IndyCar star Pato O'Ward all set for more F1 exposure with McLaren in 2025

IndyCar star Pato O'Ward will jump back into the McLaren F1 car as the Papaya team prepares to give the Mexican driver more exposure. The 26-year-old is set to get behind the wheel of the MCL39 at the 2025 Mexico City GP during the FP1 session.

McLaren’s office website published a press release on May 8, 2025, confirming that its reserve driver, Pato O'Ward, will take over the F1 car for the FP1 session in Mexico. The Mexican driver, along with his full-time IndyCar role with Arrow McLaren, also fulfils the role of reserve driver for the F1 team.

Pato O'Ward was also given the opportunity to drive the F1 car around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (Mexico City circuit) last year as he jumped in the championship-winning MCL38 for the FP1 session. He expressed his feelings in McLaren's press release about the opportunity to drive at his home circuit once again.

“I’m excited to be jumping back in the car for FP1 at my home race in Mexico this year. The Mexico City fans were unbelievable last time out, and it was a great feeling being able to extract everything from the programme that the team had planned. I’m looking forward to going again this year, working with Zak, Andrea and the whole team,” read Pato O'Ward's statement.

Motorsport reporter Jenna Fryer detailed how lines have started appearing outside local malls for O'Ward’s appearances on X.

During the 2024 FP1 session, Pato O'Ward finished P13 in the session, 1.297 seconds away from the fastest time set by George Russell. The Mexican driver completed a total of 21 laps with the best time of 1:19:295

“Sooner rather than later”: Pato O'Ward on the deadline for his F1 dream

Pato O'Ward has been aiming to join the F1 team and hence, took up the role of the F1 reserve driver along with the Arrow McLaren IndyCar duties. The Mexican driver came out before the start of the 2025 season and spoke about the same, as he detailed how the F1 opportunities were tough to come by, and that there's a deadline to it.

“I'm at a point in my career where I'm all in, and I've been all in for so long for this opportunity in Formula 1 to come about, but that always has a deadline, it will always have a date where it's just... 'that's enough', because it might never happen,” said O'Ward, via Race.

“I'm not open to doing it for five more years. I think there's definitely a deadline and that will come sooner rather than later,” he added.

Alex Palou was set to join Arrow McLaren and take up the F1 reserve driver role, but failed to fulfill his contract with the team and stayed at Chip Ganassi Racing.