McLaren chief Zak Brown says he expects Fernando Alonso to "be in the mix" when the Spaniard makes his debut at the Indianapolis 500 next month.
McLaren announced on Wednesday that it will field a one-car team for Alonso at the event, which will be run by Andretti Autosport and supplied by Honda engines.
Alonso has never competed on a super-speedway oval but Brown cited Alexander Rossi's rookie triumph with Andretti in 2016 as just cause for optimism.
"I’m particularly delighted to have been able to bring McLaren back to Indianapolis in my very first year as McLaren’s Executive Director," said Brown.
"Michael [Andretti] is an old friend of mine, and a man I respect enormously, and his Andretti Autosport organisation is one of the best in the business.
"Michael is a winner – indeed his team won the Indy 500 last year with Alexander Rossi, who will be one of Fernando’s team-mates at Indy next month – and I couldn’t be happier that Fernando will be making his IndyCar debut in one of Michael’s cars.
“Equally, this project wouldn’t have been possible without Honda’s support and encouragement.
"And our car – the McLaren-Honda-Andretti – will be decked out in the papaya orange livery made famous by our founder Bruce McLaren, and in which Johnny Rutherford drove McLaren IndyCars to Indy 500 victory in both 1974 and 1976.
“Could Fernando win this year’s Indy 500? Well, I wouldn’t be so silly as to make any such rash prediction, but I expect him to be in the mix. Put it this way: the team he’ll be racing for won the race last year, using the same Honda engine, and he’s the best racing driver in the world.
"That’s quite a compelling combination. So, yes, as I say, he’ll be in the mix.
"OK, equally, he’ll have his work cut out to acclimatise to running at super-speedway velocities, but ultimately it’s quality that counts in all forms of motorsport, and Fernando is very definitely quality. He’s ballsy and brave too."
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