IndyCar frontrunners Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward will both get Formula 1 free practice outings with McLaren this season, as Palou will drive at the Circuit of the Americas next week and O’Ward will drive at Abu Dhabi.
Palou and O’Ward have been testing McLaren’s MCL35M in private tests at Barcelona and Austria in the last two months, and both have earned the opportunity to make competitive F1 weekend debuts.
Daniel Ricciardo will step aside for Palou in Texas and O’Ward will jump into Lando Norris’s car in the last race of the season at Abu Dhabi – not the Mexican home outing some anticipated he might get.
“I’m so excited to be making my F1 weekend debut,” said 2021 IndyCar champion Palou.
“It’s great to be driving in the United States in front of fans that may have seen me race in IndyCar.
“Having driven the 2021 McLaren MCL35M in a few tests now, I can’t wait to put the MCL36 through its paces. I look forward to helping the team in their preparation for the 2022 United States Grand Prix.”
O’Ward added: “I can’t wait to get out on track in Abu Dhabi. I’ve developed as a driver and had a lot of fun testing last year’s car with the team, so it will be a great experience to drive the MCL36. Thank you, McLaren F1, for the opportunity.”
Palou’s path to the F1 outing is the most interesting, as his intention to leave Chip Ganassi Racing for McLaren in 2023 triggered a lawsuit between him and Ganassi, which was only resolved last month.
While the case was settled out of court and only a few details have come to light, Palou got Ganassi’s permission to test for McLaren, and will be free to join whichever team he wants at the conclusion of the 2023 IndyCar season.
In its press release announcing the news, McLaren F1 team principal Andreas Seidl mentioned Palou directly in emphasising the team was evaluating him further.
“We’re pleased to give Alex and Pato the opportunity to take part in free practice sessions with McLaren,” said Seidl. “With Alex’s great successes in IndyCar it will be useful for the team to get his feedback on the car and for us to continue to evaluate him as a driver.
“Alex and Pato impressed with their recent tests in Barcelona and Austria and we’re excited to offer them the experience in the MCL36.
“It’s a great chance for them to showcase their skills on Formula 1’s global stage, where the focus will be to help the team prepare for the race weekend and not on ultimate lap times.”
O’Ward had a contract debacle of his own as he declared his intention to look at other teams outside of the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar squad he has led and won races for since joining at the end of his failed Red Bull F1 junior sojourn.
However, O’Ward’s public stand-off ended at the Indy 500 when McLaren announced a new deal for him, to run through 2025. He finished second in that Indy 500 and would have been in IndyCar title contention right until the very end if not for reliability issues.
Neither of the two drivers is in the mix for an F1 seat next year, with Oscar Piastri already signed alongside Norris.
Piastri has what was announced as a multi-year deal, while Norris, like O’Ward, is under contract through 2025.
With F1 teams required this year to give at least two practice sessions to drivers without more than two grand prix starts on their CVs, Piastri would’ve been a natural fit – but it is presumably too difficult to extricate him early from his current deal at Alpine, which is not ending in an amicable fashion.
