Call it the mini-Canadian invasion.
Although former German touring car racer Robert Wickens may be a more high-profile addition to the Verizon IndyCar Series lineup, another Canadian who's been plying his trade in Europe for the past decade has also crossed the Atlantic to try his hand in North America.
He's Gavin Ward, who left Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing late last year to join the crew of the No. 1 Team Penske Chevrolet driven by reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden. The plan is for Ward to learn the intricacies of INDYCAR competition and eventually take over as Newgarden's race engineer.
While the past few months has seen Ward slowly ease into his new role, gradually learning the ins and outs of Indy cars with his new outfit, he's already a convert to the championship organization owned by Roger Penske
“I'm really enjoying the atmosphere at the team. It's exceptionally positive and there's a real company ethos that's strong and impressive, and it flows from Mr. Penske down,” Ward said.
“I like working with Josef and so far, I've been super impressed. I feel like we both have been enjoying learning from each other about the differences in how F1 and INDYCAR go about setting up their cars. I think any engineer would count themselves very lucky to work with a driver of Josef's talent and commitment level.”
For his part, Newgarden feels Ward has made a smooth transition into the crew. Newgarden insisted the engineer has already made big contributions to the team.
“I have enjoyed our offseason testing schedule together. Gavin has such a strong background in open-wheel racing, and there is a lot we can learn from each other,” Newgarden said.
“Along with (lead engineer) Brian Campe, I’m lucky in that I get to work with two extremely intelligent top engineers this season, and I really look forward to seeing what we can put together on track this year.”
Although he filled the role of aerodynamicist in the team's factory during his final three years with Red Bull, Ward spent the better part of a decade in the garage on race weekends engineering drivers David Coulthard, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo. Along the way, he played a key role in Ricciardo's emotional maiden F1 win at Ward's home grand prix in Montreal in 2014 and in the team's four drivers’ and constructors' titles.
Ward left Red Bull on a positive note. He even got insights on working in his new series from the team's chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, who designed back-to-back Indianapolis 500 and Indy car championship-winning cars for March beginning in 1985.
Although finding a new challenge was a major factor in his decision to leave Red Bull, getting back into the action in the pit lane played the biggest part in Ward's decision to accept an opportunity in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
“The factory-based design role wasn't quite the same,” said Ward. “It just didn't give me the same buzz – the sights the sounds, the smells and the childhood memories of going to the track – and there wasn't the adrenalin rush you get from being in the thick of it. I learned much more about how to make a race car go fast through the aerodynamic work at Red Bull and I certainly wouldn't change that, but I am happy to get back to the track.”
Ward got a modest start in the sport, volunteering for a Formula Ford team down the road from his hometown of Toronto at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. From there he attended a top English university, Oxford Brookes, where many F1 engineers learned their trade. An internship while he was still in school led to a full-time job with Red Bull when he graduated.
Another attraction of the Verizon IndyCar Series is that it allows engineers to get their hands dirty, something that's not always the case in F1. In that series, strict mileage limits on engines and restrictions on tire availability mean engineers rely more on simulations than track time to solve problems.
“From an engineering side, it's been quite eye-opening and surprisingly different,” Ward said.
“I think I am learning a lot from it. There are areas that I can bring a little bit of F1 experience to and then there are areas where I am learning a heck of a lot. It is definitely more involved and you have the freedom to just muck into whatever you want, which is something I wanted. I am still sort of adjusting to that – it's almost a culture shock. I'm used to being a bit more compartmentalized and you can just dive in here.”
For now, Ward will learn from Campe and the rest of the Penske engineering entourage, while adding insight and expertise where he can. Long term, he is gearing to become Newgarden’s primary engineer.
“I'm in a good situation where I have time to get up to speed and learn what INDYCAR is all about,” he said.
“It's probably an even bigger challenge than going to race engineer in Formula 1. With the cars being so similar, the driver-engineer relationship is really important over here. And if we are not on it, there's nowhere to hide.”
Ward will encounter his first oval race this week, the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix at ISM Raceway. The 250-lap race on the historic 1.022-mile oval outside Phoenix airs live at 9 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.