Combining F1 and Indy ‘dangerous’ for drivers – Brown

Zak Brown

(GMM) Zak Brown does not think other active drivers will follow Fernando Alonso in combining Formula 1 with a bid to win the fabled Indy 500.

McLaren is unique among the ten F1 teams in also having an Indycar operation. Spaniard Alonso skipped Monaco in 2017 to contest his first Indy 500 and, now retired from F1, he intends to race again this year.

"That's pretty difficult – not that today's drivers couldn't do it," Brown, McLaren's supremo, told the Indy Star newspaper.

"Someone like Lando Norris I think would love to do Indy, but to just throw him in cold for the race would be ill-advised."

But Brown thinks Alonso could manage to combine F1 and the Indy 500 again if he returns to the sport next year. The 38-year-old is linked with the 2021 Renault seat.

"If he does Formula 1 next year, you could see him, with his experience at Indy coming off this year, just jumping in at Indy and having the experience to be competitive and be safe," he said.

But he thinks other drivers would struggle.

"Not only do I have doubts at how competitive that situation would be, it's also a bit dangerous. I just don't think it's enough track time to deem it a wise decision."