Pato O'Ward arrived at the McLaren hospitality with a big smile and surprised at the amount of media waiting for him after taking part in FP1 of the Mexican Grand Prix where he finished in 13th position after a fast lap in the final part with soft tires.
The practice did not go at all as the Mexican from McLaren, who took Lando Norris' car, would have expected given that there were two red flags; the most important due to an accident between Alex Albon's Williams and Oliver Bearman's Ferrari, who was replacing Charles Leclerc.
For O'Ward, the experience of racing in Mexico was part of what he expected, although he would have liked more time on the track.
“Of course I enjoyed it, but the hour goes by very quickly,” said the Mexican, who pointed out that he saw some posters with his face in the audience, but he could pay little attention to them “because the team is telling you one thing or another.” other. It’s so much that you just focus on that.”
Pato O’Ward, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“An hour felt like it went by very quickly, because I feel like I spent a lot of time in the box, but the laps I did have out there you can imagine the smile. F1 cars are unique and especially in the fast sections, the change of direction, or no, is cool,” said the Mexican.
O'Ward acknowledged that McLaren did not let him fully press the accelerator since he had to evaluate new aerodynamic elements for the team.
“They told me 'we need information.' And this information is extremely important for what the rest of the weekend is going to be like. So it was very clear what I had to do and what I had to prioritize. But it's quite difficult when you don't know this car. You don't know much about this track and you're trying to learn on your own, but you're also trying to stay as consistent and as you know, as consistent as possible for the team, for all the data they're collecting. But I am very happy,” he concluded.