F1 News

No F1 debut for O'Ward: 'Brown has promised other drivers the same'

12 August 2022 at 07:25
Last update 12 August 2022 at 09:02
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  • GPblog.com

McLaren and Alpine are fighting for Oscar Piastri, so there's no room for Mexican IndyCar driver Patricio O'Ward. The McLaren protégé sees no room at the F1 team because team boss Zak Brown does not have enough F1 seats for all his 'juniors'.

McLaren seems to have made a deal with Alpine-junior Oscar Piastri, and is trying to get rid of Daniel Ricciardo. As Lando Norris is performing well at the team, it doesn't seem that McLaren chooses to break his contract. O'Ward finds the situation around Piastri, Alpine and McLaren amusing, but he is also slightly bitter, as evidenced by his criticism of McLaren team boss Zak Brown. The American is trying to take as many young drivers under his wing as possible, but in doing so he is only reducing the chances of his juniors getting an F1 seat.

O'Ward laughs 

O'Ward says in conversation with ESPN: "It's not good for me to have that illusion. It's a dream that's very far away, because although I'm racing at a very high level, it's still not enough to convince them. There are many things that come into play that are beyond me." With Piastri's supposed debut at McLaren, the team's other 'juniors', such as Colton Herta, Alex Palou and so O'Ward, are set aside. According to ESPN, those three drivers agree that they have been sidelined by their own boss with the arrival of Piastri.

O'Ward: "I found it [the whole situation around Piastri, Alpine and McLaren] laughable. I saw it and I laughed. The same prize [a debut in F1] has been put in front of many other drivers by Brown. In the end, there is only one seat and not five." On Twitter, the Mexican posted an emoji of a bowl of popcorn, indicating he was reading along as the soap opera surrounding Piastri developed. Although O'Ward says he is laughing about it, there is also resentment towards McLaren's management in his comment above. O'Ward seems to feel passed over