Has McLaren SP IndyCar team picked Red Bull's O'Ward for 2020?
McLaren's IndyCar team will send personnel to the Mexican Grand Prix with its Formula 1 squad, but denied that means it will imminently announce Patricio O'Ward as its second driver

Arrow McLaren SP, created through McLaren's new partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, already has existing SPM driver James Hinchcliffe in its line-up and 20-year-old Mexican O'Ward has emerged as favourite for the second seat.
Last year's Indy Lights champion O'Ward starred as an IndyCar rookie with Carlin at the start of 2019 before being snatched by the Red Bull junior programme and sent to Japan to compete in Super Formula with an eye on an F1 future.
- O'Ward's crazy year
-
The driver thrust up Red Bull's junior queue
But on Friday it emerged that O'Ward was being replaced at Team Mugen by Red Bull's Formula 3 star Juri Vips for the SF season finale at Suzuka next weekend.
O'Ward then indicated in a social media post that he was parting with the Red Bull programme, thanking it and Mugen for "the amazing opportunity" and saying he had "nothing but great things to say about my experience and working with this great group of people".
He added: "Soon there will be news about my racing future. I know good things are coming and can't wait to share them with you all."
Arrow McLaren SP general manager Taylor Kiel confirmed to Autosport that, following a visit to McLaren's UK base, a further delegation from the IndyCar team would attend the upcoming F1 races at both Mexico City and Austin.
Asked if the venues chosen were to announce O'Ward, Kiel chuckled and replied: "I'm not going to comment on any driver stuff. We're there to observe how the team operates."
Regarding the question of whether a deal with Arrow McLaren SP's second driver - whatever their identity - had been done, Kiel responded, "No, it has not. We don't know who it is yet."
Team co-owner Sam Schmidt had told Autosport last week that the squad was "only 80-85% of the way there" to locking down a partner for Hinchcliffe.

A McLaren team spokesperson said he would "neither confirm nor deny" an imminent deal with O'Ward, pointing out that for sheer geographical and logistical reasons the Mexican and US GPs were the obvious choices for the IndyCar team members to observe their new colleagues in F1.
SPM's other full-time 2019 IndyCar driver Marcus Ericsson has already moved to Ganassi for the 2020 season.
Kiel explained that the goal of Arrow SPM's trip to McLaren's home base earlier this month had been "to get acclimatised with what the McLaren side of the team is bringing to the table in terms of resource, personnel and so on", saying he and McLaren chiefs Zak Brown and Gil de Ferran "felt it was important to start working together immediately and putting faces to names after a lot of emails going back and forth".
The precise number of McLaren UK personnel who will shift to the hitherto Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports squad base in Indianapolis has not yet been decided.
Regarding the trips to the Mexican and US GPs, Kiel said: "I think it's really important to get our people down there and see how McLaren F1 operates on a race weekend.
"There are some things that just don't translate, but there are also things that do, and at the Formula 1 races I've been to I've seen similarities that can spark the creative fire."

Ganassi signs ex-F1 racer Ericsson and expands to three Indycars
How Penske denied faster Rossi the IndyCar title

Latest news
Why WTR Acura lacked pace to beat MSR in Daytona 24 showdown
Filipe Albuquerque admits that he knew it would be a tall order for Wayne Taylor Racing to overcome sister Acura squad Meyer Shank Racing in last weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
After much anticipation, the new dawn for sportscar racing got underway with a result that mirrored last year's IMSA SportsCar Championship's season-opener run to the previous DPi rules. Here's how Acura once again took top honours in the Daytona 24 Hours with a 1-2 led by Meyer Shank Racing, as the new GTP class for LMDh hybrid prototypes made its bow
Alonso's pushy trait a boost for me in 2023 F1 season, says Stroll
Aston Martin Formula 1 driver Lance Stroll says Fernando Alonso's pushy nature will be a boost to both him and the squad this year.
Porsche aims to “learn quick” from Daytona 24 Hours disappointment
Porsche’s director of factory racing Urs Kuratle says his team will gain valuable answers from its disappointing results in the Daytona 24 Hours.
Nigel Mansell’s greatest F1 and Indycar drives
It’s 30 years since Mansell won the Formula 1 world title and then headed off to do battle in America. Here are his best races – and the Briton’s memories of them
How Ericsson achieved Indy immortality as Ganassi's main man stumbled
Chip Ganassi Racing team was strong again in the Indianapolis 500, with poleman Scott Dixon and reigning champion Alex Palou leading almost three quarters of the race between them. But when dominator Dixon was penalised for pitlane speeding, ex-Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson stepped up to score the biggest win of his career and seize the IndyCar points lead
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How F1's other IndyCar exile finally unlocked his potential
Romain Grosjean's swashbuckling rookie year in IndyCar captured the imagination of many in 2021. But another ex-Formula 1 driver whose potential was masked by five years of toil in, at best, middling machinery also enjoyed a breakout year in 2021 - winning twice and finishing sixth in points. Here's how Marcus Ericsson finally delivered on his promise
How Ganassi's relentless new champion outfoxed IndyCar's best
IndyCar sophomore Alex Palou stunned by overcoming team-mate Scott Dixon and the rest of a white-hot field in 2021. He was consistently fast and crucially showed a level head, rebounding well from setbacks to put himself in a near unassailable position entering the final round
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Despite appearing to have an IndyCar job for life with Meyer Shank Racing, Jack Harvey’s departure and move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate. However, Harvey's and RLL's combined strengths could prove to be a winning combination - if they get the balance right
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing IndyCar win
Saturday 16 October marks the 10th anniversary of Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong junior career and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.