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After a rollercoaster of a 2024 IndyCar season, Pato O'Ward is soaking in the leisure of the offseason. The Arrow McLaren star, who was vacationing in his home country, Mexico, with his family, shared a heartfelt holiday wish for his ardent fans.
O'Ward shared a few photos with family and friends from Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo Leon in Mexico. His parents, Patricio and Elba Junco O'Ward, and his older sister, Elba, also featured in the post. The third photo in the Instagram carousel was him about to munch on something, most likely a pistachio, which he used to draw an existential analogy in his message. The caption read:
"Pistachios taste better when you have to work for them. Anyways, Happy Holidays❤️ Enjoy your loved ones and hope you get everything on your wish list… and if you don’t, well I guess you were a naughty lil fella."
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In an Instagram story, the 25-year-old also shared a snap from his flight as he entered San Antonio, Texas, after wrapping up his trip to Mexico.
Pato O'Ward concluded the 2024 IndyCar season with a P2 finish at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville. He secured three wins throughout the season to finish fifth in the standings, a position lower than 2023. His last time on a racing circuit before the winter break was his F1 post-season test in Abu Dhabi with McLaren.
Pato O'Ward relished "mega" F1 test with McLaren after the team's historic constructors' championship victory
McLaren offered its F1 reserve driver Pato O'Ward the opportunity to participate in the Young Drivers’ Test in Abu Dhabi in December, after his previous appearance in FP1 of the Mexico GP at the end of October. It was the Mexican star's fourth consecutive year driving around the Yas Marina Circuit, and it came two days after the Woking outfit clinched the 2024 constructors' championship in Abu Dhabi after Lando Norris' lights-to-flag victory.
O'Ward completed 116 laps in McLaren's MCL38 and clocked his fastest lap time of 1m:24.222s to finish 7th out of 23 drivers. After the test, he said in an official statement (via McLaren):
"It was mega to be back in a Formula 1 car. I loved every second of being on track - it’s always a great day when you get to drive one. I learned a lot from the full day of running. Getting more experience on track is always a positive and we covered a variety of things, pushing through long and shorter Quali-style runs, as well as practise starts."
Driving in F1 is still Pato O'Ward's biggest dream in addition to winning the Indy 500 and the IndyCar championship. 2025 is the last year of his Arrow McLaren contract, after which he could lobby with the General Motors-backed Cadillac F1 team for a 2026 seat at the pinnacle of motorsport, a possibility that he has already hinted at.
