
A daring Mexican driver with Formula One dreams, he channels aggressive speed into IndyCar success, thrilling fans with his all-or-nothing style.
Pato O'Ward won the 2018 Indy Lights championship, a breakthrough that launched him into IndyCar. From Monterrey, Mexico, his path to racing’s top tiers was unconventional; funding hurdles met his sheer pace and determination. Driving for Arrow McLaren, he secured multiple race wins and contended for the series title. Fans responded to his audacious overtakes and relentless aggression. Signed to the McLaren driver development programme, he also serves as a reserve driver for their Formula One team. That role keeps a lifelong ambition within reach while he carries forward as a standard-bearer for Mexican motorsport.
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Pato was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
The world at every milestone
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
His nickname 'Pato' means 'duck' in Spanish and was given to him by his sister when he was a baby.
He is a dedicated sim racer and often streams his sessions online for fans.
O'Ward initially pursued a career in European ladder series before focusing on the American racing path.
“I want to be the best in the world. I'm not here to just participate.”