The new Formula 1 regulations are turning out to be an absolute failure on multiple fronts. Not only has the audience dropped and the on-track excitement faded, but the drivers themselves are starting to turn away from Formula 1. They’re sticking with the sport, but even more worrying is that the young prospects of the future are growing disillusioned as well.
The most recent high-profile example is Mexican Pato O’Ward, McLaren’s IndyCar driver, one of those youngsters the reigning champions have kept in reserve. O’Ward has already driven in several Formula 1 practice sessions, but he has now decided to break completely with the supposed crown category because he does not like the new cars.
Pato O’Ward quits Formula 1 and will not return to McLaren
The new technical regulations are not only prompting the sport’s great champions to seek their exits from Formula 1, but they are also making even the young, up-and-coming talents gravitate toward other series. This is the case with Pato O’Ward, who has just revealed that he told McLaren he does not want to hear anything more about Formula 1, at least for the moment.
O’Ward, 26, is a McLaren driver in the IndyCar series, and one of the promises the papaya-colored team has nurtured over the years for when the moment arrives. O’Ward has already taken part in five Formula 1 practice sessions between 2022 and 2025, but it seems he won’t be back anytime soon. At least for now.
“Formula 1 has become something artificial. It feels like Mario Kart”, O’Ward stated bluntly to Fox. The Mexican has grown so displeased with the new rules that he asserts, “I have no desire to reach Formula 1, zero interest.” So it appears this is where his journey ends for now.
O’Ward admits that he always wanted to race in Formula 1, but explains that “my motivations were not for fame or money. They were because those cars were something impressive. Now they aren’t.” Therefore, O’Ward remains in the United States, racing in IndyCar, which he now regards as “the best category in the world” at the moment.
O’Ward is entering his eighth season in the IndyCar series, the seventh with McLaren, and is the current runner-up in the championship. He has won nine races across this period, and he seemed to be one of the candidates to move up to a McLaren Formula 1 seat if one had become available. Now he himself steps off the list of potential contenders.
We will see whether the FIA and Formula 1 can find the right fix to make the grand circus attractive again to more than just the brands.
Images | McLaren
