Fernando Alonso says a full-time switch to IndyCar was “never in my plans” for 2019, following confirmation that McLaren will not join the series.
McLaren had been evaluating entering the championship, having returned for a one-off appearance at last year’s Indianapolis 500, fielding a car for Alonso, in association with Andretti and Honda.
Alonso announced in August that he will not compete in Formula 1 next season and tested an IndyCar machine on a road course for the first time the following month.
That prompted speculation that he could move into the series in 2019, ostensibly with McLaren, but Zak Brown confirmed on Friday that the marque is not yet ready to commit to a full-time entry.
Alonso, though, says the announcement has no impact on his future, stressing that only a potential Indianapolis 500 seat was on his radar for 2019.
“I’ve known it since August, so what was said doesn’t affect my future plans the least, as I’ve known it for a couple of months,” he told Spanish broadcast media.
“I went there and tested an IndyCar in September just to know how the cars felt like, but there was no hidden agenda, no other plan for the future.
“Zak announced it, I’ve read people saying this was a setback for me but it wasn’t, because it was never in my plans to do a full IndyCar season, so nothing changed for me.
“My programme for next year has been clear for me for many months, but we need to put things together, do a crossover of many plans from different series, different companies and when it will always be settled we’ll make the announcement.
“But doing a full IndyCar season was never an option. I’ll want to do some IndyCar in the future but not next year for sure.
“That would mean doing 17 races, all in America, learning the category and the tracks from zero, so that would require a commitment and determination that was never in my plans.
“That Zak announced it was for McLaren’s benefit as, in any case, I was never in the plans for a full season.”
Alonso confirmed that a 2019 Indianapolis 500 entry is “something we’re evaluating now but there’s no decision taken”.
The Indianapolis 500 is the only race of motorsport’s Triple Crown that Alonso has not won, having added a Le Mans 24 Hours victory to his two Monaco Grand Prix wins earlier this year.
