O'Ward Exits McLaren F1 Role as Red Bull Debuts Newey Hypercar

Pato O'Ward has formally asked McLaren to terminate his Formula 1 reserve driver duties, ending five years of service to focus exclusively on IndyCar. The move headlines a busy spell for the paddock, which also saw Adrian Newey reunite with Red Bull to celebrate the RB17 hypercar's debut at Goodwood.

Why it matters:

O'Ward's departure highlights the difficulty of splitting focus between IndyCar and F1, removing a familiar face from McLaren's reserve roster. The RB17 debut also marks Newey's effective Red Bull swansong before his move to Aston Martin.

The details:

• O'Ward's exit: The Mexican asked to be relieved of F1 responsibilities after joining McLaren in 2020, wanting to channel all energy into IndyCar without grand prix weekend distractions.
• RB17 unveiled: Newey hailed the hypercar's Goodwood run as a "special moment." It is the first machine built entirely in-house by Red Bull Advanced Technologies, packaging F1-derived performance into a road-legal two-seater.
• Russell's puncture: George Russell revealed his thought was "here we go again" when Mercedes detected a slow puncture during his Silverstone podium battle, forcing an unscheduled stop.
• Verstappen's future: Jenson Button urged Verstappen to be "selfish," citing a reported performance clause in his 2028 deal that could allow an early exit if he sits outside the championship top two by the summer break.
• Safety car finish: Martin Brundle proposed fixes after the British GP ended behind the safety car, triggered when Verstappen spun into the gravel late on.

What's next:

With O'Ward fully committed to IndyCar, McLaren must solidify its reserve structure. The paddock will also watch whether Verstappen's contract becomes a genuine talking point as the summer break approaches.