McLaren say their return to the Indianapolis 500 with Fernando Alonso next year will not distract them from their Formula 1 campaign.
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The team confirmed yesterday it will return to the race it previously entered in association with Andretti Autosport in 2017. Details of the 2019 programme, including which engine will be used, have not yet been finalised.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown insisted the Indy 500 project will “definitely not” divert resources or focus from their F1 activities.
“It’s a whole separate racing team that will be created. We’re a large racing organisation with substantial resources. I’m extremely confident — and we would not have entered otherwise — that we can give maximum effort to both our Formula One programme and this Indy 500 effort without one compromising the other.
The IndyCar operation will be managed independently of the F1 programme, Brown added, calling the decision to return to Indianapolis a “no-brainer”.
“There were several criteria we had to satisfy. First, it must not detract from our Formula One operations in any way, shape or form; second, we want to give Fernando — because we will be competing as McLaren Racing — a car capable of winning; and third, the commercial side, including sponsorship and partners, had to be in place.
“We’ve been discussing this for some time, but we needed to ensure everything was properly organised and that we were comfortable with the plan.”
Brown did not confirm whether McLaren will field more than one car at Indy, but said the team is considering a full-time IndyCar entry beyond 2019. “The IndyCar series is attractive to McLaren Racing,” he said.
“Our primary objective remains returning to winning world championships and Formula One races. At the same time, IndyCar and the markets it reaches, along with the racing approach it offers, are of clear interest to McLaren. From a longer-term perspective, a full-time IndyCar entry remains under review, and I would certainly like to see us compete full-time in the future.”
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