Pato O'Ward Alex Palou

NTT INDYCAR SERIES standouts Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward will participate in a Friday practice session at upcoming Formula One races as part of their testing work with McLaren Racing.

2021 series champion Palou will drive the team’s current car, the MCL36, in the first free practice of the United States Grand Prix on Friday, Oct. 21 at Circuit of the Americas. The session takes place from 3-4 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

O’Ward will drive the MCL36 during the first practice Friday, Nov. 18 at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The session will take place from 5-6 a.m. ET with coverage on the ESPN family of networks. Check local listings closer to the event weekend.

Palou and O’Ward have tested recently in older-generation McLaren F1 machinery in Europe since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season ended Sept. 11.

Spaniard Palou recently announced he was staying at Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season after a contractual squabble this summer between the Ganassi team and McLaren for his services next year. The agreement for 2023 with Ganassi provided Palou with the opportunity to test with McLaren Racing in F1.

Mexican O’Ward drives for Arrow McLaren SP in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, one of four series in which McLaren will compete in 2023 along with F1, Formula E and Extreme E.