Autosportfoto

New Red Bull junior O'Ward aims to go "straight" to F1 from IndyCar

IndyCar driver Patricio O'Ward admits he is now targeting a move "straight into Formula 1" following his induction into the Red Bull junior programme.

O'Ward, who is currently contesting a part-time IndyCar schedule with Carlin after winning the feeder series Indy Lights title, was recently announced as the latest addition to the Red Bull Junior Team.

The 20-year-old has been a regular on the American single-seater racing scene since 2015.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport, O'Ward believes an opportunity in F1 could be on the cards.

"Things moved pretty fast," O'Ward said. "There might be a [F1] chance soon.

"I'm very proud of what I've managed, but I also want to thank Trevor Carlin because he opened the door to IndyCar for me, and that opened the door to F1.

"It's something very big, but I'm ready, I have faith in what I can do. We know that if I get the results, I have what it takes to reach F1, arrive and succeed.

"The idea is to go straight into F1."

O'Ward has made five IndyCar starts so far and impressed on his debut in the 2018 season finale at Sonoma by finishing ninth.

The Carlin driver says his IndyCar efforts were what led to him being contacted by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.

"Everything happened because of Helmut Marko's interest," said O'Ward.

"He called me mid-April, he wanted to know me.

"I met him, he asked me several questions, he wanted to sign me. They sent me a contract and basically, they hired me.

"This is something big, and for now after the Indy 500 I only have road races in IndyCar, so we have to see what options come up from F1.

"It was a chance too big to miss, to be able to move to F1. The difference is that often the window to enter F1 is not as big as it is with IndyCar.

"Now the doors [to F1] are open, I want to focus on having good races and, in the future, be able to return to IndyCar [after a stint in F1]. You never know what's going to happen."

Any F1 opportunity for O'Ward would likely arise with Red Bull's junior team Toro Rosso, which currently employs rookie Alexander Albon and the returning Daniil Kvyat.

Should space open up at Toro Rosso, O'Ward would have rivals for his seat, most notably Dan Ticktum.

Ticktum tested for Red Bull in Barcelona this week.

Doubts also remain over O'Ward's points required for an F1 superlicence.

This is because there are doubts over the viability of his IMSA Prototype Challenge title in 2017, and whether his Indy Lights and Pro Mazda efforts are hindered by both series failing to meet the necessary minimal grid size requirements.

Franz Tost told Sky Sports at the Spanish Grand Prix that there have been no talks over a free practice outing for O'Ward and that he did not believe the IndyCar driver qualifies for a superlicence.

Tost said: "I would be more than happy to have him in Toro Rosso because this would increase the interest of [North] American fans for F1, which we need, because as you know Liberty Media is pushing."

Should O'Ward make it to F1, he would become the first driver to move directly from IndyCar to F1 since Juan Pablo Montoya almost two decades ago.

Zdroj: autosport.com