MexicanPatricio "Pato" O'Ward Junco (born 6 May 1999 in Monterrey, Mexico) is one of the brightest stars of American open-wheel racing, an IndyCar race winner and McLaren Formula 1 reserve driver. His FIA Formula 2 involvement was brief but is part of a fascinating crossroads in his career.
Road to F2
O'Ward made his name in North America, dominating the 2018 Indy Lights season with Andretti Autosport — winning nine of seventeen races to take the title and Rookie of the Year. That success earned him a Red Bull Junior Team contract in May 2019, opening a door toward the F1 ladder.
Formula 2 (2019)
As a Red Bull junior, O'Ward made a one-off FIA Formula 2 appearance at the Red Bull Ring round in June 2019, racing for MP Motorsport in place of the banned Mahaveer Raghunathan. He finished 19th in the Feature race and 14th in the Sprint. With his FIA Super Licence points insufficient to reach F1 in the near term, he and Red Bull agreed to part ways after only a handful of junior outings, and he refocused on a U.S. career.
After F2: IndyCar and McLaren
O'Ward joined Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar for 2020 and quickly became a front-runner — Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2020, a multiple race winner, and a regular championship contender, finishing as high as runner-up. His link to McLaren also brought him into the Formula 1 fold as a reserve driver, testing McLaren machinery and appearing in several free-practice sessions, including at his home Mexico City Grand Prix. While his F2 cameo was minor, it sits at the pivot point where O'Ward chose the IndyCar path that made him a star.