Latest news with #FreePractice1
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Pato O'Ward: 'Excited to jump back in car': Pato O'Ward lined up for home FP1 race with McLaren at 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix
Mexican racing driver Pato O'Ward will return to the Formula 1 grid at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix , driving the McLaren MCL39 in Free Practice 1 . The 26-year-old full-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES competitor will take his latest stint in the F1 paddock as a part of his continued function as McLaren's reserve driver. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This is O'Ward's second straight FP1 session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez , providing home fans with a homegrown hero to support again. Pato O'Ward continues McLaren F1 integration with FP1 run at Mexico City Grand Prix Pato O'Ward's next appearance at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix will not only put him behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for longer but also solidify his role in McLaren's development plans. The team confirmed O'Ward will be taking the seat during Friday Free Practice 1 on October 24. 'I'm excited to be jumping back in the car for FP1 at my home race in Mexico this year,' he shared with 'The Mexico City fans were unbelievable last time out, and it was a great feeling being able to extract everything from the programme that the team had planned. I'm looking forward to going again this year, working with Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO], Andrea [Stella, McLaren Team Principal] and the whole team.' F1's rookie rule and McLaren's 2025 driver strategy Under existing Formula 1 rules, each team must give two Free Practice 1 sessions per year to novice drivers—drivers who have started no more than two Grands Prix. McLaren has already announced that more will be said about the remaining three FP1 sessions allocated to young drivers in 2025. O'Ward's regular attendance in these sessions makes him a good choice in case of a substitute need, and his consistent performance in the INDYCAR circuit further adds to his credentials. Also read: As Mexico City gets set to host its motorsport hero for the second time, the spotlight will be on O'Ward to produce both speed and heart for an electric home support crowd.
Fox Sports
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
O'Ward To Drive for McLaren F1 Team in Practice at Mexican Grand Prix
INDYCAR The McLaren Formula 1 Team announced May 8 that Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward will participate in Free Practice 1 at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix for the second consecutive year. O'Ward, from Monterrey, Mexico, will take the control of the MCL39 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for his home race Oct. 24. 'I'm excited to be jumping back in the car for FP1 at my home race in Mexico this year,' O'Ward said. 'The Mexico City fans were unbelievable last time out, and it was a great feeling being able to extract everything from the program that the team had planned. I'm looking forward to going again this year, working with Zak (Brown), Andrea (Stella) and the whole team.' The Free Practice 1 outing is part of O'Ward's continued role as a McLaren reserve driver in the team's F1 reserve driver pool. Following the conclusion of his Arrow McLaren driving duties in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, O'Ward will be available to the team in the same role he held throughout McLaren's Formula 1 Constructors' Championship-winning season in 2024. 'We are pleased to confirm that Pato O'Ward will participate in Free Practice 1 at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix as he gains valuable time behind the wheel of the MCL39,' McLaren F1 Team Principal Andrea Stella said. 'Pato provided an appreciated contribution last season and continues to impress in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, making him a suitable driver for the Free Practice 1 session. 'This will provide further knowledge for Pato as he continues to be available as part of our reserve driver pool for the second year, ensuring we have a wide pool of drivers available to be called upon if required.' recommended in this topic
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vesti in at Mercedes for Bahrain GP FP1 outing
Motorsport photo Frederik Vesti will take part in Free Practice 1 with Mercedes at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix, driving George Russell's W16. A Formula Regional European champion in 2019 and Formula 2 runner-up in 2023, Vesti has been on Mercedes' books since 2021, currently acting as the team's reserve driver alongside Valtteri Bottas – on top of his racing commitments in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Cadillac. Advertisement F1 regulations state that teams must run rookies – drivers who have competed in two grands prix at most – twice in each of their cars over the 2025 season's grand prix weekends. Debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli has already fulfilled this requirement in Melbourne and Shanghai on his side of the garage, and Vesti is set to do likewise with, at first, his Bahrain appearance. 'I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain,' the 23-year-old Dane said. 'Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. Frederik Vesti, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Frederik Vesti, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images Advertisement 'At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George, and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend. 'I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.' Similar rules previously allowed Vesti to drive Mercedes' W14 car in FP1 at the Mexico City and Abu Dhabi grands prix in 2023, while last year the required sessions had been given to incoming racer Antonelli. At least two other rookies will take part in FP1 at Sakhir, with Ferrari protege Dino Beganovic driving Charles Leclerc's SF-25 machinery, while Oliver Bearman will cede his Haas car to Ryo Hirakawa following the latter's recent switch from Alpine. Read Also: Hirakawa switches from Alpine to Haas as 2025 F1 reserve driver
