The Latest Breaking News from Pato OWard

IndyCar gears up for a competitive season opener in St. Petersburg, aiming to enhance its appeal and attract a broader audience in the world of motorsports.

Running the softer alternate tires, the Swede dropped a stout lap of 1m00.3390s around the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit to go top of the leaderboard in the final segment of the session in Friday's practice.

Sebastien Bourdais (#01 Ganassi Cadillac) took lead at the start of the second hour, passing opening-hour pacesetter Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura) with ease into Turn 1, the Acura then falling back as it paid the penalty of its short energy fill and double-stint on tires.

#5 – Pato O’Ward, 4th in the championship standings (484 points) – 17 races

#5 – Pato O’Ward, 4th in the championship standings (484 points) – 17 races

The new-for-2024 power unit remains equipped with the current 2.2-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, but will be upgraded with hybrid components that will provide up to an additional 150 horsepower when deployed.

Last year was dominated by Max Verstappen and Red Bull, with a few teams such as McLaren and Ferrari starting to improve their car towards the end of the year.

Alex Palou was due to be McLaren’s Formula One reserve driver

The 2023 F1 season has drawn to a close after Max Verstappen capped off a championship-winning year with victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - but has the 2023 season actually finished?