Back in the early 60s when Bruce McLaren began the team, he had a vision. He didn’t want McLaren to be a one-trick pony. He wanted the team to conquer all of motorsport. And that vision, in a way, has become a reality as the Woking-based team has successfully dabbled its hands in two premier open-wheel series in the recent past. With Formula 1 and IndyCar, McLaren has the perfect set-up of youth and drive. But are there dangerous overlaps starting to emerge?

In IndyCar, the Arrow McLaren team has a clear star of the future in the shape of Mexican, Pato O’Ward. And when it comes to Formula 1, well, two of the brightest stars, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, color their ranks.

The imitation game

Very recently, McLaren CEO Zak Brown came out with a worrisome statement for the duo of Norris and Piastri, as he suggested that O’Ward might very soon be giving them some cause for concern. Now, it would appear that O’Ward has at least started shadowing the ones he might overthrow!

Lando Norris has made his trademark podium celebration famous, with many ill attempts and spectacular losses! Just ask Max Verstappen. But at the Indianapolis Road Course, O’Ward tried replicating the Brit. Finishing 3rd yesterday, Pato O’Ward did his smoothest Lando Norris impersonation on the podium with his own bottle of champagne.

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But while Brown is plotting to bring O’Ward across the pond into F1, he might actually be left red-faced!

Pato O’Ward wants to beat Lando Norris

Brown would want to see the duo of Lando Norris and Pato O’Ward pitted against each other. However, in the Mexican’s own mind, the battle has already begun. That being said, it is bigger than just the two drivers.

MARCA.com quoted O’Ward as saying, “Definitely what Formula 1 has been doing has been very good. It is a mistake to be F1’s competition. We should not compete with F1. We have to get on their ‘boat’ and grow with them and try to give them a challenge.”

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Is Pato O’Ward Formula 1 material?