Pato O'Ward, received as "an international star" for his EL1 at home

A true phenomenon in Mexico since its arrival in IndyCar At the end of 2018, Pato O'Ward was able to measure the height of his popularity by taking part in the first free practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix. On a McLaren who currently leads the constructors' championship standings, the one who usually wears the number 5 on his Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet finished in thirteenth place, but the essential was achieved since he was able to bring the car safely home. Lando Norris, engaged in a fight against Max Verstappen for the world title.

Acclaimed at each of his appearances by the crowd present in the Foro Sol, this baseball stadium in the middle of which the last sector of the circuit winds, Pato O'Ward caused real crowd movements during his appearances on the sidelines of this Grand Prix. From Wednesday, hundreds of fans were rushing to catch a glimpse of the one who clearly rivals Sergio Pérez in terms of popularity in Mexico.

“The fans made me feel like I was an international star! I’m not, of course, but it’s the first time I’ve really been able to be so recognized, and received so warmly during a race weekend.”, he explained for the official F1 website. "They are really the best fans, they support me a lot and I really feel it. Before arriving here it was already crazy, but once I got here, even more so!"

It's finally in the bucket of his car that he was able to make the most of the experience, being as calm as possible. He who had already piloted a Formula 1 in EL1 before, O'Ward nevertheless took the measure of the dream he had just accomplished, by being able to drive during an official session in front of his compatriots, who came in large numbers this Friday.

No question of attacking to the maximum

“It was incredible, a real dream come true to drive a Formula 1 car in my home country. It was a chaotic session, very busy, but I am very happy to have been able to help the team in many areas where we wanted to gather more data. The red flags were not ideal for us, but I am happy with what we were able to do. We completed our programme without any problems.”

Without putting himself under pressure, O'Ward nevertheless recognizes that a driver cannot attack to the maximum of his abilities, without risking an accident, and thus destroying both his opportunity but also the weekend of the incumbent he is replacing: “You have to push a little less hard than you would like, of course, but the most important thing is to be able to help the team. This is my job here, if I am given a day or two of testing, then I can take risks and show my full potential. It is a circuit that can penalise you, especially in the fast corners. I did not have too much pressure, I was just looking forward to this opportunity and continue to build memories that I can use in my next outings in F1.”

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