Although executive director Zak Brown said McLaren won’t have anymore involvement in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2017, the category apparently still is in his plans for the British manufacturer’s future.
IndyCar CEO Mark Miles, while speaking to Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo, recently suggested that McLaren is eyeing a full-time campaign in the American single-seater series in 2019, according to Autoweek.
Miles’ comments come days after Brown dismissed reports that Fernando Alonso, who ran in the Indianapolis 500 in May, would race in the IndyCar season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
“We know that there are options for McLaren to return to the Indianapolis 500 next year with Andretti Autosport,” Miles said. “And McLaren is still interested in being a team in the Verizon IndyCar series full-time, probably not for 2018 but perhaps in 2019.”
The IndyCar exec seemingly didn’t pull 2019 out of thin air as the season McLaren would venture across the pond, either. He went on to note that, “Zak keeps asking questions about our schedule.”
Brown’s interest in series, combined with his ambition to expand the McLaren brand beyond Formula One, admittedly makes Miles’ timeline seem plausible. Any decisions regarding such an undertaking, however, would still need to be green-lighted by McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt.
Thumbnail photo via Honda Racing
