When the F1 grid heads to Mexico in October for the Mexico City Grand Prix, McLaren will field a different driver in the MCL38 in FP1.
Current IndyCar driver, Pat O'Ward.
In addition to his IndyCar duties with Arrow McLaren, O'Ward is also the reserve driver for the McLaren F1 team. This is not O'Ward's first time in an F1 car, having taken part in the Abu Dhabi test in 2021 and also taking part in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2022 and 2023.
But competing in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix will give him the chance to drive in front of his home crowd, an opportunity he called a “dream come true” in announcing it on social media.
“I can't wait, jumping into a Formula 1 car in front of my home crowd is a dream come true and I can't thank Andrea enough. [Stella]Zach [Brown] “The whole team has responded to this amazing opportunity,” Driver said.
“This year's car was like a rocket. [I’ll be] I want to do my part and help them as much as I can for the rest of the year. I'm racing in Nashville this weekend in IndyCar so that's my top priority right now, but I want to get going soon. I'm flying to Europe this weekend to start all my F1 duties. I can't wait.”
O'Ward is currently sixth in the 2024 IndyCar Series standings with three wins, his last of which came at the inaugural Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 race in late August. O'Ward finished second in the 2024 Indianapolis 500.
