Pato O'Ward says Formula 1 has drifted too far from the race he fell in love with. The McLaren test and reserve driver told Deportes that the sport now feels artificial and too much like a show, adding that the push to overtake with aids has taken away part of what once made it compelling.
“It’s not Mario Kart. We’re racing,” O'Ward said, arguing that drivers should be fighting to pass on braking and through corners rather than pressing a button to do it for them.
The comments matter because O'Ward, 25, is not speaking as someone detached from Formula 1. He has been McLaren’s third driver since 2022, has spent four years with the team and has taken part in five Formula 1 practice sessions. He expects to add a sixth before the season ends, and said he thinks he may get a test and maybe even a free practice outing toward the end of the year, once the season is over, though nothing has been confirmed.
That puts his criticism in a sharper light. O'Ward said the fire that once drove him toward Formula 1 was never about fame or money. It was about the cars themselves — how incredible they were to drive and how impressive they were to watch. But he said every year a little more of that essence has been taken away, leaving a product that feels increasingly polished and increasingly less pure.
His remarks also mark a shift in tone from ambition to contentment. O'Ward made his full-time IndyCar debut in 2020 and has since become one of the series’ leading drivers. He finished second in last year’s championship behind Alex Palou, and said he is very happy in IndyCar because, in his view, it is currently the best racing class for a driver who really wants to race.
That does not close the door on Formula 1. O'Ward has pursued F1 chances while building his IndyCar career, and he still expects at least another appearance in a McLaren car before the season is over. But his words make clear where he believes the real racing lives now, and it is not in the championship that once seemed to be the destination.