Pato O'Ward calls move to Cadillac F1 team "smoke and mirrors"

As rumours continual to swirl of who Cadillac will sign to F1's newest team for 2026, Pato O'Ward has seemingly ruled himself out despite rumours he could be an option.

While Andretti's Colton Herta had previously been linked alongside championship leader Alex Palou, O'Ward has been the latest IndyCar driver to be linked to the American team.

Currently under contract to McLaren under it's IndyCar team, Arrow McLaren, O'Ward expressed he was committed to IndyCar and the team when speaking to ESPN and compared the situation to Fernando Alonso dating Taylor Swift. 

"That was just pure smoke and mirrors", O'Ward dismissed, "I think the rumour about me moving to Cadillac is like the one about Fernando Alonso dating Taylor Swift."

Although F1 has had love affairs with IndyCar drivers in the past, most notably at the end of the 1990s and beginning of the 2000s, many key figures in F1 have seemed reluctant to suggest it will return.

Speaking to RTL, former Haas Team Principal thinks to take a IndyCar driver will be too risky to begin with.

He said: "I don't think they'll take a US driver because the risk is simply too great.

"Those guys have no experience in Formula One, and then it can quickly backfire. That doesn't help anyone."

Rumours that Cadillac will sign Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen's former teammate, Sergio Perez, seems to support Steiner's statement with both having a total 546 races in experience.

O'Ward has previously expressed his love for IndyCar and his love for America. 

Speaking to motorsport photographer, Kym Illman, O'Ward shared back in May that even if he did race in F1, "I always see myself coming back to America".

"Formula One is a bit of a different beast in regards to politics, in regards to money, who you know, right time, right place.

"I'm fully focused obviously where I'm at now and I love it here, I love America, I love it here.

"This will always be home to me even if I do get a chance in Formula 1, I always see myself coming back to America. 

"I don't see myself leaving to Europe and settling there for the rest of my life. I don't see that I really love being here and this is what's become home to me."

McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, has also shared his piece on the rumours and said he "wouldn't like" to release the Mexican driver but that "he wouldn't stop him" should the opportunity to arise.

Brown has been one of the most outspoken supporters of O'Ward's work in IndyCar.

In the past, he has also rewarded O'Ward's efforts by giving him a chance behind the wheel of the team's F1 cars.

This included in the young drivers test at Abu Dhabi in 2023 and putting behind the wheel at home in Mexico for FP1 in 2024.

Brown is in the Toronto for IndyCar he finds himself with a rare weekend off from F1.

It makes sense for Cadillac to be interested in O'Ward since he has been one of the strongest drivers in IndyCar this year.

Currently sat in second behind the untouchable Alex Palou, he is the only driver to complete every race so far this year in the series and took a fantastic win in the Synk 275.