IndyCar: McLaren, Carlin form alliance for 2019 Indianapolis 500

By Asher Fair | Feb 14, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 28: Fernando Alonso of Spain, driver of the #29 McLaren-Honda-Andretti Honda (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

McLaren and full-time IndyCar team Carlin have formed an alliance for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 this May.

McLaren ended their 38-year hiatus from the Indianapolis 500 in 2017 by partnering with Andretti Autosport to field the #29 Honda for two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso in the biggest race on the IndyCar calendar.

Alonso qualified for this race in fifth place but ultimately ended up finishing it in 24th after an engine failure knocked him out of it with 21 of its 200 laps remaining. He led 27 of the race’s first 179 laps, which was the third highest laps led total among the laps led total of the 33 drivers who competed it in.

After not fielding an entry in the 102nd running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” last year, McLaren announced this past November that they are set to return to the Indy 500 this year and that they are set to field an entry for Alonso in the race once again.

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Alonso has since retired from Formula 1, where he spent his final four seasons driving for McLaren.

However, the Woking-based team are not set to form a partnership with Andretti Autosport for the 103rd running of the Indy 500 this year like they did for the 101st running of the race in 2017.

In fact, a few weeks after they announced that they would return to the race in 2019, McLaren announced that they are set use Chevrolet engines in it as opposed to Honda engines like they used in it two years ago. Andretti Autosport have been a Honda-powered team since the 2014 season.

Now it has been confirmed that McLaren have formed an alliance with Carlin, which are set to enter their second season as a full-time IndyCar team this year, for the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana this May.

However, despite forming this alliance with Carlin, McLaren’s entry in this race is still set to be a true McLaren entry, unlike in 2017 when Andretti Autosport played such a major role in preparing the #29 Honda and giving Alonso such a competitive car.

According to IndyStar’s Jim Ayello, Carlin are set to “lend technical and operational support as well as share data and some personnel with McLaren” for the Indy 500, and they are set to provide them with garage space for the race as well.

Max Chilton is set to drive the #59 Carlin Chevrolet on a full-time basis this season while Charlie Kimball is set to drive the #23 Carlin Chevrolet in five races, including the Indy 500. The driver or drivers of the #23 Chevrolet for the other 12 races on this year’s schedule have not yet been confirmed, although RC Enerson appears to have the best chance to land a ride with the team.

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How will Fernando Alonso perform in his second career Indianapolis 500 start driving for McLaren and in his first start in the race with the team having an alliance with Carlin? Be sure to tune in to NBC at 11:00 a.m. ET for the live broadcast of the 103rd running of the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to find out. This race is the sixth race on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, which you can see here.