Yahoo Autos F1 Notes From Azerbaijan: Pato O'Ward Gets McLaren FP1 in Mexico City
Red Bull’s run comes to an end, Pato O’Ward gets another Formula 1 outing, while cost cap report finds minor infractions.
Autoweek rounds up some other talking points from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
IndyCar’s O’Ward Lands Mexico FP1
IndyCar star Pato O’Ward will have another Formula 1 outing later this year—this time on home soil at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
O’Ward, who finished fifth in the recently concluded NTT IndyCar Series season, has taken part in private test days, young driver tests, and fulfilled McLaren's F1 rookie quota by driving in the first practice session in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and 2023.
O’Ward has now got the nod for his next FP1 session, which will take place on Friday October 25 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
“I cannot wait, it’s truly a dream come true to jump in front of an F1 car in front of my home crowd,” O’Ward said. “The car’s been a rocket this year so trying to do my part for the rest of the year.”
O’Ward is not a consideration for a Formula 1 seat, with the Mexican holding a long-term McLaren IndyCar contract, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are locked down to its Formula 1 team on respective multi-year deals.
Fight for Sixth Gets Interesting
At one stage of the season RB looked set for sixth in the standings—even having a sniff at Aston Martin—but the squad’s tricky run of form has sparked a multi-team fight for the position.
RB has not scored since the summer break, and its race in Baku was compromised by excessive graining for Daniel Ricciardo and early damage for Yuki Tsunoda after contact with Lance Stroll. f1-constructors-championship">F1 Constructors' Championship
F1 Constructors' Championship Standings
McLaren 476
Red Bull 456
Ferrari 425
Mercedes 309
Aston Martin 82
RB 34
Haas 29
Williams 16
Alpine 13
Kick Sauber 0
Ollie Bearman’s point for Haas means just five points separate the two outfits, while Williams’ strong result—with Alex Albon seventh and Franco Colapinto eighth—means they have whittled the gap to Haas to 13 points, and now have two cars in contention for the top 10.
Alpine had a dismal weekend, dropping to ninth in the standings, while Sauber still looks significantly off the pace at the back and is yet to score.
COTA ‘Will Feel Totally Different’
U.S. Grand Prix host venue Circuit of the Americas has completed a track repaving ahead of this year’s event.
COTA, which opened in 2012, was constructed on soft clay-like terrain and has consequently been prone to bumps and uneven surfaces, which has led to criticism. After last year’s race Max Verstappen quipped that the track was more suited to rally cars and that the bumps were “way too much” despite adding character.
COTA has undertaken partial resurfacing and grinding in recent years but has now taken the next step to improve its track.
“The drivers and riders will feel like it’s a totally different track,” COTA chairman Bobby Epstein said. “We know the repave was overdue and, while it will lose some “character,” the new surface will make for some incredible speeds and provide a much more comfortable experience. The new pavement just looks good, too!”
This year’s U.S. Grand Prix will be held October 18-20.
Preseason Locked in for Bahrain
Formula 1 preseason testing will take place in Bahrain in 2025 despite the circuit no longer holding the opening round of the campaign.
Bahrain has been Formula 1’s season-opening round since 2021, with the championship rocking up a week or so in advance of the first round for three days of pre-season testing.
Bahrain’s Grand Prix—along with Saudi Arabia—has been moved to April in 2025 in order to avoid a clash with Ramadan, meaning the season will instead open in Australia, on March 16. But Bahrain will still hold the lone official preseason test of 2025, across February 26, 27 and 28.
As usual, each team will field one car across the course of the test. The Bahrain International Circuit will allow Formula 1 teams to keep a significant portion of its non-essential freight at the venue between pre-season testing and the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Procedural Cost Cap Breaches for Alpine and Honda
Power unit marques Alpine and Honda have been found guilty of a procedural breach of the cost cap regulations for engine manufacturers in 2023.
The FIA last week completed its lengthy review of the documentation of all 10 Formula 1 teams, and all were found in compliance with the rules, which were introduced in 2021. New for 2023 were financial regulations for the six engine manufacturers that applied for the 2026 rules, and Alpine and Honda were found to have conducted a procedural breach.
The FIA outlined that neither organization has exceeded the cost cap and that the parties have acted at all times in good faith.
“Considering the nature of the breach, the complexities of the new Financial Regulations for PU Manufacturers and the challenges associated with their first year of implementation it is the CCA’s intention to propose to these two PU Manufacturers to settle their respective breaches by means of an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA),” read a statement.
Alpine currently remains a 2026 engine manufacturer though is widely expected to abandon its project in the coming weeks and switch its Formula 1 team to becoming a customer outfit, despite the widespread criticism and protests in its native France.
