Fernando Alonso created an international buzz this past spring when the two-time Formula One world champion passed on that sport’s iconic race, the Monaco Grand Prix, to compete in an American classic, the Indianapolis 500.

Earlier this week, Michael Andretti said his racing group hopes to again partner with McLaren and Alonso for the 2018 race.

That looks unlikely, but the executive director of McLaren Technology Group, Zak Brown, said Monday, "When we return to Indy — and I think it is ‘when,’ rather than ‘if’ — we need to go with the same amount of competitiveness and fanfare that we created this year. We set a high bar so that won’t be easy."

They could provide a more definitive answer Thursday during an F1 news conference at Circuit of the Americas, but the 36-year-old Spaniard will be facing a lot of questions about his future. It’s not even 100 percent certain Alonso will return to McLaren in 2018, let alone what events other than F1 races he might be allowed to run.

Brown said no deal has been signed but that negotiations have been ongoing for some time.

"I don’t know what’s in or out," Brown said. "He would like to race every weekend. We’ll be open-minded."

Mario Andretti, perhaps the most versatile driver the U.S. has produced, said there’s an extra kick to winning in an unfamiliar racing series.

"There’s nothing better than going to somebody else’s sand box and winning at their game," Andretti said.

Brown said that earlier this season, McLaren wasn’t even aware that Alonso wanted to pinch hit in another series. Since then Alonso has said that to be considered truly great, a driver should win three legendary races.

His triple crown, a term usually associated with horse racing, is Monaco, which he has won twice, the 24 Hours of Le Mans — an event Brown said McLaren is considering — and the Indy 500.

Oddly enough, that agenda fits with McLaren’s diverse business model.

"We have a desire to get into other forms of racing," said Brown, who added that McLaren had been under-performing on the track lately and that sponsors and partners appreciated the added exposure the Indy 500 brought them. The event also served as a nice morale boost for McLaren’s employees.

Brown said when he decided to pitch Alonso about the Indy 500, "I broached it first as a bit of a joke. I threw it out there, and he took the bait. I saw the gap and I went for it."

The original plan wasn’t to race at Indy in 2017, Brown said, but "all the dominoes fell into place." McLaren found a partner in Andretti, and Alonso began learning how to master the nuances of IndyCar.

"It was the biggest story in IndyCar in the last 25 years, bigger than Danica (Patrick)," said Derek Daly, a former F1 racer who lives in Indianapolis and whose son, Conor, also raced in the Indy 500. "There were two million that streamed his rookie test. That’s more than the race did."

Alonso didn’t win the Indy 500, but he appeared to be headed for a top-five finish before engine failure forced him to retire.

"I think Alonso was going to win the 500, and everyone who saw it knows it," said Circuit of the Americas chairman Bobby Epstein. "Alonso cemented F1 as the premier league. It didn’t cure the reality that F1 can be short on first-place competition and excitement, but it did demonstrate the brilliance of their drivers. … His performance and personality raised awareness for F1, now the league has to capitalize on the interest."

Sleek cars and slick technology are nice, Daly said, but the furor around Alonso’s appearance at Indy "That proved conclusively that drivers drive the sport (of racing)."