Pato O’Ward has established himself as one of IndyCar’s top talents, making his debut in the North American category in 2018.
The Mexican landed a full-time seat in 2020 with McLaren, after they purchased a 75 percent stake in Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. Since then, O’Ward has been regularly fighting for podiums and wins.
Achieving a highest finish of third in IndyCar in 2021, his performances caught the attention of Zak Brown and the McLaren F1 team. Having previously been a part of the Red Bull junior team, O’Ward began testing F1 cars with the Woking outfit in 2021, signing to their development programme in 2023.
| Pato O’Ward IndyCar stats | |
| Races | 91 |
| Wins | 7 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Poles | 6 |
The 26-year-old has been afforded opportunities during race weekend, participating in FP1 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. O’Ward will return to McLaren for his home event in 2025, providing data to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
It is not entirely uncommon for IndyCar drivers to venture into F1; the best example being Jacques Villeneuve, who became world champion in 1997 after winning the IndyCar title two years prior. O’Ward is certain ‘every’ F1 driver would say the same thing about the North American series.
Pato O’Ward believes ‘every’ F1 driver would say IndyCar is ‘not as safe’
F1 have made huge strides in recent years to improve safety, such as the halo device and stronger bodies. IndyCar have made similar steps with their own version of the halo, but the dangers remain the same.
Reaching speeds of up to 240mph – faster than a modern F1 car in a straight line – IndyCar drivers take serious hits in accidents, with concrete walls and catch fencing still being used.
Speaking with F1 photographer Kym Illman on his YouTube channel, O’Ward says ‘every’ F1 driver would agree that IndyCar is ‘not as safe’ due to its ‘gnarly’ circuits and the force of crashes.
“The IndyCar tracks are freaking gnarly. Put some concrete walls up there, the fences sometimes are questionable,” said the Mexican.
“Yeah, you see the F1 tracks and it’s very manicured, very perfect. Obviously a hit will still hurt but I think every driver that’s involved in IndyCar and in Formula 1 will tell you that IndyCar is not as safe, specifically even more in superspeedways because of the speeds.
“We’re going 240mph. [Then told F1 is 220mph] Yeah, which is still ridiculously fast but the tracks usually got some gravel traps.
“I mean here, you’re spinning, you’re going straight into a concrete wall. A big impact in Formula 1 is 50g. That’s a very big impact, like Max in Silverstone. And in IndyCar, you’re lucky if you’re not over the hundreds in a superspeedway.”
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Could Pato O’Ward make it onto the F1 grid in 2026?
With his connections to McLaren and previously Red Bull, many fans have wondered if O’Ward could one day make it to the pinnacle of motorsport. So far, an opportunity has escaped him.
The Mexican does qualify for an FIA superlicense. He has accumulated the 40 points required through various tests with McLaren and his top results in IndyCar.
However, O’Ward is in a difficult position at the Woking outfit, as Norris and Piastri are committed to long-term contracts. If the 26-year-old wants to join F1, his future will most likely lie away from McLaren.
Cadillac could ‘fight pretty hard’ to sign O’Ward from McLaren for their debut F1 season in 2026. Mario Andretti is an admirer of the Mexican as he is on the shortlist of drivers to join the team next year.
