IndyCar: Andretti not only team in hunt to partner with McLaren

Jim Ayello | IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS -- Don't be so quick to make assumptions, Zak Brown warned.

A McLaren Racing-Andretti Autosport partnership in the 2019 IndyCar campaign is no foregone conclusion.

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When asked about Michael Andretti reportedly setting a deadline of IndyCar's mid-August race at Pocono to learn McLaren's intentions, Brown said the team is not playing by anyone's deadlines but its own, though he agreed a decision must be reached soon.

"I hadn’t heard that he put a date out there," Brown said. "Also, that’s Michael’s date. That assumes, which everyone does, that we’re going with Michael. And we very well might, but he’s not our only option. But I hadn’t heard any firm date. At the end of the day, we know we have to make a decision here soon or you technically run out of time to be properly prepared. So we are going to have to make a decision soon."

Since speaking with Brown, IndyStar has learned that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing remains in the mix to partner with McLaren, should a 2019 program materialize.

Both Brown and RLL team co-owner Bobby Rahal declined to comment on this report. However, in a recent phone conversation, Brown did share with IndyStar how close McLaren is to making a decision about joining IndyCar, why the team "must" win upon entering the series and much more.

Question: So where is McLaren right now in terms of its decision to come to IndyCar in 2019?

Answer: We have completed the review process, and we’re in the decision-making process now. As I have said, Formula One is our first and foremost priority. But we believe that joining IndyCar, which I think is more of a when than an if, it has to be a situation where we can be competitive. We believe we can do that. It has to be where we can increase our brand. We think we can do that. We have the resources to do it. We think we have that. And we have to be sure that’s it not a distraction to our Formula One goals.

Right now, we’re laser-focused on Formula One. We have driver decisions to make. We just hired a new technical director. ... That being said, we’re making progress on our Formula One, and we feel we still have time to make a decision on IndyCar for 2019. We're running out of time. I don’t think we have a lot of time for a decision to be made. But we’re close to making a decision on when we’d enter.

Q: How much of this is a waiting game for current Formula One driver Fernando (Alonso) to make a decision? Or has he made one and McLaren is sorting out details?

A: He’s very interested in (IndyCar). He likes the series but hasn’t decided yet what he wants to do as it relates to Formula One. But our decision is not Fernando-dependent.

Q: Why is he so interested in IndyCar at this point of his career?

A: He thinks it’s great racing. He loves the Indy 500. So I think he very much enjoyed that experience. He’s a racer. He likes to race. I think winning not only the Triple Crown but all three series (Formula One, IndyCar, WEC), he probably finds intriguing. And he likes the racing in IndyCar. It’s extremely competitive. And he likes America, so I know it’s something he would consider.

Q: Last year, when you came to the 500 with Fernando, among the top reasons you chose to skip Monaco was because the team was struggling and didn’t have much of a chance in the championship. Is this a similar situation for you and Fernando? You’ve said to European news outlets that it will take years to sort out McLaren’s F1 program, so is his interest in a way defined by that?

A: I think if we were more competitive, he’d definitely want to stay in Formula One. He’s talked about his frustrations about being in a manufacturer’s championship as opposed to a driver’s championship. If you look at the race results, it’s probably a fairly fair statement. He likes to challenge himself. And racing the Indy 500 and/or IndyCar might compel him.

Q: Why is McLaren so interested in coming back to IndyCar now? You have said repeatedly in the past that IndyCar probably wouldn’t be in the cards until the F1 program is restored. It's not there yet, so why was there a change in mentality?

A: We have some partners that are interested in a larger U.S. presence. Our automotive business in North America is a very important market. Formula One in Miami is being delayed, so we’re only in the United States once. We just think it’s time to take a bigger look in North America … that it could maybe round out our commercial platform for our partners.

Q: So McLaren Racing's current sponsors have interest in exploring the North American market

A: Absolutely.

Q: What can you say about the rumored pursuit of Scott Dixon?

A: We have a few different drivers options. If we get a team put together, we’ll leave the driver announcement to be a surprise element of the deal, should something come together.

Q: Fair enough. How important is it for McLaren to come to IndyCar and not just compete right away, but win.

A: It’s a must. That’s what McLaren’s DNA is all about. It’s about winning races and championships. Formula One is going to take time to rebuild because of the uniqueness of Formula. But in IndyCar where everyone has the same chassis, and it’s one of the series in which both engines are very competitive, then it comes down to having a race-winning team and a race-winning fiber, and we think we could bring both those to the party from the word go. Therefore, the four ingredients you need to win, two are the same for everyone. I'm not saying we will win. I don’t want to make predictions, but that’s the goal.

Q: And McLaren coming to IndyCar isn’t just a dipping toes in the water situation, right? You want to be in the series for the long haul?

A: No, no, no. When we eventually come to IndyCar, whenever that may be, it will be the start of a long commitment to the series.

Q: Is the long-term plan to split off on your own after partnering with a team for a few years?

A: I think how we go racing in IndyCar has a couple different directions it could go, and everything is on the table.

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Facebook: @jimayello.