McLaren F1 reserve driver Pato O’Ward has given an update on his health situation after suffering severe food poisoning before his Mexico Grand Prix FP1 outing. The IndyCar driver, who races full time for Arrow McLaren, had replaced Lando Norris in FP1 on Friday as part of the team’s utilization of the session to fulfill the rookie program mandated by F1.
O’Ward completed 30 laps in the session despite having symptoms from food poisoning and was 13th-fastest out of 20 drivers. The Mexican driver’s symptoms worsened after getting out of the car. The hour-long session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez took a toll on him, and he was taken to the track’s medical center.
Pato O’Ward had severe diarrhea and was given IV fluid to combat the dehydration and medication for stomach pain, while doctors monitored his heart rate. McLaren canceled his media appearances for the day.
On Saturday, qualifying day for the Mexico Grand Prix, O’Ward returned to the track and fulfilled his media duties. In a virtual interview with reporter Bob Pockrass, the home hero shared a health update, saying:
“Feeling much better,” O’Ward said. “I don’t look like a ghost anymore.”
The 26-year-old reflected on completing the test program with McLaren in FP1 and how that took precedence over his unexpected illness.
“There’s always opportunities you don’t want to let go of, so you do everything in your power to make sure you do a good job,” O’Ward added. “You get through your program. Obviously, would’ve loved to feel a little bit more fresh, but all in all, I was happy we were able to get through the program.”
Pato O’Ward responded to his fans on Friday via an X post, expressing gratitude for the messages of concern he received.
Pato O’Ward explains comparison to Oscar Piastri after Mexico GP FP1
There was a considerable difference in lap times between Oscar Piastri and Pato O’Ward, the 2025 IndyCar championship runner-up, in FP1. The Aussie driver went fourth-quickest in FP1, while the Mexican driver was around nine-tenths slower in P13.
However, both drivers were on different tire compounds – Piastri on mediums and O’Ward on the hard tires, which justified a part of the difference, if not the entirety. When O’Ward was asked by Bob Pockrass whether he compared his lap times to those of the other drivers, the IndyCar star replied:
“It’s quite difficult… like for example, yesterday, Oscar was on a medium, I was on a hard. There’s a focus on all the tire compounds and stuff like that to get the maximum information out of you know, whatever the team needs for P2, P3, etc.”
“I obviously am compared to Oscar, the best compare that I could have had because obviously, he’s got the same car,” O’Ward added. “But it’s obviously difficult when the tires are different. We both put softs on at the end, but yeah, most of the program really is different. You gotta split it up and learn as much as you can.”
In the Mexico GP qualifying on Saturday, Lando Norris took pole position with a mighty lap, while Oscar Piastri settled for a lowly P8.
alt=”Yash Kotak” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Yash Kotak
