McLaren is not ruling out further involvement in the Verizon IndyCar Series, following the surprise announcement that double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso would compete in the 101st Indianapolis 500 with the team.
It will mark McLaren’s return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time in 38 years, with the Woking-based outfit set to work alongside engine supplier Honda and full-time IndyCar outfit Andretti Autosport.
This will mean Alonso will miss the coveted Monaco Grand Prix, a race the Spaniard has won on two occasions.
Although Alonso is only scheduled to compete in one IndyCar race this season, McLaren’s Executive Committee Principal Mansour Ojjeh has hinted that the team could well return once again in the near future.
“The Indy 500 is the only IndyCar race we’ll be entering this year, but we may possibly repeat that in years to come and it’s just possible that we may even run a full-works McLaren IndyCar operation at some point in the future. We’ll see,” explained Ojjeh.
McLaren made their Indianapolis 500 debut way back in 1970, securing pole position the following year before eventually winning the race in 1974 and 1975 with Johnny Rutherford.
“Equally, we may potentially enter the Le Mans 24 Hours again some time – we won it outright in 1995 with our iconic McLaren F1 GTR – but to be clear we have absolutely no definite plans to do so at this stage,” continued Ojjeh.
Should McLaren opt to return to Le Mans, Alonso could certainly be considered a likely candidate for the drive.
The Spaniard is undoubtedly aiming to become only the second driver in the history of motor sport to win the Triple Crown, a feat currently only ever achieved by Graham Hill
It includes winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours.
