McLaren F1 driver taken to medical centre at Mexican GP

A McLaren racing driver was quickly taken to the medical centre at the Mexican Grand Prix having fallen ill during the race weekend.

Reserve driver Pato O'Ward was hoping to impress the local fans in Mexico City as O'Ward competed in the first free practice session in place of Lando Norris.

The British star was sitting out as part of a usual move that allows drivers to replace the main driver during the first session of race weekends in a season.

Indeed McLaren were just one of nine teams to run a reserve driver at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Circuit, with only Sauber sticking with its regular drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto.

O'Ward completed 30 laps on Friday, but his symptoms worsened following the session and he was immediately taken to the medical centre, urgent enough to force the 26-year-old driver to skip press events and even sponsorship requirements.

According to Motorsport he was treated for dehydration and stomach pain, while his heart rate was also carefully monitored, with hope his condition will improve throughout the weekend.

Where did Pato O'Ward finish in Mexican GP practice?

McLaren did not issue a statement on O'Ward's health but did include a quote from him in their practice report, where finished 13th of the 20 runners, which read: "Being back on track in Mexico is so special to me. All week, the fans have been passionate and loud, making me feel right at home again.

"I want to thank the team for putting me in the seat. We ran through the programme we had planned for the day successfully, and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to support Lando and Oscar on their championship runs with time in the car today. I’m excited to see the team finish up the weekend strong.”

Team boss Andrea Stella added: “Thank you to Pato who did a good job in place of Lando in FP1. He provided a valuable contribution to our data collection, which is appreciated by the team."

O'Ward has this year mainly been racing for McLaren in the US based IndyCar Series claiming second in the championship behind Alex Palou. The Mexican claimed wins in Iowa and Toronto.

Although he has never competed in an F1 race, this weekend's Mexican GP appearance in FP1 was his fourth for the team following Abu Dhabi GP runs in 2022 and 2023, as well featuring in FP1 in Mexico last season.

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