Pato O’Ward: “Formula One exists, but you have to make money”

The Mexican Duck O’Ward has become one of the most followed riders in the ‘paddock’ of IndyCar thanks to his strong performance in 2022 because he is one of the main contenders for the title in 2023 but also because Formula One seems to be quite close to him.

“It’s clear that the Formula One opportunity exists, it’s there, but you never know.That’s for racing. You have to earn there,” the Mexican pilot told Efe.

The six-month IndyCar break helped, as did the Spaniards Alex Palou, O’Ward able to test drive the car McLaren and passed the tests even though his link to Formula One is currently on hold.

“It’s a relationship similar to what Álex Palou had. We are focused on IndyCar and when our season is over, that’s when the trials and opportunities in Formula One will come.“, he explained.

Both pilots are scheduled to attend the Miami Grand Prix (May 7) and, later, they will join the team led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from September.

So far, the test in St Petersburg (Florida, USA) that started in IndyCar this Sunday escaped the Mexican in the last breath and ended up in second position.

When he was leading with four laps remaining, his engine suffered an electrical failure which allowed Swede Marcus Ericsson to overtake him to claim the victory.

“It’s a super good start to the championship, it’s what we wanted to do, it’s what we did. Too bad what happened at the end, the victory got away from us, I really can’t do much more. But very happy with all the work we did in the ‘pits’ and how the car runs,” O’Ward said.

Despite his obvious frustration, he appreciates the evolution of his car. “We did everything right today, we’ve collaborated as a team to tune the car and make it better than last year here. I’m very happy about that, but sadly it’s annoying to put it aside, there’s not much we can do. more. It’s definitely a huge step up.” higher than where we were,” he argued.

The next race of the IndyCar season will be on the oval of Fort Worth (April 2), where he already won in 2021 and is seen as having possibilities. “We are going for everything in Texas. I like that track, we are pretty fast there,” he said.

He also believes for the support from the stands because it is one of the races where more Mexican fans travel: “Texas is the closest I need to home, so I’m excited to go back there and be close to my people. “.

His team, Arrow McLaren, is one of the strong candidates to take over from Chip Ganassi and Team Penske who have won the IndyCar team championship for ten years. The arrival of Alexander Rossi, for example, is a clear example of the growth of Arrow McLaren.

Because of this, O’Ward does not hold back when it comes to talking about the title as a clear goal for him: “Obviously, what we want to do is fight with them. They have controlled the last decade and we are on that trajectory , on the right track We have to keep pushing.”

To do this, he must be better than, among others, a Palou who won IndyCar in 2021 and with whom he has a very good relationship.

“I love racing with him, I’m sure he says the same thing. I feel we are always clean, very strong. But his rival is fierce and it’s very exciting because normally he is always with us, like us. . Let him continue like this. for many years, hopefully,” he said.

The question is whether this healthy rivalry will continue in Formula One, as the two official McLaren drivers in the top class: “Hopefully, it would be great to continue competing there as well.”

O’Ward and Palou have a lot in common, including one very disappointing episode: finishing second in the Indianapolis 500.

Asked about his preference between winning the IndyCar title or pouring a bottle of milk on his head, the Mexican did not hesitate: “Obviously you have to go for 500 miles, but I’m very hungry for both .”