Pato O’Ward taken to medical centre as IndyCar driver falls ill after F1 Mexico GP practice

Pato O'Ward was taken to the medical centre after falling ill with food poisoning over the race weekend of the Mexico Grand Prix. The Mexican driver completed 30 laps during his time in Lando Norris's MCL39 on the Friday, but required treatment as his symptoms worsened.

Finishing 13th on the timesheets, O'Ward did not appear to have his running affected during FP1, but Motorsport.com understands that he was given IV fluids for dehydration and medication for stomach pain following his stint in the papaya-coloured car, with doctors also monitoring his heart rate.

This meant the 26-year-old driver didn't take part in any press events or meetings with sponsors following his stint in the McLaren, with the IndyCar driver instead focusing on receiving medical attention.

Despite this, McLaren has published a quote from the driver in its practice report. No statement has been made on his health at this time.

"Being back on track in Mexico is so special to me," he is quoted as saying. "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.

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"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.”

Pato O'Ward, McLaren

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Team principal Andrea Stella thanked him for his work.

“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."

Lando Norris, replaced by O'Ward for FP1, will now continue driving his car for the remainder of the weekend.

"There was no onboard this morning, so there wasn't a lot to look at," Norris said of his time during FP1. "Of course, you look at the data and things, but you just try and get the general understanding of the grip, the feeling of the car, things like that. But there's only so much you can really take from just looking at a screen."

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