As Pato O’Ward chases his first Indy 500 and IndyCar championship, he’s letting go of his side gig with McLaren Racing. O’Ward, the most recent IndyCar race winner, announced on Conor Daly’s “Speed Street” podcast that he “politely asked to be fired” as McLaren F1’s reserve driver.
O’Ward was a test driver for the team from 2022 to 2024 before becoming a reserve driver the last two seasons, but he has informed McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown that he’d like the IndyCar team, Arrow McLaren, to be his sole priority. He has not had to fill in during a race since taking the role, and 2025 F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli would replace whichever McLaren F1 driver – Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri – was out if an F1 race fell on the same weekend as an IndyCar race.
“I haven’t had an offseason in the last five years,” O’Ward told Daly. “I want to enjoy my life outside of racing because it does consume me and it has consumed me the last five years.”
Earlier this year, O’Ward expressed his disapproval of F1’s new car regulations, which made cars shorter and lighter while increasing the electrification of the engines. Now, with O’Ward no longer having aspirations of making it to F1, he wants to maximize his free time when he doesn’t have IndyCar responsibilities.
“I really think I’m just in a different point of my life now, and I really don’t care anymore,” he said. “There’s really nothing in me that is aching to keep on as a reserve in Formula 1, because I’m in a great place in IndyCar. I love the series. That’s where I want to be.
“Looking at what the (F1) race cars are currently, I’m not really excited to drive one, so I’ve politely asked to be fired from all my services in Formula 1.”
O’Ward is fifth in the IndyCar championship after finishing second last year. He will enter 2027 in the final year of his Arrow McLaren contract, as he’ll have two new teammates – Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist – for that contract year.
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Pato O’Ward says he wants to focus on IndyCar, Formula 1 dreams have waned
Reporting by Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Zion Brown, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
