“Excited to jump back in car”: Pato O'Ward lined up for home FP1 race with McLaren at 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix

Mexican racing driver Pato O'Ward will return to the Formula 1 grid at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix , driving the McLaren MCL39 in Free Practice 1 . The 26-year-old full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES competitor will take his latest stint in the F1 paddock as a part of his continued function as McLaren's reserve driver. This is O'Ward's second straight FP1 session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez , providing home fans with a homegrown hero to support again.
Pato O'Ward continues McLaren F1 integration with FP1 run at Mexico City Grand Prix

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Pato O'Ward's next appearance at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix will not only put him behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for longer but also solidify his role in McLaren's development plans. The team confirmed O'Ward will be taking the seat during Friday Free Practice 1 on October 24.
“I’m excited to be jumping back in the car for FP1 at my home race in Mexico this year,” he shared with Formula1.com. “The Mexico City fans were unbelievable last time out, and it was a great feeling being able to extract everything from the programme that the team had planned. I’m looking forward to going again this year, working with Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO], Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] and the whole team.”
F1’s rookie rule and McLaren’s 2025 driver strategy
Under existing Formula 1 rules, each team must give two Free Practice 1 sessions per year to novice drivers—drivers who have started no more than two Grands Prix. McLaren has already announced that more will be said about the remaining three FP1 sessions allocated to young drivers in 2025.
O'Ward's regular attendance in these sessions makes him a good choice in case of a substitute need, and his consistent performance in the INDYCAR circuit further adds to his credentials.
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As Mexico City gets set to host its motorsport hero for the second time, the spotlight will be on O'Ward to produce both speed and heart for an electric home support crowd.