Pato O’Ward had a rare week of both INDYCAR and Formula 1 work.
Turning laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a tire test last Tuesday and then laps in Formula 1 practice Friday in his home country at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, O’Ward had a full week.
“It’s great,” O’Ward said Saturday in a call with FOX Sports. “It’s obviously the first week that I had INDYCAR and Formula 1 together.
“Obviously, it’s two different cars, two different ways of driving and everything. … It’s a pretty good life.”
Pato O’Ward prepares to drive during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The 2025 INDYCAR season runnerup, O’Ward did suffer stomach issues and dehydration Friday that forced him to stay in the medical center following F1 practice. O’Ward, who serves as a reserve and testing driver for McLaren’s F1 team in addition to his full-time INDYCAR driving duties for McLaren, said Saturday he was feeling better and at least he wasn’t looking as pale.
O’Ward, in the car normally driven by McLaren’s Lando Norris (currently second in the F1 standings behind teammate Oscar Piastri), was 13th in the practice session, being on the hard tires for most of the time while Piastri was on the medium tires. F1 rules require teams to use a junior driver with virtually no F1 racing experience in two practice sessions each season.
“You definitely make yourself more useful than just entertaining people,” said O’Ward, who did 30 laps. “It’s really nice to jump into an F1 car every time you have a chance to do it.
“The main goal is to get through the program. It’s different than testing where you maybe get more flying laps or at least work up to getting the maximum out of the car. This time, you don’t really get that chance so much. You’ve just got to make sure that you’ve dialed down and you get all the information that the team needs.”
Pato O’Wards busy week included testing for INDYCAR and a Formula 1 practice.
For O’Ward, he has spent most of the time since the INDYCAR finale in late August focused on his F1 duties. He said after the F1 season finale in early December, he would turn his focus back to INDYCAR and getting ready for the 2026 season.
The 2026 season was expected to have a race in Mexico City, but those plans fell through with the hopes of a race there in 2027.
Did last weekend make O’Ward want to race INDYCAR in Mexico City or make him want to race an F1 car anywhere?
“I would love to race in INDYCAR here in Mexico and obviously, if I ever get to race in Formula 1, I’m going to take it,” O’Ward said. “It’s great to be able to do both things.
“I’m obviously not racing in F1. I’m racing in INDYCAR but I can also jump into a Formula 1 car and enjoy that. I have no complaints at all.”
His appearances, similar to last year, attracted throngs of fans.
“The reception has been very warm, very welcoming,” O’Ward said. “There are lots of excited people. Lots of love. It’s been a chaotic week with the issues I had yesterday, but I’m glad I feel better today.”
O’Ward did make a grand entrance last Friday into the paddock, wearing a jacket designed by Nashville-based fashion designer Manuel Cuevas. O’Ward told Cuevas he wanted a black jacket with flowers, a design with a color of the Mexican flag and the bougainvillea flowers that are native to Mexico.
As far as what people thought of the jacket, O’Ward said he didn’t know.
“I think people liked it,” O’Ward said. “I haven’t really looked so much at the media that came out of it because I was obviously occupied with something else [in the medical center].”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
