McLaren's Pato O'Ward becomes the face of F1 as KitKat makes back-to-back Mexico GP endeavours

Pato O'Ward has landed his next big opportunity in F1, but this time around, it's part of a commercial partnership. The IndyCar driver will be the face of KitKat's promotional efforts at the 2025 Mexico GP in October.

O'Ward is a full-time driver for McLaren Racing's IndyCar team, Arrow McLaren, and also serves as an F1 reserve driver for the British team led by Zak Brown. Earlier in May this year, McLaren announced that the Mexican driver would pilot its MCL39 in FP1 at the Mexico GP weekend.

The 26-year-old got the same opportunity last year, having replaced Lando Norris in the MCL38 in FP1. Though McLaren hasn't confirmed which driver he'll replace this year, Pato O'Ward knows one thing for sure - he will join KitKat in creating "memorable moments" for the F1 fans in his home country.

KitKat will have a dedicated activation in the Fanzone at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, including the sale of exclusive F1 merchandise. Moreover, fans will also get a chance to win Paddock Club tickets and Grandstand tickets. KitKat will have a similar activation for Brazilian fans for the 2025 Sao Paulo GP.

F1 struck a sponsorship deal with Nestle in November 2024 and welcomed KitKat as its official Chocolate Bar Partner on a multi-year deal.

For O'Ward, this will be his second year in a row not just driving a McLaren in F1, but also being the face of KitKat in Mexico. Two days before his 2024 Mexico GP FP1 outing, the Monterrey, Mexico, native attended a promotional function for KitKat in the Plaza Reforma 222 shopping mall in Mexico City.

Fans flocked in thousands and surrounded him in the mall. A video of the deafening reception for the McLaren driver went viral on social media. You can take a look at it below:

Pato O'Ward's performance in the MCL38 in FP1 was respectable. He finished 13th in the practice session, nearly three-tenths of a second off teammate Oscar Piastri.

Pato O'Ward is ready to give up his pursuit of an F1 seat if IndyCar fulfils his Mexico dream

Driving in F1 has been Pato O'Ward's childhood dream. However, with both McLaren seats locked up for good, the Mexican driver seems to be out of options for at least the near future.

Another dream of the 26-year-old has been to race in front of his home fans in Mexico. This has driven him to lobby with IndyCar for a race in Mexico City since 2021. Though the American open-wheel series hasn't secured a race there yet, the negotiations have turned promising, as revealed by O'Ward and IndyCar CEO Mark Miles before the start of the 2025 IndyCar season.

During the Long Beach GP weekend in April, O'Ward admitted that if IndyCar sees the deal with Mexico through, he would no longer be interested in going to F1.

"Once I get my race in Mexico, I'm never going back to an F1 paddock," he admitted to ESPN.

Pato O'Ward sits second in the championship standings after seven races, a mammoth 90 points behind reigning champion Alex Palou. He has finished on the podium thrice this season, including a P3 at the 109th Indy 500 in May, but has yet to win a race.