Brown: Alonso at Indy 500, “it was decided pretty quickly”

McLaren quickly launched its program for the Indianapolis 500 with Fernando Alonso who will be at the start of the 101st edition on May 28. Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren Technology Group, confirmed this during a press conference held this Wednesday, April 12 in the evening in the paddock of the Bahrain GP scheduled for this weekend.

“It was decided rather quickly, indicated Zak Brown. McLaren has a great history with the Indy 500 with 3 victories (in 1972, 1974 and 1976). We wanted to come back to Indianapolis with the new people working within the structure. I talked about it at Honda in Australia in a playful tone. »

Alonso driving force of the program

“Alonso has expressed his desire to win the “Triple Crown” (victories at the Monaco GP, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans) and we thought we could go to Indianapolis. We discussed it again in China and we made our decision. Andretti Autosport was already benefiting from the collaboration with Honda and it was a natural choice for us”, added Zak Brown.

Zak Brown has clarified that McLaren-Honda have not yet made a decision on Fernando Alonso's replacement for the Monaco GP, although Jenson Button would appear to be the first choice due to his status. “Discussions are ongoing. We have several options”he said.

“It’s a wonderful day for motorsport and I think Fernando will bring a lot to the table. It is also a beautiful day for F1 », added Zak Brown.