"I don't have $30 million": IndyCar’s Pato O'Ward shares frustration with F1’s pay-to-play nature

IndyCar star Pato O'Ward has expressed resentment towards money taking center stage over merit-based opportunities in F1. The 25-year-old driver was McLaren's reserve driver for 2024 and tested the MCL38 on two occasions - FP1 at the Mexico GP, his home race, and the Abu Dhabi post-season test.

At the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on October 25, O'Ward replaced Lando Norris in FP1 and finished in P13 after completing 21 laps during the hour-long session. He fell 0.337 seconds short of teammate Oscar Piastri in P6, who did three more laps than him. In Abu Dhabi, however, the Mexican driver was a impressive, finishing seventh out of 23 drivers and labeling McLaren's championship-winning MCL38 a "rocket on wheels."

However, with both Piastri and Norris exhibiting championship-worthy performances throughout the season, Pato O'Ward, unfortunately, stands very little chance of earning a full-time F1 seat with the Woking outfit in the near future. Moreover, examples like Red Bull reportedly retaining the struggling Sergio Perez (O'Ward's compatriot) for the sponsor money he brought in adds another obstacle for O'Ward.

The Mexican driver addressed this pay-to-play nature embedded within some F1 teams in a recent interview with MILENIO-La Afición. He said (via mediatiempo.com):

"Formula 1 is out of my hands. Every time I get in the car, the team understands and knows that I am capable of giving them the results that I have given them in IndyCar, the same will be true in Formula 1. At the end of the day it is still a car with four wheels. It is a world with a lot of politics. I don't have 30 million dollars that I can offer to get a seat. I understand that there is a point where many teams focus on that." [translated from Spanish]

O'Ward also shared his plight of having nowhere to advance within McLaren's F1 team and his lack of influence in the F1 paddock to negotiate with other teams.

"I am happy in IndyCar, but if the opportunity to compete in Formula 1 comes, I will make the most of it. It is not up to me anymore. I need a little help to open those doors because I cannot open them alone," the 25-year-old added.

Pato O'Ward aims to "take everything" in the 2025 IndyCar season with Arrow McLaren

Pato O'Ward at the Hy-Vee Salute To Farmers 300 - Source: Getty

The 2024 IndyCar season was Pato O'Ward's sixth full-time season in the American open-wheel racing series and one of his best. The No. 5 Chevy driver recorded a career-best season in terms of race wins, with three wins. Despite that, he finished fifth in the standings. However, that didn't take away anything from the new highs he achieved.

In 2025, O'Ward is aiming to take the ultimate prize home - his maiden IndyCar championship. He said (mediatiempo.com):

"I think 2025 could be the good year. We can take everything."

The 25-year-old also came agonizingly close to winning the prestigious Indy 500. At the start of the final lap, he overtook defending winner Josef Newgarden for the race lead, only to lose it to the Team Penske rival in Turn 3. It was O'Ward's second runner-up finish at the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" and he was in tears after the race. To convert those into tears of joy at the 109th running of the Indy 500 in 2025 is another goal.

"Winning the Indianapolis 500, that race is legendary, unique and it is the race that most catches my attention so far; I have been very, very close to winning it," he added.

2025 is the last year of Pato O'Ward's current contract with Arrow McLaren.