Monterrey, Mexico’s Patricio “Pato” O’Ward began his racing career in 2005 at the age of 6.
In 2013, O’Ward made his open-wheel racing debut, in Latam Fórmula 2000, Formula Renault 1.6 NEC and Pacific Formula F2000. In 2014, O’Ward competed in French F4 Championship. In 2015, O’Ward débuted in the Pro Mazda Championship with Team Pelfrey, driving in the series at just 16 years of age. O’Ward returned to Team Pelfrey and Pro Mazda Championship in 2016 and took the field by storm, collecting an impressive 7 wins, 5 pole positions and 8 total podium finishes en route to a second-place finish in the championship.
In 2017, O’Ward competed in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Performance Tech Motorsports in the PC class. O’Ward and his co-drivers won the 2017 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the PC class, making him the youngest driver to ever win both races at 17 years old. O’Ward and his team went on to win the 2017 Championship and North American Endurance Cup (NAEC)
In 2018, O’Ward signed with Andretti Autosport to compete in the Indy Lights Championship. He dominated the championship, winning 9 of 17 races and was named Rookie of the Year and easily captured the drivers’ championship. Two weeks after clinching the Indy Lights title, O’Ward made his IndyCar Series debut at Sonoma Raceway where he qualified fifth and finished ninth (which ties him with David Martínez for the best finish on debut by a Mexican driver in a premiere open-wheel series).
In 2019, O’Ward competed in seven NTT IndyCar Series events, 3 Super Formula and 2 FIA F2 Championship events, O’Ward’s 2019 season culminated with the announcement of joining Arrow McLaren SP for the 2020 IndyCar season, earning one of the most prized seats in all of motorsports.
In 2020, O’Ward went on to finish in 4th place of the NTT Indycar Series Championship while earning 1 Pole Position and 4 Podium finishes. He also won Rookie of the Year honors while finishing in 6th place during the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 making this the best ever result for a Mexican driver.
In 2021, O’Ward went on to finish in 3rd place of the NTT Indycar Series Championship while earning 3 Pole Position and 5 podiums including 2 wins. He once again earned the best ever result for a Mexican driver during the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 with a 4th place finish. He also made his official debut in the Formula One Rookie Test event held in Abu Dhabi on December 14th driving for the McLaren Formula One team.