Fernando Alonso’s Indianapolis 500 outing last month with McLaren, Honda and Andretti may not have ended in success, but the No.29 car was quick from the very start.
The two-time F1 champion was in contention for a possible top five result when his engine blew, but nevertheless Alonso and McLaren hailed it a brilliant experience.
It built up a lot of hype around the already iconic event, so of course people are now turning their attentions to McLaren’s future in IndyCar.
A recent Autoweek report quoted the CEO of the series’ parent company saying the team hopes to be back at the Indy 500 and is looking at the possibility of a full-season participation.
Brown’s been quick to clarify his comments, saying he’s hopeful McLaren can make more Indy 500 appearances.
He’s quoted by Motorsport saying:
“We had a great experience. It has left a very good taste in our mouth. I would like to see McLaren back at the Indy 500 on a regular basis. We have not made that decision yet – and we will in the next couple of months.
“We are very head-down and the team has been. I’ve been a little distracted, so now with Indy behind us, it is more likely than not that we will be back at the Indy 500.”
But on McLaren possibly going into IndyCar full-time, Brown admitted there’s “no chance” of that in 2018 and any potential decision would be “a few years away”. He explained:
“As far as doing a full season of IndyCar, with everything we have got going on, and to do it right, we would need to make that decision now, and we are not talking about it now let alone making that decision.
“So, I think maybe further down the road it is a great series. I think McLaren Racing in North America is a nice complement to F1, because F1 has got limited reach there. But not yet – I think it is a few years away.”
Would you like to see McLaren in IndyCar full-time, or in more Indy 500 appearances? Let us know in the comments!
