McLaren are much more than just a Formula 1 team; they are a world-famous car brand that would be recognised in all corners of the earth.
The British car manufacturer competes in Formula 1, Formula E, Extreme E and IndyCar as they grow ever more powerful in the world of motorsport.
Arrow McLaren SP will field four cars in 2023, with former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya piloting one of the cars as they look to challenge the heavyweights of the racing series.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has now revealed that the team’s star F1 driver Lando Norris has expressed an interest in taking part in the Indy 500 and has claimed that there is a realistic chance of it happening one day.
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“Lando has mentioned he’d like to do the Indy 500 and of course, one of my first days on the job was bringing over Fernando Alonso to do the Indy 500, which was such an awesome experience for everybody,” he explained.
“The calendars are pretty crazy these days, but I think racing driver like to drive racing cars. And yeah, I could see that day happening.”
Formula 1’s continuing growth in the USA was evident this season, as the Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas broke the attendance record once more in Austin.
There will be three races in the USA on next year’s calendar, coming in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas, but Brown has suggested that it is still important that McLaren continue to grow in the IndyCar series.
“When we look at what gets our fans excited, where we sell our beautiful road cars, and what our corporate partners want, as far as market penetrations goes, north America comes right to the top of the list,” said the CEO.
“It wasn’t long ago F1 wasn’t very popular in North America. It’s amazing what’s happened in a short period of time, a lot thanks to Drive to Survive – the Netflix show.
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“But we felt we wanted to have a larger presence in North America than all the other F1 teams, so we’re the only team in IndyCar.”
While Norris may one day compete in the Indy 500, it is no guarantee that he will be doing it in McLaren colours, as the 23-year-old continues to be linked with the likes of Red Bull following the Brit’s continually impressive performances in F1.
Tied down until the end of 2025, McLaren have plenty of time to prove to their driver that they deserve to be his long term home, but Norris will not want to hang around too long should the team fail to provide him with a car capable of winning races.