Pato O’Ward has established himself as one of IndyCar’s top talents, but there is one thing that continues to escape him.
The Mexican made his debut in the IndyCar Series at the end of 2018, and after making part-time appearances with Carlin the following year, O’Ward moved to a full-time seat with Arrow McLaren in 2020.
In his five seasons thus far with the team, the 25-year-old has grabbed seven wins and 26 podiums, recording a best finish of third in the standings in 2021.
But despite his success in IndyCar,, O’Ward’s time in the category has also brought about many frustrations and heartbreaks, particularly at the Indianapolis 500.
Danica Patrick thinks Pato O’Ward has got ‘even more to show’ after Indy 500 defeat
In O’Ward’s five starts in the historic race, the Mexican has finished second twice in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, he had been competing at the front of the field when he crashed out just nine laps from the finish.
O’Ward lost out to Marcus Ericsson in 2022 after a tense battle on the final lap of the race. In 2024, the 25-year-old had been leading the race after he overtook Josef Newgarden at the start of the final lap.
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But coming down the back straight and into the third corner, Newgarden swept back past the McLaren driver and held on to claim his second Indy 500 win in a row.
O’Ward was handed an appearance in F1 by McLaren at his home race in Mexico, and speaking during the Sky Sports F1 coverage, Danica Patrick discussed how the 25-year-old could have waited longer before making his pass on Newgarden.
“Well, he’s a great guy, great driver,” she said. “I mean, obviously so fun to watch. I don’t know if you guys watched the Indy 500, he did such a good job with being patient and he passed Josef [Newgarden] down the front straight to start the last lap.
“But he got passed down the back straight. Look I think Josef had a lot of speed, a lot of straight line speed, but still you think ‘could he have waited a little longer?’
“But he still exercised tons of patience by waiting on the lap before when he could have passed him down the back straight. I think he’s got even more to show, I mean of all she’s accomplished I think he’s still coming into his own.”
How did Pato O’Ward fair in his FP1 outing with McLaren in Mexico?
The Mexico City Grand Prix was O’Ward’s third appearance in a McLaren F1 car in a free practice session. The 25-year-old had previously driven in Abu Dhabi in 2022 – signing with the McLaren Driver Development Programme shortly after – and again in 2023.
O’Ward was one of five rookies to to take part in FP1 in Mexico alongside Andrea Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Oliver Bearman for Ferrari, Felipe Drugovich for Aston Martin and Robert Shwartzman for Sauber.
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Completing 21 laps in the session, O’Ward finished his outing in 13th with a best time of 1:19:295, coming in as the second highest-placed rookie behind Antonelli who was 12th.
With O’Ward tied down to McLaren for the 2025 IndyCar season, the Mexican will certainly be hoping to get more appearances with the team in the pinnacle of motorsport at some point in the future.