Patricio O'Ward

Patricio “Pato” O’Ward is one of the rising stars of IndyCar racing. He is also a reserve driver for McLaren in Formula 1. Pato was seen in the 2024 Formula 1 season at the FP1 of the Mexican Grand Prix. He drove the McLaren in front of his home crowd. Pato has a lot of racing experience in different series including, Formula 2, the Sportscar Championship, and the Pro Mazda championship.

He recently became the hot topic of IndyCar paddock after McLaren’s lawsuit against Alex Palou revealed his salary for the upcoming seasons. As per Forbes, Pato is set to receive $2 million in 2024 and $4 million and $4.2 million in 2025 and 2026, respectively. His massive salary with McLaren easily puts him among the top earners of the grid. Pato is a native of Mexico and was born on 6 May 1999. Pato competes full-time with the Arrow McLaren team in the IndyCar series.

Patricio O’Ward Personal Information

Patricio O’Ward’s Early Life & Career

Patricio O’Ward grew up attending high school in San Antonio, Texas. Pato competed in karting from 2005 to 2012. In 2013, O’Ward switched to open-wheel racing joining series such as Latam Fórmula 2000, Formula Renault 1.6 NEC, and Pacific F2000. He also competed in the French Formula 4 series in 2014. He went to sportscar racing for the next two years competing in the Pro Mazda Championship. Pato claimed a best finish of second in the drivers' championship in the series in 2016.

He joined the Indy Lights series in 2018 and dominated the season winning the drivers’ championship ahead of Colton Herta. Alongside open-wheel racing, O’Ward has also claimed many achievements in the Sportscar championship. He won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring races in 2017. He became the youngest driver to win both races at 17. Pato claimed the 2017 Prototype Challenge drivers championship and the North American Endurance Cup as a team. He won the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona in the LMP2 class with fellow IndyCar driver, Colton Herta.

Pato has been competing in the IndyCar series for 7 years. He has started 89 races in the series as of November 2024, claiming seven wins and 26 podiums. O’Ward finished the 2024 championship season in fifth place in the driver standings, collecting three wins. He has placed in the top 10 in every full season he raced in IndyCar as of 2024.

Patricio O’Ward Family Background

Pato was born to Patricio O'Ward and Elba Junco in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He has a sister named Elba. Pato has revealed in a podcast that his surname has Irish origins and comes from his great-grandfather. O’Ward has revealed that his father found an opportunity for him in the Pro Mazda series. The driver has not revealed any other information about his parents.

Patricio O’Ward Physical Attributes

Patricio O’Ward Awards

Some of the awards earned by Pato are-

Patricio O’Ward Social Media

Patricio O’Ward has a massive following on social media. He has more than 1 million followers on his Twitter and Instagram pages. Pato’s popularity arises from the fact that he is known for sharing many snippets from daily life. The driver regularly posts about himself and his family. His sister makes many appearances on his social media.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciooward/

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