McLaren’s IndyCar talent Pato O'Ward drops one-word reaction to his team’s F1 Qatar stint

Pato O'Ward expressed his feelings in one word on McLaren's F1 display in Qatar on Saturday. The British motor racing team fields Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who drive the MCL38. O'Ward was on hand to witness a McLaren one-two in the Sprint race at Lusail International Circuit.

F1 concluded its penultimate Sprint of the season in Qatar on Saturday. Piastri reigned supreme in the event after Norris slowed down moments before crossing the Start/Finish line. While there were no team orders to swap positions, the latter supposedly returned the favor to his teammate for the preceding Sprint in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Pato O'Ward runs for Arrow McLaren in the IndyCar Series and is a reserve driver for McLaren's F1 team. He has several motorsports accolades including the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the 2018 Indy NXT championship, and two-time class winner at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, among others.

The Mexican ran his fifth year in the open-wheel racing discipline in 2024 and wrapped up the season in fifth place. Amid the off-season, O'Ward was in Lusail and witnessed the exhilarating Sprint finish. He posted a short video on his Instagram story showing a McLaren MCL38 blazing past a corner and dropped a one-word reaction.

The Arrow McLaren driver wrote,

"Sweeeeeeeeeet"

Pato O'Ward on Instagram (@patriciooward)

The McLaren IndyCar driver made his most recent F1 appearance at the Mexico City Grand Prix when he ran the Free Practice 1 session.

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Pato O'Ward explains the "night and day" difference between IndyCar and F1

While IndyCar and Formula 1 look similar from the outside, the engineering marvels significantly differ on the inside. Both cars can reach a ballpark speed of around 230 mph but F1 cars outdo the former in terms of weight, acceleration, and horsepower.

While an IndyCar can produce upwards of 750 HP, an F1 car generates nearly 1000 HP. F1 cars weigh roughly 1600 lbs, over 100 lbs more than an IndyCar, and while an IndyCar can notch 0-200 mph in 8 seconds, an F1 car can do the same in about 4 seconds.

Recently, Pato O'Ward explained how F1 car brakes are superior to IndyCar brakes. The Mexican has made several Free Practice appearances and thus is well-versed in taming an F1 car. O'Ward said on the F1 Explains podcast,

“The Formula 1 brakes are amazing. I would say the first time that I jumped into one of them, and I was used to just how hard you need to smack the IndyCar brakes, and it still brakes well, but when you compare it to what the Formula 1 brakes, it's definitely night and day, just because of how much more downforce the Formula 1 has.”

Pato O'Ward was among the most-race-winning drivers of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season with three race wins.