Pato O’Ward Says 'F1 Cars Are Crazy and Insane Times 10' After Formula 1 Test

• McLaren CEO Zak Brown promised IndyCar driver O’Ward a test in a Formula 1 car if he delivered a first IndyCar victory for Arrow McLaren SP in 2021.

• O'Ward made good on the bet and won twice in 2021.

• O’Ward’s F1 opportunity arrived Tuesday as part of the annual Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi,

IndyCar Series star Pato O’Ward got his first experience of a Formula 1 car Tuesday in Abu Dhabi—and it is an understatement to say that he was buzzing.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown promised O’Ward a test in a Formula 1 car if he delivered a first IndyCar victory for Arrow McLaren SP in 2021. O’Ward did that, brilliantly winning at Texas Motor Speedway, and added a second in Detroit for good measure.

O’Ward’s F1 opportunity arrived Tuesday as part of the annual Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, in which teams must run someone who has not taken part in more than two Grands Prix.

O’Ward completed 92 laps in McLaren’s 2021-spec MCL35M at Yas Marina and finished fourth on the leaderboard, with a best time of 1:24.607. Mercedes’ reserve driver and Formula E champion Nyck de Vries led the way on a 1:23.194s.

When discussing his day shortly after stepping out of the car O’Ward was wide-eyed at the experience.

“Wow! Like, wow! These cars are ridiculous,” said O’Ward. “I was expecting crazy and insane and this is crazy and insane times 10. The capabilities of what these cars are capable of is… I don’t know how. I thought the IndyCar was fast and… it was just crazy man, I don’t know what else to say. These things bend the laws of physics, it’s just absurd, absurd what they’re able to do.”

O’Ward conceded that he didn’t quite extract the best from the car, setting personal best sector times on three different laps, and admitted he reached a physical limit.

“Another part where I didn’t get everything together on one lap is I was about to lose my head! Man. My neck is, like, destroyed," O'Ward said.

O’Ward was nevertheless barely able to conceal his child-like glee at his outing.

“This is the best experience I’ve ever had in a race car in my life,” he said. “I don’t think anything has come close to it in terms of driving, I didn’t want today to end to be honest with you. It’s just unbelievable. It’s just amazing, what all us racing drivers want to feel is just go as fast as you can, brake as late as you can, you want to feel everything, and this car gives you that and more.”

O’Ward is contracted to Arrow McLaren SP for 2022 but says he felt at home in the Formula 1 car, giving him confidence if he ever was to try and make a switch.

“If I could make the move over here it’s going to be straight from IndyCar, I don’t plan to go to any other junior [category], F2 or F3,” O'Ward said. “The F1 (car) is just ridiculous. Yeah, straight from IndyCar to be perfectly honest I don’t think I’d have issues, I ended up very at home feeling everything out.”

American Logan Sargeant Tests for Williams

Elsewhere there was an American in Formula 1 action for the first time since 2017.

As recently as early October Logan Sargeant was evaluating his next career step after three years in Formula 3. Fast forward two months and he is a fully-fledged Williams Formula 1 junior, and that resulted in an outing in its FW43B at Yas Marina.

Sargeant also has his 2022 plans sorted, as he will tackle Formula 2 with renowned British team Carlin, who previously guided Lando Norris and Yuki Tsunoda into Formula 1. Formula 2 will join Formula 1 at 14 Grands Prix next year, racing twice each weekend. Sargeant completed 92 laps at Yas Marina, setting a personal best of 1:27.476.

“What an incredible first day in a Formula 1 car; it was everything I expected and more,” said Sargeant. “I want to start by saying a massive thank you to Williams, as that was the experience of a lifetime. The first couple of runs felt unbelievable with the amount of grip and power the car has, but I got used to it fairly quickly and felt comfortable by the end of the day.

“It’s definitely a massive step up from the Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars; the brake performance is much better and there’s a lot more downforce. The stopping power was like nothing I’ve felt before. The more you drive, the more you learn and the more pace you find, so I was happy with the lap times I was putting in by the time we finished today.”

There were some other potential future F1 stars getting run outs; Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri drove for Alpine —for whom he will act as 2022 reserve driver—while runner-up in that series Robert Shwartzman drove for Ferrari. Formula 2 race winners and Red Bull proteges Juri Vips and Liam Lawson also had outings. 2022 Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou had his first run with the team.

The young driver test took place in parallel with Formula 1’s post-season tire test, on the 18-inch wheels that will be adopted next year. Mule cars were used in order to accommodate the larger sizes that sole supplier Pirelli has been preparing since late 2019. Each team bar Williams, which does not have a mule car, took part.

New World Champion Max Verstappen was back in action for the first time since his title triumph while George Russell began life as a fully-fledged Mercedes driver by testing for the team. His predecessor, Valtteri Bottas, had his first run with Alfa Romeo, sporting a Christmas-themed helmet for good measure.

Lewis Hamilton is absent, as he is due to receive his knighthood in Britain this week.

Elsewhere, Charouz Racing System have announced American Juan Manuel Correa will return to Formula 2 machinery during this week’s post-season test, which runs Thursday through Saturday at Yas Marina. Correa competed for the Czech team in Formula 2 in 2019, when he suffered a high-speed accident that left him with severe injuries, and which killed Anthoine Hubert. Correa raced in Formula 3 during his 2021 comeback season and has not yet determined 2022 plans.

F1 Young Drivers/Postseason Tire Test

Tuesday's Results at Abu Dhabi

N. de Vries, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, 1:23.194 mph, 77 laps

L. Lawson, Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, 1:24.517, 125

O. Piastri, Alpine F1 Team, 1:24.523, 131

P. O’ward, McLaren F1 Team, 1:24.607, 92

G. Zhou, Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, 1:25.142, 119

J. Vips, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:25.198, 97

N. Yelloly, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, 1:25.333, 118

D. Ricciardo, McLaren F1 Team, 1:26.252, 95

L. Stroll, Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team, 1:26.579, 143

R. Schwartzman, Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, 1:26.694, 73

C. Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, 1:26.989, 87

V. Bottas, Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, 1:27.183, 127

A. Fuocom, Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow, 1:27.324, 146

Y. Tsunoda, Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, 1:27.348, 131

L. Sargeant, Williams Racing, 1:27.476, 92

E. Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, 1:27.553, 128

M. Verstappen, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:28.013, 124

G. Russell, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, 1:28.062, 132

M. Schumacher, Uralkali Haas F1 Team, 1:28.499, 100