Formula 1: IndyCar's Patricio O'Ward looking to switch to F1

IndyCar driver Patricio O’Ward has confirmed that he is trying to make the switch from IndyCar to Formula 1 in the very near future.

Earlier this week, IndyCar rookie Patricio O’Ward, who drives for Carlin on a part-time basis, joined the Red Bull Junior Team. While he stated that is focus is still on IndyCar, he also stated that he has his eye on joining Formula 1.

Now the 20-year-old Mexican has confirmed that it is his goal to make the switch from IndyCar to Formula 1, and he has made clear than an opportunity for him to do so could arise in the very near future.

Here is what O’Ward had to say about the matter, according to Motorsport.

"“Things moved pretty fast. There might be a [F1] chance soon. I’m very proud of what I’ve managed, but I also want to thank Trevor Carlin because he opened the door to IndyCar for me, and that opened the door to F1. It’s something very big, but I’m ready, I have faith in what I can do. We know that if I get the results, I have what it takes to reach F1; arrive and succeed. The idea is to go straight into F1.“Everything happened because of Helmut Marko’s interest. He called me mid-April, he wanted to know me. I met him, he asked me several questions, he wanted to sign me. They sent me a contract and basically they hired me. This is something big, and for now after the Indy 500 I only have road races in IndyCar, so we have to see what options come up from F1.“It was a chance too big to miss, to be able to move to F1. The difference is that often the window to enter F1 is not as big as it is with IndyCar. Now the doors [to F1] are open, I want to focus on having good races and, in the future, be able to return to IndyCar [after a stint in F1]. You never know what’s going to happen.”"

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O’Ward, who won the 2018 Indy Lights championship in his rookie season in the series driving for Andretti Autosport, has only competed in four IndyCar races so far in his career, including three so far this season. He made his debut in the series in the 2018 season finale at Sonoma Raceway driving the #8 Harding Racing Chevrolet. He finished in ninth place after qualifying in fifth.

O’Ward was supposed to drive the #8 Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda this season, but his plans to do so fell through when the team had to cut ties with him under one month before the season started due to financial issues. He ended up landing a deal to drive the #31 Carlin Chevrolet in 13 of the season’s 17 races.

Through the first four races of the 2019 season, O’Ward has competed in three races and sits in a 17th place tie in the championship standings with finishes of eighth, 16th and 12th. He sits tied with or ahead of six of the 22 drivers who have competed in each of the season’s first four races, and this is the case despite the fact that Carlin have clearly not performed at a high level since entering IndyCar last season.

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A number of drivers have gone directly from IndyCar to Formula 1, including Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya. But no driver has done it since Sebastien Bourdais did it in 2008 and drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull Racing junior team, throughout the 2008 season and slightly over half of the 2009 season after winning four consecutive Champ Car championships from the 2004 season to the 2007 season. Will Patricio O’Ward become the first driver to do so since Bourdais pulled it off?

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Formula 1: IndyCar’s Patricio O’Ward looking to switch to F1

By Asher Fair | May 11, 2019

IndyCar driver Patricio O’Ward has confirmed that he is trying to make the switch from IndyCar to Formula 1 in the very near future.