Brown explains how McLaren will balance Indy and Formula 1

6b1610f4be6355b5830912f0a3744fd0c9f7449a

10:27, 15 Nov 2018

Next season, McLaren will make an entry into the Indy500 with Fernando Alonso at the helm. The CEO, Zak Brown insists this will not affect the Formula 1 side of the business as their main goal is to get back to "winning Formula 1 races".

Time is tight. They have just six months to pull together all the resources for the 500-mile race. But Brown claims this will not change anything for the Formula 1 team.

"We have big ambitions, first and foremost to get back to winning world championships and winning Formula 1 races," Brown told Sky Sports.

"It was a no-brainer decision in the sense that we knew we wanted to go back to Indianapolis with Fernando but there were a variety of criteria that we needed to meet for ourselves."

"One, not detracting from our Formula 1 operations in any shape or form. Two, making sure we give Fernando because we will be going as McLaren Racing, a car capable of winning and then if course sponsorship and partners on the commercial side."

Sky Sports Damon Hill tweeted to demonstrate the magnitude of the challenge. He says it's going to be an "I was there" moment. But he might struggle if he's working for Sky Sports in Monaco!

Fernando Alonso

@alo_oficial

·Follow

We will try Damon. We had a good inspiration...🙏❤️

Damon Hill

@HillF1

If Fernando @alo_oficial wins The Indy 500 @IMS in a @McLarenF1 that will be the biggest win in motorsport ever. IMHO. #f1 #indy500 I want to be there to see it too.#beingthere

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	292
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	211
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	191
4	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	186
5	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	167
6	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	145
7	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	120
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	71
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	59
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	41
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	31
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	27
13	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	10
15	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	7
16	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
18	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
19	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	3
20	Yuki Tsunoda Yuki Tsunoda	Racing BullsRCB	1
21	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
23	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0

Brown explains how McLaren will balance Indy and Formula 1

Don’t miss GPblog in Google

Are Ferrari planning a management shake-up for 2019?

Watch: All 2018 Formula 1 cars v All Formula E cars

Antonelli Left Frustrated After Baku Barrier Hit as Russell Takes Pole in 'League of His Own'

Verstappen furious after Baku drama: 'I thought: f*** off!'

George Russell takes Azerbaijan GP pole by eight tenths as Leclerc admits gap was unexpected

F1 Full Results | Russell takes pole and capitalizes on Antonelli's mistake

Antonelli Hits the Wall, Russell Takes Pole: Azerbaijan GP Qualifying Delivers a Shock

Championship leader out of Qualifying in Baku

$410 million Cape Town circuit bids to bring F1 back to South Africa by 2031

‘Ferrari is the dream’ - Horner breaks silence on sensational switch to reignite Wolff feud

Antonelli Left Frustrated After Baku Barrier Hit as Russell Takes Pole in 'League of His Own'

Verstappen furious after Baku drama: 'I thought: f*** off!'

George Russell takes Azerbaijan GP pole by eight tenths as Leclerc admits gap was unexpected

F1 Full Results | Russell takes pole and capitalizes on Antonelli's mistake

Popular on GPBlog

Hamilton learns stewards’ verdict after ‘dangerous’ Azerbaijan FP2 incident with Lawson

Cadillac hires former Red Bull key figure, but Alpine blocks the move for now

Verstappen receives the confirmation he wanted from Red Bull in Baku

Race pace simulations reveal shocking gap for Hamilton and Ferrari to Mercedes

Season

Are Ferrari planning a management shake-up for 2019?

Watch: All 2018 Formula 1 cars v All Formula E cars