'That makes just die-hard fans for you' - Pato O'Ward opens up about his method of connecting with supporters

Pato O'ward, who drives the papaya-colored Number 5 Arrow McLaren and serves as a reserve driver for McLaren F1 racing, is one of the most well-known IndyCar drivers thanks to his social media presence. He is also known for his interactions with fans both on and off the track.

In a recent interview with Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles on the Doug and Drivers show, Pato O'Ward talked about how much he enjoys interacting with his fans and creating small experiences for them. When asked what drives him to interact with fans, O'Ward responded:

"I feel like when you give somebody the experience they weren't expecting that goes a long way, and I feel like that makes just die-hard fans for you, for your team and the sport. I think sharing is caring and in someway , that's my of sharing with, the fans. So I always allocate a certain budget where I would like to create something for somebody , you know that never maybe had the chance to do that ever in their life before," Pato O'Ward said during the show.

He also discussed Mark Miles' "Pato Who?" remarks over missing out on adding the Mexico circuit to the calendar during the interview. He shared about how people like and laugh about the whole thing. Pato also made a joke about how "Pato Who" would be the title of his documentary or film if he ever made one. He also discussed his feelings after losing the 2023 Indy500 to Josef Newgarden later in the interview. Pato spoke about the excruciating pain he had after losing the race. He said :

"Oh man, I think about it a lot. I have very memorable moments, good and bad of all of my Indy 500s. It was definitely a lot of emotions that I was getting in that moment.... I think that just truly shows the passion that I have, not just for IndyCar racing...," he mentioned.

Pato also pointed out how it was not just an emotional moment for him but for the entire team and something he had never experienced before.

Pato O'Ward seems to be gaining popularity day by day through interactions with his fans and is also making sure that Indycar gains the recognition it deserves.

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Pato O'Ward is looking forward to the 2025 Indycar season

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Practice - Source: Getty

As the 2025 season is right around the corner, fan-favorite driver Pato O'Ward sat down to speak to Doug Boles on Doug and Drivers. During the interview, he mentioned how he looks forward to the season mostly because of Fox putting out a commercial along with the drivers to promote the upcoming season. When asked about it O'Ward said:

"I mean first off they know what they are doing for sure and I think they have such a clear idea of where they want to take the series in terms of how to deliver the commercials, the drivers. I mean they are showing us off and not just the series and I feel like that's what's going to take the series to an even bigger level," said Pato O'Ward.

The season is set to kick off on March 2 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg and will be streamed on the Fox Sports website and app.