McLaren to cross Alonso bridge "when we come to it"

McLaren might have confirmed their 2019 line up but the rumours of a potential Fernando Alonso return have continued to swirl after the two-time champion entered an ambassadorial role with the team but Zak Brown appears to have poured cold water on any quick return.

Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz have replaced Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne for 2019 with 2005 and 06' champion set to pursue the triple crown at the Indy 500. However, the Spaniard has stepped up to an ambassador role which will see him test the car at some point during the season, a move that has caused speculation over a full-time return.

McLaren’s CEO has revealed nothing is set in stone yet and the team will cross that bridge when they come to it.

"We haven’t discussed it,” Brown said.

"I’ve tried to get the best talent: Andreas Seidl, James Key, Pat Fry, so to have Fernando as part of our development programme I think is a very important piece of the puzzle to getting us to be competitive again,” added the American.