McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward no longer wants to continue with his Formula 1 commitments at the British racing team. The Mexican has been one of McLaren’s reserve drivers since 2024, the team with which he also races in IndyCar. However, if it were up to O’Ward, he would only continue racing in the American series: “There is really nothing in me that longs to continue as a reserve driver in Formula 1.”
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Pato O’Ward has been one of McLaren’s reserve drivers since 2024. In that role, the Mexican has already been allowed to drive a free practice session for the team five times and participated in the post-season test days in Abu Dhabi. In addition, O’Ward races in IndyCar with McLaren. However, the Mexican now wants to prioritize his career in the American racing series.
“I haven’t had a single off-season in the past five years,” O’Ward says in the Speed Street podcast. “I want to enjoy my life outside of racing because it consumes me and has completely occupied me for the past five years.” The Mexican has now raised this with McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “He is the one who holds the reins. I am grateful for the experiences and everything I have been able to learn in the world of Formula 1. And of course, driving those race cars, especially in recent years, was just an amazing experience to feel what they are capable of.”
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‘Don’t feel like driving current F1 cars’
Still, O’Ward hopes to now say goodbye to his Formula 1 commitments. “But I really think I am now in a different phase of my life and honestly, I don’t care anymore,” he continues. “There is really nothing in me that longs to continue as a reserve driver in Formula 1 because I am in a great place in IndyCar. I love the series. That’s where I want to be.”
In addition, the IndyCar driver is also not enthusiastic about the 2026 cars. Formula 1 is racing this season for the first time with a fifty-fifty split between the combustion engine and electric energy. “When I look at how the race cars currently look, I don’t really feel like driving them,” says O’Ward.
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