Pato O’Ward: I like working with McLaren

After the end of the IndyCar season, Mexican Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward began the active phase of preparation for the official Formula 1 training, which will take place in Abu Dhabi.

In October, he again worked on private tests behind the wheel of the MCL35M, the McLaren car in which Daniel Ricciardo competed in 2021, and is now intensively engaged in physical training, especially training his neck, as in Formula 1 the strain on the body is slightly higher than in IndyCar.

“I can’t even explain how happy I was to drive an F1 car when my neck muscles stopped causing problems! – Pato shared with the McLaren press office. “I’m proud that I was able to spend enough time training, even though it was a real torture.” When you drive a Formula 1 car you feel like your neck muscles are under special pressure, so after finishing the IndyCar season I definitely worked on them separately.

Every time I get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car, I consider it a lucky day. I enjoy working with the McLaren team in Europe, which I rarely do during the season, but after the season is over I usually spend a lot of time with them and I really enjoy it.

I try to make the most of the opportunities that McLaren offers me as it allows me to prepare for any eventuality.”

Pato O’Ward is part of McLaren’s driver training program, led by Emanuele Pirro, and there are four other participants in the program. The Mexican driver is at the McLaren Technology Center in Woking, working with team engineers and training on the simulator in preparation for Friday’s practice in the MCL60.

In 2023, at the end of the IndyCar season, Pato took 4th place in the individual championship, including seven podium finishes, and next year the 24-year-old driver will continue to compete for the Arrow McLaren team.

“Overall I enjoy working with McLaren,” continued O’Ward. – Let’s start with the fact that Zach Brown is a great boss. He understands that pressure on us from management is usually the last thing, because the riders put pressure on themselves. I constantly strive to improve and demand perfect results from myself.

Failures are inevitable, but it is important to be able to cope with them and become stronger… The learning process must be continuous, even in those areas where you think you have already reached the maximum. There are still times when you can improve. It may not even be about optimal results in a lap, but about how you work throughout the race. We must always strive for perfection.”

Pato O’Ward made his official Formula 1 debut last year when he completed 22 laps in Lando Norris’ car during Friday’s first practice session in Abu Dhabi, achieving the 18th fastest time.

“When you get behind the wheel of a new car, it requires different driving techniques, different skills, and you have to work on them immediately to achieve the maximum,” said the Mexican, drawing from his own experience. – Obviously you are overwhelmed with emotions at first, but I am very pleased with how the recent tests went. I already feel like I’m flying very normally, I don’t feel like a passenger anymore.

When you start to feel unity with the machine, you can already pay attention to the nuances. The main task is to develop optimal pilotage technology. Formula 1 cars require a certain approach, and the more you practice, the more you can show what you are capable of.

After working in training behind the wheel of a new generation car, I understood its features and differences from the MCL35M. When driving you experience different sensations, it has a much lower ground clearance, other parameters are also different, but the similarities are also great: the same engine, which has the same dynamic characteristics, the same effective brakes, so I get a lot of pleasure from it. ”