When did Pato O'Ward earn his FIA Super License? All you need to know about McLaren driver who could potentially seal an F1 deal

Pato O'Ward is reportedly among the few IndyCar options Cadillac is considering for the 2026 F1 driver. Although Colton Herta is the favorite to join the latest F1 entrant, the American still doesn't have enough points for a super license and will depend on the 2025 IndyCar season result. But that's not the case with Pato O'Ward.

O’Ward drives the Arrow McLaren team in the IndyCar and is also the reserve driver for McLaren's F1 team. The Mexican has been racing in IndyCar for over seven years now, with the last five years as a full-time driver.

The Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver already has a super license. The Mexican driver got his super license last year, after the 2023 IndyCar season. According to FIA’s rules, a driver must accumulate a total of 40 or more super license points over three consecutive years to apply for a super license.

AUTO: MAY 10 NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix - Source: Getty

The IndyCar is not an FIA-sanctioned racing series, and there the super license points awarded to the championship drivers drop exponentially. Compared to something like the F2, where the top 3 drivers all get 40 points for a single season, an IndyCar driver finishing 3rd in the championship gets half the points at 20.

When O’Ward applied for the super license after the 2023 season, he didn't have enough points. He finished P4 in 2023, P7 in 2022, and P3 in 2021, which accumulated a total of 34 points. However, FIA introduced a special provision keeping the COVID pandemic and its effects in mind.

If the super license application includes 2020 or 2021, then except for the results from the last three seasons, the three best results from the last four years will be considered. Therefore, Pato O'Ward was able to use his results from 2023, 2021, and 2020; i.e., P4, P3, and P4, which equals 40 points, plus the extra point for the F1 test.

Colton Herta, on the other hand, doesn't have enough points and will need to rely on his 2025 IndyCar result. The P2 finish in 2024 and the P10 finish in 2023 means Herta has 31 points to his name. If Herta finishes higher than P4 or P5 (with an F1 test) in the 2025 IndyCar series, he will be eligible for a Super license. However, in case he fails, Pato O'Ward will be taken into consideration.

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Pato O'Ward as McLaren F1’s Reserve Driver

With the Mexican getting his super license, McLaren announced O’Ward as their full-time F1 reserve driver for the 2024 F1 season. The 25-year-old drove the McLaren MCL38 at the Mexico City GP in the FP1 session.

Pato O'Ward was also responsible for doing the simulator work in the background and traveling to the F1 races in case McLaren required him to step up.

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Qualifying - Source: Getty

After signing as McLaren F1’s test driver, Pato O'Ward said, (via McLaren.com)

“I couldn’t be more excited to sign this deal with the team. I have to thank Zak and Gavin, the partners and all who were involved in making this happen, especially before the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season starts so we can focus on racing and winning. McLaren has become home for me, and I am proud that I’ll be racing in papaya for a few more years at least.”

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have signed long-term contracts with McLaren, and it is unlikely that Pato O'Ward will find a full-time seat in the Woking outfit’s F1 team. The Cadillac-Andretti opportunity is arguably the Mexican's best chance at an F1 seat for 2026.