Why McLaren's 'young Montoya' has an eye on F1

The good times are back at McLaren once again. Its Formula 1 revival has brought a real positivity and verve back to the team, offering hope that in the coming years it could return to the top table as one of the grid’s heavyweights.

But there are plenty of reasons for McLaren to be cheerful outside of F1 too. Since taking the helm at the end of 2016, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has expanded its racing portfolio to encompass IndyCar, Extreme E and a possible Formula E entry down the line.

PLUS: Why McLaren's expanding agenda will benefit its F1 resurgence 

It is in IndyCar where McLaren has enjoyed particular success this year. Two years on from the disaster of Fernando Alonso’s failure to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, the Arrow McLaren SP outfit - which McLaren Racing is set to have a 75% stake in - mounted a challenge for the title with young gun Pato O’Ward.

O’Ward won the Indy Lights title in 2018, which was followed by a brief stint as a Red Bull junior before he returned to the United States to embark on his first full IndyCar season in 2020 with McLaren. Four podiums and a pole at Road America led him to fourth in the championship, staking his claim as one of IndyCar’s many burgeoning talents.

Having made a wager with Daniel Ricciardo over his first F1 podium, Brown proposed a similar bet to O’Ward: win an IndyCar race, and you’ll get a Formula 1 test at the end of the year in Abu Dhabi. Victory at Texas Motor Speedway in early May meant O’Ward had that in the bag, with a second win in Detroit six weeks later only pressing home the issue.

It vaulted him into contention for the championship, leading to a final-race showdown at Long Beach against Alex Palou that he ultimately lost, ending the year third in the standings.

O'Ward has emerged as one of IndyCar's brightest talents, winning twice in 2021 on his way to second in points

Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images

O’Ward travelled to the UK to undergo preparations for the test, conducting work in the simulator and a seat fitting. Even at the end of a busy day, when O’Ward sits down with Autosport at the McLaren Technology Centre, he has the energy of a Duracell bunny, his personality filling the room.

He couldn’t hide his excitement when talking about how he spent some of the day roaming the MTC’s famous boulevard, hopping into cars he grew up watching race and taking selfies from the cockpit.

“Man, this place just blows your mind,” O’Ward says. “It’s a really cool place to work in, it’s a great place to be. It’s special.”

"Every kid grows up with the same dream, and that same dream is always Formula 1 - and if they say it was something else, it’s a lie" Patricio O'Ward

The most special car for him was the McLaren MP4-27, which Lewis Hamilton drove to victory at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix - O’Ward’s first ever live race.

“I still remember like it was yesterday,” he says, smiling. “That is what made me fall in love with the sport, all the noise and… ah, it was so cool!”

The opportunity to test current F1 machinery is rare given the existing limitations, making Abu Dhabi a golden chance for O’Ward. It will be a different beast to what he has driven in IndyCar given the levels of downforce, particularly with the cornering speeds.

“The next month is going to be a lot of neck work for me,” he says. “The F1 car is a more gentle, faster, more grip kind of machine [than IndyCar] so they’re very different. But I’m looking forward to it. I’m pumped.”

O'Ward is preparing himself for a different physical challenge than he is used to in IndyCar

Photo by: Barry Cantrell / Motorsport Images

O’Ward has a decent pool of contacts to tap into for advice. He went for dinner with Lando Norris while he was in the UK, and he also plans to speak to Romain Grosjean for tips, having struck up a good relationship with the ex-Haas F1 driver during his rookie IndyCar season.

McLaren is the only F1 team that can afford such a crossover opportunity to its drivers thanks to its programmes either side of the Atlantic. Understandably, it has O’Ward dreaming big: could he possibly make the switch from IndyCar to F1 one day? O’Ward admits he would “be lying” if it wasn’t on his mind going into the test.

“Every kid grows up with the same dream, and that same dream is always Formula 1 - and if they say it was something else, it’s a lie,” he says. “Right now I’m so focused on doing the most perfect job that I can in IndyCar. I want to give this team the championship that they deserve. I want to give them a 500. And in the future, if it’s something that fits with both of us, of course I’d take a drive in Formula 1.

“Because… it’s Formula 1, man! It’s the top of the top in terms of technology and they are the fastest race cars in the world. I feel like there’s nothing more to say!”

O’Ward has been compared by Brown to a young Juan Pablo Montoya - something O’Ward calls “a very big compliment”, adding: “Fricking Montoya is a legend!” - who made the move from IndyCar to F1 for 2001, standing as the most recent successful switch.

But Brown is eager to ensure there is not too much pressure placed on O’Ward going into his F1 test.

“His preparation, he’s been in the simulator, has been very good,” Brown says. “I think it’s important we don’t put too much pressure on him and we’ll see how he gets on. I think he will enjoy it.”

O'Ward is eager to make the most of his opportunity in an F1 car

Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images

But whatever he does down the line, O’Ward vows to give it his all.

“Maybe I stay in IndyCar for the rest of my career, or maybe I come in a couple of years to Formula 1?” he ponders. “Like I tell everybody, it wouldn’t be just to experience it. If I do the switch, I’m coming to win and compete, just like I told everybody in IndyCar.

“I’m too competitive just to be like, ‘oh, it’s cool.’ No, I want to be one of the top dogs in anything that I’m doing, because that’s just the nature of me and the nature of the team.”

Abu Dhabi will be an important moment for O’Ward. Even if it leads to nothing, he’ll fulfil a lifelong dream of driving an F1 car. But if his progression in IndyCar is anything to go by, and fuelled by his hunger, passion and personality, maybe it could be the start of something bigger; a taste of a possible switch that he is well-placed to one day make.

Could O'Ward become the first driver to make a successful switch in two decades?

Photo by: Motorsport Images