Pato O’Ward has mentioned solely FP1 outings would profit him with McLaren now relatively than take a look at periods – given he sees an F1 race seat as a “very distant phantasm”.
Earlier than Colton Herta, Alex Palou and now Oscar Piastri arrived on the scene, O’Ward was seen as being a possible McLaren racer of the longer term.
The 23-year-old Mexican competes for the Arrow McLaren SP workforce in IndyCar and has gained two races in every of the final two seasons, sitting seventh within the standings this yr with three rounds remaining.
A former member of the Crimson Bull junior workforce, O’Ward gained the ‘prize’ of a McLaren take a look at on the finish of final season in Abu Dhabi for successful an IndyCar race.
Zak Brown, the McLaren CEO who organized that reward, mentioned O’Ward would want to win the IndyCar championship to face an opportunity of bagging an F1 race seat – a prospect that appears unlikely in 2022 not less than.
Not solely from the driving force’s personal place with a 59-point hole to bridge to chief Will Energy however McLaren have additionally taken on Herta in a improvement function and agreed an IndyCar cope with Palou, apart from Piastri being strongly linked as a substitute for Daniel Ricciardo in 2023.
The perfect F1 alternative for O’Ward, due to this fact, he feels, could be to promote his potential beneath the highlight of an FP1 rookie driver outing relatively than a personal take a look at reminiscent of Herta skilled at Portimao in July.
“Proper now, he (Brown) can’t current me with one thing for a Method 1 seat as a result of he doesn’t have any seats, these seats are gone,” mentioned O’Ward in an interview with the Spanish language model of ESPN.
“I’m signed together with his IndyCar workforce and if he desires to place me in a Method 1 automotive, he can put me in a Method 1 automotive.
“What could be good for me, as a result of that seat is already closed, the one factor that fits me is they offer me FP1s, that’s the one factor that fits me.
“Simply driving round within the automotive doesn’t swimsuit me in any respect, and the reality is I’m not occupied with placing the vitality and energy into one thing you’ll simply be driving round in circles.”
Nonetheless, O’Ward thinks his F1 prospects are diminishing relatively than strengthening with the way in which issues have advanced.
“It doesn’t do me any good to have that phantasm,” mentioned O’Ward. “I really feel like I’ve matured within the facet that the phantasm is a really distant phantasm as a result of even when I’m driving at a really, very, very excessive degree, which I’ve been, you gained’t have the ability to persuade them with that.
“There are a lot of extra issues and politics, many issues past my management that I’ll by no means have the ability to management, and so I’ve to depart it there as a result of it’s no use marrying the phantasm.
“The reality is that because the starting of the yr I put a cease to it and stopped occupied with it, as a result of that concept simply will get you excited.
“I’m a sensible man, I’m not silly and I understand how issues have been going, however I don’t have a lot to say in that state of affairs and it doesn’t assist me to have that phantasm.”