McLaren have confirmed that Pato O’Ward will take part in the first Free Practice session at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, marking the second consecutive year the Mexican will drive in front of his home crowd at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Return to an F1 car for O’Ward
The 26-year-old, who races full-time for McLaren in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will get behind the wheel of the MCL39 on Friday, 24 October. This comes as part of his role as the team’s official Reserve Driver. His appearance continues a growing tradition, with O’Ward taking part in FP1 sessions for McLaren in Abu Dhabi (2022 and 2023) and Mexico in 2024.
“I’m excited to be jumping back in the car for FP1 at my home race in Mexico this year,” said O’Ward. “The Mexico City fans were unbelievable last time out, and it was a great feeling being able to extract everything from the programme that the team had planned. I’m looking forward to going again this year, working with Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO], Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] and the whole team.”
Born in Mexico, O’Ward has built a solid reputation within McLaren’s wider motorsport structure: He is not only been impressing in IndyCar with multiple race wins and podiums but also contributing to the Formula 1 outfit through testing and FP1 duties. The team has praised his adaptability across disciplines.
The voices within McLaren
Team Principal Andrea Stella commented: “We are pleased to confirm that Pato O’Ward will participate in Free Practice 1 at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix as he gains valuable time behind the wheel of the MCL39. Pato provided an appreciated contribution last season and continues to impress in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, making him a suitable driver for the Free Practice 1 session.
“This will provide further knowledge for Pato as he continues to be available as part of our reserve driver pool for the second year, ensuring we have a wide pool of drivers available to be called upon if required.”
As with previous years, O’Ward’s FP1 with McLaren outing will involve providing technical feedback, supporting Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri throughout the Mexico weekend.
Under current Formula 1 regulations, teams must allocate two FP1 sessions per season to rookie drivers. Those are drivers with no more than two Grand Prix starts. McLaren have stated they will reveal their plans for the remaining three rookie FP1 slots later in the year.
