McLaren CEO Zak Brown and McLaren advisor Gil de Ferran met with several IndyCar Series team owners and representatives of both engine manufacturers Saturday at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. Brown would not divulge the details of those meetings with Autoweek, but said, “we are continuing to explore all of our opportunities. This is still in the exploratory stage.”

McLaren is exploring the possibility of starting a fulltime Verizon IndyCar Series team in 2019. McLaren sent a delegation to the May 12 IndyCar Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brown’s return to a Verizon IndyCar Series race so soon after that meeting is a strong signal that his “exploration” is coming up with some interesting discoveries.

Brown did tell Autoweek that despite past relationships with Honda in both Formula 1 and when Fernando Alonso competed in the 101st Indianapolis 500 in 2017, McLaren could be a Chevrolet entry in IndyCar.

“We are very much interested in Chevrolet, just as we are also interested in Honda,” Brown said. “We are listening to what both sides have to say as we continue to explore our options.”

So, here is what Autoweek knows:

When Brown met with key constituents inside the IndyCar paddock, he said McLaren would bring a “World Class Driver” to the series with its team. Combine that with some recent negative comments Alonso has made regarding Formula 1 and his praise for IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 would seem to make the two-time Formula 1 World Champion an ideal candidate for that ride.

Speculation is that Alonso will be competing in at least a few Verizon IndyCar Series races, if not the entire season if McLaren goes through with its plan to join the series.

Among the team owners that Brown met with were Honda-backed Andretti Autosport and Chevrolet’s Team Penske.

“If we get the McLaren team into IndyCar racing, that would be a big step forward,” Penske told Autoweek. “I talked to Zak myself and said, ‘Hey, I hope you guys come. A good team like that can bring a lot of prestige to the series. Certainly, with their expertise they would be a real force to run with. They were a force last year with Andretti.

“I guess we’ll wait and see.”

Penske told Autoweek that Team Penske is not interested in serving as a partner to McLaren in IndyCar because the team is focused on its three-car effort in the series as well as competing in NASCAR and IMSA.

“He needs to keep the McLaren name by itself and not get hooked up with anybody else,” Penske said. “But we’ve got more than we can handle right now, so we are not in the business of partnering right now.

“But I talked to him today and encouraged him to come. That would be great if they came, wouldn’t it? That would be great.”

Brown also spent some time chatting with owner/driver Ed Carpenter of Ed Carpenter Racing, another Chevrolet team.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) President Art St. Cyr was approached for comment but would not give details of those conversations.

“We’re not going to talk about what we are doing here,” St. Cyr said. “Having someone of Fernando Alonso’s caliber in the IndyCar Series would be a good things but figuring how, the what and the where are things that are to be determined.”

De Ferran is a two-time CART champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner. He is also a former Verizon IndyCar Series team owner and gave a little more information to McLaren’s search.

“The best person to talk to is Zak, but we are here investigating,” De Ferran told Autoweek. “It’s great to be back in Detroit and see a lot of old friends and faces. IndyCar played a big role in my life.

“Talking philosophically, from my end everything that I do I try to understand very well to put myself in a position to be in a competitive situation. That takes a lot of thought, investigations, conversations and understanding. Quite frankly, that is what needs to happen before any big decision is taken.

“I think IndyCar is doing a great job. The series has gone up and up. I think the Indy 500 is a great race and it’s fantastic.”

Mike Hull is the managing director of Chip Ganassi Racing and believes McLaren should enter the series without partnering with a current team in the series.

“I don’t know what Zak and McLaren have in mind, but I remember the lineage of McLaren Racing and I’m surprised in a way they are looking for a partner,” Hull told Autoweek. “I think they should run their own team and be in it for the long haul. I think it would be grand and great for American racing to see McLaren Racing back at full speed and in it for the long haul as McLaren Racing.

“I don’t know why a worthy team would want to give McLaren an inside view of how you go IndyCar racing.”

Hull said despite what he previously said, “we would be open to helping them, but it would be in our best interest and McLaren’s best interest to have a long-term agreement.”

Hull believes McLaren’s interest is a great statement in where the Verizon IndyCar Series is going and how it is growing.

“The series is affordable based on the cost structure of Formula 1 compared to the cost structure of IndyCar racing, and the racing itself,” Hull said. “I love Gil de Ferran and have always admired what he has done in his racing career. The alignment of Gil with Zak is a great partnership and I believe the advice he will give them is very worthy.”

Honda team owner Bobby Rahal said McLaren hasn’t asked if his team would be interested in partnering but is interested.

“We want to run two or three cars next year, so we are out looking for anybody who can join with us,” Rahal told Autoweek. “It’s huge that McLaren wants to be involved in IndyCar. The historic record of McLaren’s success is well known. The fact they are looking at it is flattering for IndyCar, for sure. That’s great for the future of IndyCar. And, I’ve always had a lot of respect for Gil. I think it’s good for McLaren that they have somebody like Gil on board. He is a good man.”

Team owner Michael Andretti said he talks to Brown all the time because they are friends.

“We shall see,” Andretti told Autoweek of McLaren’s exploration.

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