When Pato O'Ward and F1 star Lando Norris bonded over Spanish lessons

Lando Norris and Pato O'Ward are McLaren's two prized drivers. They have established their names firmly in their respective motorsport categories (F1 and IndyCar) over the years. And in line with them being McLaren drivers, they once sat down for a fascinating one-on-one session.

Moreover, they had a fun banter over Spanish lessons, a clip of which was shared by McLaren via its YouTube channel in November 2021.

O'Ward: "I feel like you are that guy, that tells you, oh I took Spanish in school."

Norris: "No quite the opposite."

O'Ward: "Okay, so you probably have no idea what this means?" (0:09 - 0:18)

Their conversation further went as follows:

"O'Ward: First one, Que Chulo? You can be speaking of someone. Norris: They're beautiful." (0:36 - 0:44)

You can watch the full video featuring Norris and O'Ward below:

Interestingly, Pato O'Ward drove Lando Norris's F1 McLaren challenger during the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix. The former drove the championship-winning MCL 38 in the Free Practice 1 session and ended his 60-minute outing in P13.

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Pato O'Ward finds it 'tough' not having a seat in F1

While Pato O'Ward and Lando Norris had a fun time back in 2021 shooting the Spanish lessons video, in February 2025, the former acknowledged that it has been tough for him to stay on the sidelines in F1.

In the ongoing 2025 F1 season, O'Ward again is serving as McLaren's reserve driver.

"It's cool to have seen the team win the constructors' championship and everything, I was happy to be at least a 'small crumb' part of that. But it's quite tough because it's like going to a buffet, not being able to eat - everyone else is eating and enjoying and you're just there; you don't get to do what you love to do, and you get to watch other people do it," O'Ward said via The Race.

Pato O'Ward has been competing in the highest class of America's open-wheel racing since the 2018 Grand Prix of Sonoma. He has so far amassed over 90 race starts for Arrow McLaren and has become the star driver of the team.

However, keeping in view the 25-year-old's comments in relation to potentially making it onto the fiercely competitive F1 grid, his disappointment is understandable. While the 2025 F1 grid is set, O'Ward might have an outside chance of making it to the pinnacle of motorsport next year.

Cadillac, the American F1 team, is set to debut in the sport in the 2026 season and is currently looking for drivers. It has two seats to fill, and the Arrow McLaren driver could fill one of them if he produces a strong 2025 IndyCar season.

Additionally, given that he has already driven in F1 (practice sessions), it could help him secure the coveted seat for the much-anticipated 2026 season.