In a sport where drivers will do almost anything for even a sniff of a Formula 1 seat, Pato O’Ward has done something genuinely extraordinary. He asked McLaren to fire him. Not from IndyCar, where he is thriving. From Formula 1, where he had been quietly fulfilling reserve driver duties alongside his American racing career. His verdict on the whole arrangement? He simply does not care anymore.
Politely Asked to Be Let Go
O’Ward confirmed on Conor Daly’s Speed Street podcast that he approached McLaren CEO Zak Brown and requested to be relieved of all his F1 obligations. The 27-year-old Mexican has made five FP1 appearances for the team, completed several post-season tests in Abu Dhabi, and served as an official reserve since 2024, sharing that role with reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli. His Abu Dhabi FP1 outing last year now looks like his final appearance in an F1 car.
“I’m grateful for the experiences and all I’ve been able to learn in the world of F1. But I think I’m at a different point in my life now, and I really don’t care anymore. There is nothing in me that is aching to continue as a reserve in F1. I’m in a great place in IndyCar. I love the series. That’s where I want to be.” – Pato O’Ward
Not Sold on the 2026 Cars Either
There is an extra layer to this story. O’Ward has not been shy about his contempt for the current generation of F1 machinery, with its complex electrical deployment systems that have frustrated drivers and fans alike. His feelings have not softened with time.
“I’m not excited to drive one,” he said bluntly, adding that he has no desire to race in a formula built around artificial overtaking aids. That is a fairly pointed critique from someone who has actually sat in these cars and formed a genuine opinion, rather than offering the usual polished PR line.
IndyCar Is Treating Him Just Fine
It is worth putting O’Ward’s position in context. He finished second in the 2025 IndyCar championship, recently won at Mid-Ohio, and is confirmed at Arrow McLaren for 2027 alongside six-time champion Scott Dixon and Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist. He is already a multimillionaire, reportedly the most marketable driver in IndyCar, and perfectly at peace with none of that involving an F1 paddock pass.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri remain McLaren’s full-time F1 drivers for 2026. With the Verstappen transfer saga still rumbling on, if Max does eventually make his move to McLaren, O’Ward certainly will not be standing in the way.
A Rare Moment of Honesty in a Dishonest Sport
Most drivers would keep one foot in the F1 door indefinitely, just in case. O’Ward is shutting it firmly behind him, and doing so with a clarity that is almost startling in this paddock. Whether F1’s establishment finds it quietly embarrassing that a talented, successful racing driver actively does not want to be involved is a question worth sitting with for a while.
