IndyCar driver at McLaren team? 'Did everything we expected'

Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris will still drive at McLaren through 2023, but IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward is ready to replace them in the future.

O'Ward was allowed to take a seat in the McLaren car after the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi, as team boss Zak Brown had promised him a ride in a Formula One car if he won an IndyCar race. The team was impressed with his laps and so Brown is certainly willing to let him drive in a free practice session in 2022. "He did everything that we wanted him to do and expected him to do. He was extremely fast and brave but that didn’t surprise us," the American told RACER.

Preference is clear

The Mexican has already shown in IndyCar that he is fast and can put in good performances. He took two wins and three pole positions last season and was on the podium a total of five times. The McLaren team boss, therefore, looked mainly at how he adapted during the test and whether he gave good feedback and he was very impressed with that: "All of that, for his first run in the Formula 1 car, was very strong."

Andreas Seidl will ultimately get to choose who will drive during the free practice sessions, but the CEO is at least a fan of O'Ward. There will be some more analysis to be done and some rookies to test as well, but Brown definitely sees opportunities and potential.