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IndyCar: McLaren will not join the series full-time in 2019

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 26: Fernando Alonso of Spain, driver of the #29 Chandon Honda drives during Carb day for the 101st Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 26, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 26: Fernando Alonso of Spain, driver of the #29 Chandon Honda drives during Carb day for the 101st Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on May 26, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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McLaren CEO Zak Brown has confirmed that the team will not be competing in IndyCar on a full-time basis in the 2019 season.

Even before two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso, who has driven for McLaren since the 2015 season, announced his impending retirement from Formula 1 back in mid-August, there was speculation that he would be switching from Formula 1 to IndyCar and that McLaren would be the team for which he drove.

This speculation, which has really been going on ever since the 37-year-old Spaniard made his IndyCar debut and put on an impressive performance in the 2017 Indianapolis 500 before stating that he wants to return to the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, heated up in April when it was revealed that he would likely not be returning to McLaren for the 2019 Formula 1 season.

However, now McLaren CEO Zak Brown has confirmed that the team will not be competing in IndyCar on a full-time basis in the 2019 season, meaning that Alonso will not be a full-time driver in the sport next year.

Here is what Brown had to say about the matter, according to Autosport.

"“For the IndyCar Series, we have taken a decision to not compete on a full-time basis in 2019. We are simply not ready yet and we are very focused on F1. So we won’t be doing that in 2019. We do have a desire to do it, as I have mentioned before, in the near future. And as far as the Indy 500 is concerned it remains of interest to us.“That will be a decision that ultimately we will take in the off-season, and I think it is something that Fernando would like to do as well, but right now we are still focused on F1 and until we get a little bit of fresh air we will remain focused on that.”"

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Alonso, whose Formula 1 career likely has just four more races left in it, the four races to close out the 2018 season, currently competes full-time in the World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing, so it isn’t like he will be completely out of a ride next year with IndyCar off the table as far as a full-time option is concerned.

In last year’s Indy 500, which Brown admits is still a possibility for McLaren to compete in next year, Alonso qualified in fifth place and led 27 laps of the race before an engine failure with 21 of the race’s 200 laps remaining ruined his chances of earning the victory. He was officially scored in 24th.

With his victory in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the two-time Monaco Grand Prix winner is just one Indy 500 victory away from becoming just the second driver to win all three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport at least once.

Next. Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark

With McLaren not joining IndyCar on a full-time basis in the 2019 season, will the Woking-based team be involved in IndyCar at all next year? Will they make a return to the Indianapolis 500, and if so, will Fernando Alonso drive for the team once again?