McLaren lead driver Pato O'Ward shares his honest opinion on the possibility of IndyCar going to Mexico

Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward has given his honest take on IndyCar potentially landing a race in Mexico from 2026 onwards. The Mexican, who is the series' most popular driver, has been urging IndyCar to add a race in Mexico City to their calendar since 2021.

However, as per IndyCar CEO Mark Miles, the race promoters in Mexico City weren't convinced by the series' ability to fill the stands. In August 2024, when NASCAR beat IndyCar to secure a Mexico City race, O'Ward was heartbroken. He criticized IndyCar and claimed that Mexico City would no longer have a place for the series, with both F1 and NASCAR racing there.

However, on IndyCar's first 'content day' before the 2025 season, his stance changed. When questioned about what an IndyCar race in his home country would mean to him and the fans, O'Ward replied [13:53 onwards]:

"People are going to be pumped. I'm going to be pumped. I hope all of you are going to be pumped because it's going to be a great event. It's going to be the best event on the calendar outside of the Indy 500. I know there's talks going on. I know it's quite more advanced than what it's ever been. I really hope we see it on the calendar in 2026."

"I will be very involved in it," he added. "I want to make sure it's a success. I want to finish that weekend and be like, 'Wow!'"

Earlier in January, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles revealed that the series had made headway with two new locations - Mexico and Denver. He considered getting either one on the 2026 calendar a win. The American series last raced in Mexico City at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2007, during the Champ Car era.

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Pato O'Ward hails the passionate Mexican fans and expects a grand welcome for IndyCar

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

Pato O'Ward's popularity transcends the boundaries of the locations IndyCar races in. Fans from across North America flock in thousands to witness him racing, and in 2024, he also claimed the series' merchandise sales crown.

O'Ward received a rousing welcome in Mexico City when he took part in FP1 at F1's Mexican Grand Prix for McLaren. The No. 5 Arrow McLaren driver believes that fans there will give an equally grand welcome to IndyCar.

"It's (Mexico) the perfect market for IndyCar to go and really experience what that aficionado, that fan can bring to the table because it's such a special group of people, just a special community that really embraces not just IndyCar, but back in the day, Formula 1, Formula E, anybody that's there, they always make it feel so welcomed and special. I know they're going to do just that for us," he said. [14:35 onwards]

Pato O'Ward was scheduled for a joint Formula E and IndyCar demo in Mexico City on January 11 this year, which unfortunately got canceled due to "logistical challenges".

2024, however, was a respectable year for the Mexican driver. He took a series-high three victories and finished fifth in the championship standings, one place lower from 2023. O'Ward also took part in F1's post-season Abu Dhabi test with McLaren.