
Pato on his 2023 highlights, offseason plans and upcoming F1 opportunities
"Even though we didn’t get a win, we have a lot to be proud of this year"

There is no overlooking Pato O’Ward when discussing the thrills and highs of this year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
In just four full-time seasons, the driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet has proven himself to be one of the most-exciting drivers on the grid, steadily improving his on-track performance year by year.
During a season of tremendous growth in 2023, Pato earned himself seven hard-fought podiums, a fourth-place finish in the championship and the admiration of motor sports fans around the world.
As the offseason officially kicks off, Pato sat down with us to share his favorite moments from the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, his involvement in McLaren’s Driver Development Programme over the coming months and what excites him most about next year.

If you had to pick moments throughout the year you would consider a highlight, what would be your top three?
Texas takes the cake for me, because of how dominant we were during the race. Even though we didn’t win, it felt like we did. And, I felt like we also won outside the track. We were able to fill three suites with Mexicans, Americans, Europeans, whoever you could think of. And we gave away hundreds of grandstand tickets for people to come out. Seeing all the fans there supporting us reminded me exactly why we do this. So that’s definitely number one.
Number two: the Indy 500. Even though it ended with a heartbreak, it was cool to share some great moments with my teammate, at the time, Felix, changing the lead with him and competing to win the race.
And the third highlight is more of a realization that, even though we didn’t get a win, we have a lot to be proud of this year. This season was about growth, and we still checked off a lot of boxes. And, we keep getting better every year.
No. 5 Arrow McLAREN Chevrolet 2023 Season
What racing-related plans do you have coming up this offseason?
There is a lot of F1 activity this offseason for me, from October through December. But, I’m excited to continue taking on these cool opportunities, as often as I can, to keep learning and improving.
We talk about it every offseason, how important is that “check-out” period from December through early January?
Oh, it’s so important. You have to keep that balance in your life. I’m revved out most of the year, so I need to tone it down when I can. Even if I’m still busy, I try to at least do something non-racing related that helps me recharge. You have to give yourself a break.

From a fitness standpoint, how does your training schedule change over the course of the offseason?
If I wasn’t involved in McLaren’s Driver Development Programme, I would most likely take a couple weeks off from training. But, I don’t mind because I have some amazing opportunities that I wouldn’t pass up for anything. In actuality, the most building starts during the latter half of the offseason. I have four weeks of intense training in December to get myself ready for the beginning of the year. So, realistically, it's always ongoing. It might tone down in the future, but for now, that’s my schedule.

If you think about next season and the current driver lineup, what excites you most?
I feel like we cover the age spectrum. We have Alexander Rossi, who is a veteran. We have myself – young, but knowledgeable as I start my fifth year in the series. And then David Malukas, who is very young, fast and will thrive in this atmosphere at Arrow McLaren.




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