McLaren will have a new face in their cockpit on Tuesday as IndyCar star Pato O’Ward will be stepping in for the last test session of the season at Abu Dhabi. As per a recent report by The Athletic, the 24-year-old Mexican driver sees this test as an opportunity to try and make his place in the world of F1.
O’Ward has a longstanding partnership with McLaren, as for the past four seasons, he has driven for their IndyCar team. In that duration, he has managed to claim four wins with the team and has been a regular championship contender. But the ultimate dream for O’Ward has been to make the switch to F1.
O’Ward said, “The test is going to be huge for the team to see that I’m ready for it.” Highlighting the difference between IndyCars and F1 cars, he commented further, “These things, they’re rockets, they’re such capable cars. I’m pumped to get back into it on Tuesday and really wring its neck, and really see what it’s capable of.”
While O’Ward did get an opportunity to drive the car on Friday, the main issue was that McLaren handed him a prescribed program to collect data about the car and the track. Added to that, the IndyCar driver had to be careful not to damage the car in any way, This meant that O’Ward could not go ‘full send‘ on Friday.
On the contrary, during the last test, Pato O’Ward would be able to do what he likes and try to explore the limits of the McLaren. However, no matter what he does, an entry into the McLaren F1 team seems unlikely at the moment with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris cementing their place in the team.
McLaren have an extremely stable pair of drivers as of now
McLaren recently announced the contract extension of Oscar Piastri and revealed that they will be continuing with the Australian driver at least till the end of 2026. Lando Norris seemed to be extremely happy with the decision as well, claiming that McLaren have the strongest driver pairing at the moment.
Norris claimed that Piastri has done everything he needed to do and his performance has been extraordinary. He also explained that the young Australian has pushed him throughout the season. He said, “He’s done a very good job. Congrats to him for a few more years.”
As for Norris himself, the Briton has a contract with McLaren that will keep him at Woking at least till the end of 2025. While Norris is hot property at the moment, if McLaren is able to provide him with a car that can fight for wins by then, the Briton is likely to stay on for quite a few more years.
