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Pato O’Ward endured another difficult session, while his teammate Nolan Siegel led the field during the second practice of the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday. The Mexican driver has so far had a less-than-ideal start to the California race weekend.
The 25-year-old, who typically sets the pace for the Arrow McLaren team—as was evident during the Thermal Club Grand Prix—could only manage a 12th-place finish during the final practice of the Grand Prix. His time of 1:07.7104 was six-tenths off the pace set by Siegel, who finished atop the pack.
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Pato O’Ward’s time was also only two-tenths of a second quicker than what he managed during the first practice session, where he finished P13. The #5 car will now aim for an improved performance during the qualifying session of the Long Beach Grand Prix.
O’Ward’s other teammate, Christian Lundgaard, also endured a challenging session. The Danish driver struggled to put together clean laps and could only record a P10 finish during the second practice, one position down from the P9 he achieved in the first session of the California race.
Pato O’Ward will be hoping for a massive change in fortune during qualifying later on Saturday. However, if his history at the Long Beach Grand Prix is anything to go by, it could be another race weekend to forget. The Mexican driver’s best outing at the California event remains the 2022 edition of the race, where he converted an 11th-place starting position into a fifth-place finish on race day. Other than that, he has failed to crack the top 10 in any of his other races at the circuit.
Pato O’Ward speaks about switching IndyCar for F1
Pato O’Ward recently spoke about the possibility of switching from IndyCar racing to Formula 1. The 25-year-old is among several drivers linked with a potential move to F1’s newest team, Cadillac, which will make a debut in 2026.
The Arrow McLaren driver did not hold back his ambitions, stating that he would relish the opportunity to race in the world’s premier open-wheel racing series. O’Ward, who is currently listed as a reserve driver for the McLaren F1 team, shared his thoughts in an interview with IndyStar ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Responding to the question about racing in F1, he said via IndyStar:
“I would still love to be in F1, and it doesn’t have to be with McLaren. Zak [Brown, McLaren’s CEO] knows it’s always been my dream, and it’s something I’d love to check off my list and just give a try. It’s never been a doubt of if I can do it. It’s just, like, is that opportunity going to come about at the right time? I don’t have forever. There’s always going to be younger guys.”
Pato O’Ward has completed several tests and practice sessions with the McLaren F1 team, with his most recent appearance coming at the post-season test at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. All things being equal, O’Ward is expected to test again with the Woking-based outfit during the latter half of the 2025 season.
