McLaren's Pato O'Ward clarifies his stance on Cadillac F1 move

Pato O'Ward's F1 ambitions are no secret to anybody. The Mexican had fueled the rumors about possibly leaving the Papaya stable, with the Cadillac F1 Team approaching him. However, the 26-year-old has clarified his earlier statements and shared how they were made in jest.

The Arrow McLaren driver made his debut in 2018 in the IndyCar realm. Witnessing his skill behind the wheel of a racecar, McLaren offered him a contract for the 2020 season.

The Mexican made decent progress with the team and became a title contender for the 2021 season, but he finished P3 in the standings. Since then, Pato O'Ward has led the IndyCar championship at various points while claiming seven race victories till now.

On the other hand, with the United States getting another outfit on the F1 grid next year, multiple names from the IndyCar field sparked up on possibly getting the call-up to Cadillac. O'Ward has revealed his desire and how the team was a suitable place for him in the F1 realm.

However, such statements were merely fuel to the igniting fire, as the Arrow McLaren driver shared in a chat with motorsports photographer Kym Illman.

"Everybody kept saying Cadillac! You and Checo [Sergio Perez] and I was like, you know what? I'm going to add some logs to the fire, and I'm going to poke them. That was just me having fun with it. There's been no contact at all.

"I do think it would be really cool to have a full on Mexican team, like two Mexican drivers in a Formula One team that would be historic for the country. I mean, the country would fall. You never know if it becomes true."

O'Ward has participated in three free practice sessions in the F1 sphere with McLaren, and another one is on the horizon.

---

Pato O'Ward will drive McLaren's F1 challenger at the practice session in Mexico

Pato O'Ward at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Source: Getty

The seven-time IndyCar race winner is a part of the McLaren F1 stable. Owing to his contract with Arrow McLaren, he traverses between racing venues for both championships throughout the year and will drive the McLaren MCL39 at the Mexican Grand Prix in October.

Sharing his thoughts on getting behind the wheel of an F1 car at his home race, Pato O'Ward said, via Formula 1:

"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."

On the other hand, IndyCar will host its fifth race of the season this week. The Sonsio IndyCar Grand Prix is scheduled on May 10, and American fans can tune in on FOX Sports to witness the racing spectacle.