Zak Brown says he would ‘love’ to work with Fernando Alonso on one project when he quits F1

Follow us on Google Discover

Fernando Alonso’s time at McLaren in Formula 1 did not exactly go to plan, but he did find great enjoyment with them in another category.

The Spaniard joined the Woking outfit in 2007 after winning his two championships back-to-back with Renault. He bought into McLaren’s masterplan to return to the front of the grid, and he expected to be the one to deliver that success.

The problem was that the team hired a then-rookie Lewis Hamilton as his teammate, and he fought Alonso throughout the season. The intra-team battle sparked huge controversy, as the Spaniard accused McLaren of favouring the young Brit.

Missing out on the title by one point, Alonso left McLaren and returned to Renault in 2008. After a stint at Ferrari, missing out on the title twice in 2010 and 2012, he came back to McLaren in 2015, and would spend four years in underperforming machinery.

The team’s Honda engines were desperately underwhelming, with Alonso lagging towards the back of the grid. He even referred to them as a ‘GP2 engine’ as he could not extract any performance whatsoever.

Alonso temporarily quit F1 at the end of the 2018 season as he struggled to fight towards the front with McLaren. But there was one silver lining from his second stint in Woking, as he got the chance to perform on one of the world’s biggest stages.

Zak Brown wants to work with Fernando Alonso at the Indy 500 again with McLaren

In 2017, Alonso ditched the Monaco GP to run in the Indianapolis 500 with McLaren. Qualifying an incredible P5, he was leading the race at one point before an engine failure took him out of the race.

The two-time F1 champion returned to Indianapolis two more times in 2019 and 2020. Failing to qualify in his second attempt, he could only manage 21st in his third go at the event.

With Alonso out of contract with Aston Martin at the end of the 2026 season, there is huge speculation about what he will do next. McLaren CEO Zak Brown wants to see the Spaniard back in his IndyCar team competing in the Indy 500.

Brown will use IndyCar veteran Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 2026 edition of the race, but speaking via journalist David Land’s YouTube channel, he revealed that he has spoken to Alonso about running the event again.

“Yeah, so starting with Ryan, very happy to have Ryan in the car this year,” he said. “I think he’s definitely capable of winning the Indy 500. So, I think our odds have gone up by putting Ryan in the car.

“But, post that and post when Fernando stops in F1. This is his last contractual year, doesn’t mean he won’t continue.

“But I talk to him about it like every time I see him, and I think we’ve got a car that can win the Indy 500. I think he’s very capable [of] winning the Indy 500, thoroughly enjoyed racing with him here. He enjoyed it, all but one of the years!

“But loved the first year. I mean, it was magic and I’d love to see Fernando back at the Indy 500 with us and that is something I’ll continue to bug him about.”