INDYCAR duo Palou and O’Ward to drive for McLaren in F1 sessions
Palou will drive in the car belonging to Daniel Ricciardo in Free Practice 1 at the United States Grand Prix.
O’Ward will then replace Lando Norris in a practice session in the final F1 race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
These sessions will fulfil McLaren’s young driver outings, as mandated in the rules.
Palou said about his drive next weekend: “I’m so excited to be making my F1 weekend debut. It’s great to be driving in the United States in front of fans that may have seen me race in INDYCAR.
“Having driven the 2021 McLaren MCL35M in a few tests now, I can’t wait to put the MCL36 through its paces. I look forward to helping the team in their preparation for the 2022 United States Grand Prix.”
O’Ward said: “I can’t wait to get out on track in Abu Dhabi. I’ve developed as a driver and had a lot of fun testing last year’s car with the team, so it will be a great experience to drive the MCL36. Thank you McLaren F1 for the opportunity.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, said: “We’re pleased to give Alex and Pato the opportunity to take part in free practice sessions with McLaren. With Alex’s great successes in INDYCAR, it will be useful for the team to get his feedback on the car and for us to continue to evaluate him as a driver.
“Alex and Pato impressed with their recent tests in Barcelona and Austria and we’re excited to offer them the experience in the MCL36. It’s a great chance for them to showcase their skills on Formula 1’s global stage, where the focus will be to help the team prepare for the race weekend and not on ultimate lap times.”
Norris will be partnered by Oscar Piastri, who will replace Ricciardo, in the F1 2023 driver line-up.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
