Former Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has been put in charge of McLaren's IndyCar team. It was announced last week that Fernando Alonso would be returning to IndyCar to compete at the Indy 500 after his unsuccessful attempt in 2016.
Fernley left Force India after the team's summer takeover by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll. With Fernley's experience in motorsport, McLaren is hopeful of him leading their new venture to victory.
In a statement by the team, McLaren CEO Zak Brown pointed to Fernley's experience and knowledge as factors that would help the project succeed and become a success.
“Bob is a fantastic operator and someone I respect greatly. His experience and leadership will be essential for us on this project. He is particularly talented at putting effective teams together and extracting maximum performance with finite resources.
“The Indy 500 is no easy race and Bob’s is a key role, so I’m delighted he’s on board.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Fernley admitted that the task in front of him was a big one but that he envisaged success and added he was proud to be a part of the project.
"Heading back to The Brickyard will be a very special experience for me and I am proud to be leading this McLaren project and team," he said.
"The 500 is a hell of a challenge and we have incredibly strong competitors to overcome if we’re to be successful. We will need to prepare well for the month of May and that work starts now."
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Overview
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
08:30 AM
Practice 2
12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
08:30 AM
Qualification
12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
11:00 AM
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
Thu 08:30 AM
Practice 2
Thu 12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
Fri 08:30 AM
Qualification
Fri 12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
Sat 11:00 AM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Hamilton learns stewards’ verdict after ‘dangerous’ Azerbaijan FP2 incident with Lawson
6641 times read
2
Cadillac hires former Red Bull key figure, but Alpine blocks the move for now
1211 times read
3
Verstappen receives the confirmation he wanted from Red Bull in Baku
1176 times read
4
Race pace simulations reveal shocking gap for Hamilton and Ferrari to Mercedes
1016 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 292 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 211 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 191 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 167 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 145 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 120 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 71 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 59 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 41 |
Loading
