“That’s going to be cool”: When Pato O'Ward spoke his heart on his upcoming McLaren F1 test

Pato O'Ward has been plying his trade in IndyCar with Arrow McLaren for some time. Alongside this, he has been actively involved in McLaren's F1 setup and is serving as their 2025 reserve driver. In line with this, he had the opportunity back in December 2021 to test the Woking-based outfit's F1 car in Abu Dhabi.

Ahead of 2021's December testing, Pato O'Ward took the time to talk about his then-upcoming test in October. In a conversation with IndyCar, he said:

"That’s going to be cool. I’m looking forward to that. What I think is really cool about it is I get to drive a winning car this year (Daniel Ricciardo won in Italy in September). I’m looking forward to seeing how those cars feel. It’s completely different to the IndyCar."

O'Ward is serving as the Woking-based outfit's 2025 reserve driver alongside 10-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes reserve as well). The former was in a reserve role for McLaren during the 2024 F1 season as well.

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Pato O'Ward expected a 'physical' tussle around 2021 F1 test

While Pato O'Ward oozed excitement ahead of his 2021 McLaren Abu Dhabi test, via the same interview, he also emphasized how physical the whole ordeal was going to be. He especially felt that driving an F1 car would have a significant impact on his neck.

"I, for sure, expect it to be more physical for the neck. I expect it to be not near as physical for the upper body. I’ve driven a Formula One car before, not this year’s, but I’ve driven a past year’s Formula One car, and it’s, for sure, a lot easier to drive. I’m looking forward to feeling the grip and the downforce," O'Ward said via IndyCar.

Other than driving McLaren's F1 car in 2021, Pato O'Ward took the wheel of the outfit's Constructors' Championship-winning MCL38 last year. The 25-year-old got the opportunity to drive the car in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Racing circuit. Interestingly, the event was his home race (Mexican Grand Prix).

Pato O'Ward will be seen often with McLaren F1 in the ongoing season because of his reserve driver duties, however, his main focus lies with IndyCar. The 2025 campaign is two races down, and he is currently in second place in the fiercely contested Drivers' championship.

The 25-year-old has so far managed to amass 63 points in comparison to the championship leader, Alex Palou (102 points). It will be interesting to see how O'Ward will manage his 2025 duties as Arrow McLaren's race driver alongside McLaren F1's reserve role. Next up on the IndyCar calendar is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.