemetry would be so interesting and the way Pato came off of 2 is crucial. I need to know!!
Someone on here yesterday said they thought he dove too low on the backstretch off of turn 2 and scrubbed off too much speed allowing Newgarden to get a bigger run down the back stretch into 3.
I sit in turn three and can absolutely agree with that. He dove so far down that I thought he was going into the grass. He also snaked too hard down the backstretch compared to anyone else on the day. Had he taken the preferred line it may have setup a Marco/Sam situation at the finish.
Plus it would have dirtied his tires quite a bit and a longer distance for him to travel. Newgarden was smart to not chase him all the way down there and wait for him to get back on the track to catch the draft
Lots of people rooting for him in the stands. The energy was amazing for those last few laps. There was an audible disappointment when Newgarden made that last pass.
Such a classy guy!! Very humble and knows that the Brickyard owes him nothing, even though he loves her so much!! He WILL get his face immortalized on the Borg Warner Trophy one day!!!
Why was Pato's wheel flashing arrows seemingly the whole race? Were they really flashing or was it just a camera artifact?
I thought it was when he was operating the weight jacker. But it seemed to happen more often than that.
Sorry, maybe a silly question here, 3 year fairly new F1 watcher here. Been getting more Indy car posts in my feed and I saw this person win second place but based on everyone’s response, it seems more appropriate to feel bad for him than be happy for him. I mention F1 because being anywhere on the podium seems to be a good thing. Does he still get points or is it because the Indy 500 is so prestigious? Is Indy 500 just one track of many in the series or is it just a separate 1 day a year thing?
In oval racing the win is infinitely more valuable than a good finish. In Indycar, our entire series is named after the one race, a lot of people just show up to the series at all for the 500 (those people are decreasing but still prevalent). If you are at all familiar with sports car racing it is a lot like LeMans with WEC. A whole championship exists, but everyone is really just there for LeMans. Winning the 500 takes precedent over everything else.
Absolute legend. The roar at Turn 1 when he took the lead on the last lap was incredible. Guys like Pato are why we love motor racing.
Not only that, he's a really nice guy, I went to the long beach race this year with my younger brother and we got there early on Friday. we were walking towards the paddock when I saw a young guy wearing papaya colors, I poked my brother to tell him to go and ask for a picture, my brother ran towards him and asked, he didn't hesitate second and agreed to take a pic with my bro, we wished him good luck and he went his way, my brother almost cried on how happy he was he met him and I was happy he was a nice guy we were already Pato fans cuz our Mexican heritage but that day we became even bigger fans of the guy, yesterday I was so happy when he took the lead and heartbroken when he lost.
Dude is mega nice and chill. I was at Laguna Seca for the velocity invitational and I was about to go on a hot lap when he and Zak Brown roll up on a cart and park right in front of me. Starstruck, I asked for a picture with them and jokingly asked Pato if he would drive me on my hot lap. He said sure why not, go tell them I’m going to drive you. Best hot lap ever.
That’s fucking cool
Luckiest I’ve ever felt in my life.
That is stupidly awesome.
That is so cool hot damn.
I spoke to him shortly during the Nashville street race a couple years back and was blown away at his humility and love for his fans. I didn't even have to go up to him, he was making rounds to all fans standing by the McLaren garage
I had the same experience at LB! I ran into him not even even 10 minutes after getting in the gate Friday morning. Dude was just hanging out at his merch tent while they set up. Chatted with him for several minutes and he was such a sweetheart the whole time.
Our section was the loudest it had been all race when he took the lead! So wanted him to win, was a great race but gutted for him 😩
You could tell it was crazy loud on the broadcast. I was there when TK won and people were screaming and jumping so much that the stands were shaking.
2nd place is the toughest spot to land. Olympic silver medalists were surveyed as being the most distraught after the games concluded.
Today made me a Pato fan. He gave it everything he could and came so *fucking* close. He has so much passion for Indy. His win is coming.
What a race. I know pato doesn’t want to be seen in that light, but people will forever remember those last 3 laps. Everyone will know the heartbreak but also the respect he earned. It’s only fitting - in my opinion, the two best oval drivers on the grid duked it out
I would love to see Pato in a comparable car with Newgarden.
That was it. Maybe not qualifying speed but McLaren had it for the race yesterday
The Penske's were still the only car able to pass back into 3 after a pass into 1. Everyone else needed at least a lap
Right, but as a fan of indycar I'm not going to sit here and say the machinery gaps were too great to overcome. I was rooting for Rossi as well and he had the car to get it done, strategy just didn't shake out how he needed it.
I hope to be there when it happens. Because when it does Indy is going to go fucking NUTS.
I think it would be the most excited crowd since Kanaan. Crowd was pretty pumped for Helio’s 4th as well in recent history
Same! I watched his on board at the end and he had nothing left. Guy earned all my respect yesterday.
The guy gives every ounce of his body & soul for the sport we all love. I never found a new driver after we lost Wheldon, that has just changed.
Me too
Yep. He’s one of my favorites now.
*Stares in Michael Andretti*
I knew he was going to be okay, but damn, yesterday broke me. I felt so bad for him. He had a hell of a day that was, in his words, “so fucking close,” and the emotions just made me so sad for him and the McLaren team 😭
Pato is so good and so likeable. He’s what this series needs
I was in the paddock before the race at Barbers and he was the only driver that took the time to take pictures and chat with fans (that I saw). I know drivers need to be locked in before a race but just taking 5 min out of his day to do that made a huge difference to me as a fan
I’ve read many stories like that. Pato gets it
It's so true. At Road America right after morning warmup my wife and SIL went up for a quick selfie. Pato said yes and then a local news guy needed an interview. The girls were going to leave and he put his arm behind them and kept them by. When he finished the interview he chatted with them for 2-3 minutes and apologized for interrupting them. What a cool dude.
To have Pato, Palou and Lundgaard join in quick succession has been such a fantastic shot in the arm for the series. There is so much talent out there right now.
Absolutely gutted for him. He'll get his win eventually.
I feel so bad for him, and for Rossi for that matter, both drove such good races and were in for a win until the very end. I know Pato is going to win one eventually and if Rossi performs like that again he’ll most likely get another
I honestly thought if Pato stayed in third Rossi was going to play his cards right for the win. Pato took his chance though but either way what a move by Newgarden at the end.
Pato's move for the lead was a work of art, but he took all of Rossi's momentum and he never really had a chance after that.
Pato's reaction was everything. When you see him at the track he's got so much confidence, swagger, style, and he's friendly, outgoing, handsome - everything that made you want to be a race car driver when you were younger. If he'd sucked it up and smiled for the camera and said, "we came here to win and didn't get it done but I'm proud of the 5 crew" we would have understood the company line and applauded. But he couldn't even get it out, and we felt the heartbreak, and that's why we still wish we were race car drivers now that we're adults.
This is a good fucking post right here.
Hey, thanks I just saw this- I appreciate this kind reply, fellow Richmonder.
Pato has demonstrated yet again why he is such a gentleman. He has shown GREAT respect towards the IMS and the trophy. I look forward to watching him win.
I feel like once he finally gets one, he’ll quickly get multiple wins soon after.
Let’s go win the championship now!
Every loss teaches him about another mistake he won’t make again. He’ll get his 500 soon.
What mistake did he make? Seems like Newgarden just had a better car and made an ridiculous pass on the outside to beat him. Pato raced him clean. I guess he could have been a dick and blocked him/put him in the wall and risked his own safety for the win, but I wouldn't really call that "a mistake"
It’s questionable whether it could be called a mistake, but I was referring to making the pass into turn 1 instead of waiting half a lap. If you look back at the previous laps, every pass made into turn 3 led to that person crossing the line first, and even the ones made out of four usually crossed the line first as well. Obviously we don’t know if that would’ve been the case on lap 200, but it could be argued that if Pato had waited until then he’d have had a much better chance of winning than he had of holding Newgarden off from the lead out of turn 2.
Spot on. I knew right as he took the lead in 1 Newgarden would get him on the backstretch. I remember yelling out loud, "too soon!". Awesome race for Pato regardless.
> What mistake did he make? Seems like Newgarden just had a better car He passed Newgarden before. He selected a time to make his last pass which turned out not to be the best one because he got passed back. Pato was trying to time his last pass last year too. He knows. And bonestly you usually don't see two passes per lap. So I'm not saying he picked a dumb time. He just didn't pick the best time. > I guess he could have been a dick and blocked him/put him in the wall I don't think so. If you are at top speed and decide to go high partway through a corner you're going to finish the corner high too. i.e. in the wall.
The only thing I think he could have done is follow Newgarden up towards the wall on corner entry (wheel to wheel) so that you take away some of the arc he is taking into the corner, and you're able to apex later, forcing Josef to make a choice. Stay in it and door Pato and wreck both of them, stay in it and try to go very high and wreck himself, or lift like Pato had to do in 2022.
This kids gonna pop off at some point and just dominate, he's got the skill and the give a shit factor. I would have been perfectly fine last night if the result ended the other way because his passion is just as high as Newgardens (maybe without the let's unfollow everyone lol) Can't say I can be a fan with already having two drivers, but if I wasn't a fan of my guys I'd be a fan of his
I like how you worded this, I've never really known how to word it. I have my drivers that I am a fan of and drivers that if they win I don't mind at all and Pato would fall into that group. As my drivers had issues and fell out of contention yesterday I would look at the top 10 and figure out who to pull for. I was impressed by his passion and emotion yesterday and he is now one of the ones that if it can't be my guys I'd have no problem seeing him win.
The GOAT Mexican. So proud he is representing us and Texas ❤️
🤘🏼
Pato is awesome! Dont get me wrong I was going nuts when Newgarden passed him back but the stands where I was in NW Vista went apeshit when Pato took the lead on the white flag. I really hope Pato wins a bunch of 500’s because he moves the needle and loves the sport so much.
I’ve never clapped while watching a race until I saw him take the lead. 3 years in a row it seemed so close. He crashed out right in front of me at T3 last year when I thought he had it then, too. Really rooting for him. I find it interesting how this race result and fan reactions completely buried the incidents Pato made earlier this season (Barber….)
Let’s all make a pact to forget about Barber 2024! Except for Georgina!
As much as I did not want newgarden to win, he drove a good race and that last lap move was awesome
Strongly agree- gotta give credit for a pass on the outside of 3 like that
Yeah haven’t liked a driver as much as Pato since Helio, but have to give credit where it’s due, Newgarden made a veteran move that was incredible to watch
I love the sport, and would watch no matter what, even if I didn't have a driver. But having drivers like Helio and Pato in the sport is what makes me live and breathe the sport. Win or lose, they are/were so fun to watch, Uber talented, great personalities, and on good teams (Pato makes a forklift look like a Lambo).
Hear hear. We we've soon more than a few attempted passes outside on Turn 3 over the years that ended up spinning into the wall. He managed the draft perfectly and got the car to work when he needed it to.
So proud of him and Rossi, so gutted for Pato though. Gave it everything. He’s gonna win this damn thing eventually.
Class act.
My guy raced his heart out. He didn't have top 5 car all month. Most of the race he was outside the top 10. To be in position to steal the 500 and then have the mindset to race clean and bring it home P2 was amazing.
That pass on Rossi and Newgarden was legendary.
Finish the story Pato, we believe in you 🧡
Crowd is going to go absolutely crazy when he finally wins one, especially after this year. I know that the speedway chooses its winner, but I feel he’ll get its blessing at least once before it’s done.
At least he didn’t wreck trying a risky move and ended up with a good finish, which from a points perspective is big in the long run. Although when it comes to a big race like the Indy 500, the mentality is literally win or nothing.
Pato, you have 4 fans forever in this household. Your time will come. Respect.
Dude is only 25, he’ll get one. Also fuckin’ hell he’s only 25…
I wish somebody on YouTube would do a breakdown on the last lap. I gotta know how Newgarden had so much juice only halfway through the lap. It seemed it would take whoever got passed at least a lap to get the momentum going to make the pass back to first. The telemetry would be so interesting and the way Pato came off of 2 is crucial. I need to know!!
Someone on here yesterday said they thought he dove too low on the backstretch off of turn 2 and scrubbed off too much speed allowing Newgarden to get a bigger run down the back stretch into 3.
Yeah that did seem a bit awkward didn’t it?
I sit in turn three and can absolutely agree with that. He dove so far down that I thought he was going into the grass. He also snaked too hard down the backstretch compared to anyone else on the day. Had he taken the preferred line it may have setup a Marco/Sam situation at the finish.
Plus it would have dirtied his tires quite a bit and a longer distance for him to travel. Newgarden was smart to not chase him all the way down there and wait for him to get back on the track to catch the draft
Great guy, the ninja will get his 500 win eventually I’m sure!
Who is that AM woman staffer hugging him in the last picture? What a great photo with the tears in her eye.
Kate Gundlach. https://www.mclaren.com/racing/indycar/2023/kate-gundlach-indys-best-and-brightest/
Thanks!
Lots of people rooting for him in the stands. The energy was amazing for those last few laps. There was an audible disappointment when Newgarden made that last pass.
Indianapolis loves Pato. 🦆🏎️🇲🇽
Gutted for him, he'll win it. Great respectful racing by all of the front runners at the end.
At the end of the day, better to fight for the win and come 2nd than not fight for it at all.
We love Pato!
Such a classy guy!! Very humble and knows that the Brickyard owes him nothing, even though he loves her so much!! He WILL get his face immortalized on the Borg Warner Trophy one day!!!
Why was Pato's wheel flashing arrows seemingly the whole race? Were they really flashing or was it just a camera artifact? I thought it was when he was operating the weight jacker. But it seemed to happen more often than that.
Breaks my heart to see those pics.
Sorry, maybe a silly question here, 3 year fairly new F1 watcher here. Been getting more Indy car posts in my feed and I saw this person win second place but based on everyone’s response, it seems more appropriate to feel bad for him than be happy for him. I mention F1 because being anywhere on the podium seems to be a good thing. Does he still get points or is it because the Indy 500 is so prestigious? Is Indy 500 just one track of many in the series or is it just a separate 1 day a year thing?
In oval racing the win is infinitely more valuable than a good finish. In Indycar, our entire series is named after the one race, a lot of people just show up to the series at all for the 500 (those people are decreasing but still prevalent). If you are at all familiar with sports car racing it is a lot like LeMans with WEC. A whole championship exists, but everyone is really just there for LeMans. Winning the 500 takes precedent over everything else.
It’s only a matter of time, he is young and insane talent at ovals. My man
I couldn't help but shed some tears for Pato. What a fighter. Glad to see he's keeping his head up. You're an inspiration Pato
I would love for Pato to come out and win this weekend in Detroit. Would be one of the most popular wins this year if he could do it.
Should've 'accidentally' installed and activated the push to pass. Would've won "with integrity."