While the IndyCar star Pato O’Ward has been offered the opportunity to take the McLaren F1 car out during the FP1 session at the Abu Dhabi GP, he does not own a super license because he does not have enough points to qualify for one.
The issue of the super license emerged earlier this year when AlphaTauri wanted to sign IndyCar’s sensation Colton Herta for its 2023 lineup. The debate over his ineligibility for a super license went on for weeks but the FIA did not budge.
After finishing P3 in the standings last season, even if Pato O’Ward finishes P5 this year he will need to finish in the top 3 next season to qualify for a super license.
But somehow finishing P5, P6, and P6 in three straight seasons of F2 earns a driver a super license…
— Formula Tilke 🇺🇸🇳🇱 (@TilkeTracks) September 6, 2022
O’Ward, who does not have a super license despite finishing fourth, third and seventh in the last three IndyCar championships, believes a lot of opportunities have been wasted due to the super license blockage.
Drivers with unusual resumes should not be punished, says Pato O’Ward
O’Ward thinks that drivers who race in IndyCar are talented enough to be given a chance to race in the pinnacle of motorsport, that is Formula 1.
Speaking to The Race, the Mexican driver said that the IndyCar is underrated and that it needs to be fixed in order to prevent the wastage of talent.
In the early stages of his career, O’Ward participated and dropped several racing categories which prevented him from earning the required super license points.
This diverse resume has now ballooned into this massive blockage of not being eligible to take a seat in F1 despite having the talent.
O’Ward added that drivers with unusual resumes like himself should not be punished for sampling multiple championships in their careers. He stressed that not everyone has millions to spend in order to get into F1 and have a perfect upbringing.
Some drivers have to struggle and go through an insane career path by racing in Japan, Mexico, prototypes, America, Europe etc. In doing so, sometimes the drivers are not able to complete the championships merely because they don’t have the funding to continue.
Also Read: IndyCar driver Alex Palou gets astonished by insane pace of $12 million F1 cars
Distribution of Super License points
Currently, an IndyCar champion gets 40 points which are the same as what an F2 champion gets. But in F2, a driver who finishes second or third also receive 40 points.
While in IndyCar these points decrease as the position slide down to the back of the grid. A driver who finishes second in IndyCar, sees an addition of 30 super license points, 20 points for third, 10 for fourth and 8 for fifth.
O’Ward who finished P7 this year could only earn 4 points for his Super License despite fighting through tough competition and reliability issues.
The Mexican even earned the record of qualifying in the Top 6 on every road course. He also secured a series-equalling best average starting position with an exceptional win tally.
Also Read: Williams protege Logan Sargeant misses out on a crucial Super Licence point by 1 Lap!
