McLaren will have Indycar drivers O’ward and Palou participate in a Formula 1 test
The tests continue for the teams and this time it's McLaren who is inviting two drivers for testing in Barcelona. Patricio O'Ward and Alex Palou are the two drivers who will be behind the wheel of the McLaren MCL35 M in Barcelona.
McLaren has decided to have Alex Palou and Patricio O’Ward drive in Barcelona on Wednesday, September 14th. The two IndyCar drivers had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of an old F1 car. They are following the program of testing old F1 cars allowed by the regulations. Other drivers, such as Colton Herta, have also had the chance to hit the track in an F1 car.
Alex Palou had decided to leave his IndyCar team, Chip Ganassi Racing, for McLaren before reconsidering his decision and ultimately deciding to stay with the IndyCar manufacturer.
The IndyCar champion of 2021, who finished in 5th position in the 2022 edition, nonetheless had the opportunity to drive a McLaren F1 car in Barcelona. The Spanish driver, through his contract, is allowed to drive Formula 1 cars without it conflicting with his commitments in IndyCar.
The second driver, Patricio O’Ward, had a harder time than his teammate this season. The Mexican finished two places behind Palou with a 30-point deficit. Patricio O’Ward wasn’t approached by any F1 teams but he saw an opportunity to drive one.
The two drivers don’t really have a future in F1 at the moment. Alex Palou was quite close to it before Piastri’s arrival was made official, but it put a halt to the Spaniard’s progress. Both drivers will continue in IndyCar next year.
