IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward achieved a dream on Friday when McLaren let him drive Lando Norris’ car in front of his home crowd during the first Formula 1 practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
O’Ward had limited freedom to show off his skills, as he had strict orders to take care of Norris’ car. Norris is competing against Max Verstappen for the driver championship with only five races left.
When asked about the instructions he received before the session, O’Ward said they were straightforward.
“Pato, don’t crash the car. If you try to go too fast, I will scream at you, and we need information. This information is very important for how the weekend will go,” O’Ward shared. “So it was clear that I had to focus on gathering information and being consistent. I think they are pretty happy with what I did. I definitely am.”
O’Ward finished 13th on the speed chart and kept Norris’ car in perfect condition. He outpaced regular F1 drivers like Kevin Magnussen from Haas, Pierre Gasly from Alpine, Lance Stroll from Aston Martin, and Alex Albon, who crashed heavily early in the session.
George Russell from Mercedes was the fastest in the first practice session but crashed during the second one. Max Verstappen had an engine problem that affected his practice. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner first said Verstappen’s engine was fine for the second session, but Verstappen had to go back to the garage just minutes in due to more issues.
“This noise is very disturbing, this can’t be normal,” he said over his radio. O’Ward hoped he could push the limits at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez but knew McLaren and Norris wouldn’t let him take any chances.
When asked by The Associated Press what O’Ward could do with the car, Norris was straightforward: “He’s testing my car.”
Norris showed little sympathy for O’Ward, who is a reserve driver for McLaren in F1 but a star in IndyCar. O’Ward, from Monterrey, was eager to race in Mexico due to his growing popularity. He felt disappointed when NASCAR announced it would race in Mexico City in 2025, and his strong feelings sped up talks for IndyCar to race there in 2026.
“It’s tough. That’s life. He’s been given the opportunity in the first place, so it’s not just about him,” Norris said. “He’s playing a bigger role.
He’s not going to be in Formula 1 this year or next year. His role is helping us as a team. That’s his job and he gets a cool experience performing in front of his home crowd.
“We could have picked another track for him to go and do. So I think he should be happy that we picked Mexico,” Norris continued. “I’m happy for him to go and do that. I think it’s a very special thing for him, too. He’ll definitely get laps and be able to push, but he knows the risks and the rewards.”
