McLaren respond to Alonso, IndyCar rumours

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Fernando Alonso: McLaren won't comment on rumours

Fernando Alonso: McLaren won't comment on rumours

McLaren have said they are “not confirming anything” at this stage regarding the future of Fernando Alonso.

The two-time Formula 1 World Champion will be leaving the sport altogether at the end of the season to pursue other racing interests.

Alonso has been strongly linked with a full-time move to IndyCar and reportedly has a test lined up on September 5, but McLaren’s communications director, Tim Bampton, says nothing has been confirmed yet.

“We’re not confirming anything regarding Fernando, IndyCar or McLaren involvement, for the simple reason that no decision has been taken,” Bampton told Motorsport.com.

“We’re not going to give a running commentary on our IndyCar evaluations nor whether or when Fernando is testing.

“Honestly, our stance remains what we’ve said the past couple of months, which is that we’re going to continue to evaluate IndyCar but our prime focus is on Formula 1.

“There’s been a lot of noise about IndyCar but we don’t want to further contribute to that; when we’ve got something to say, we’ll say it. The team still needs to make a decision.”

Bampton also reiterated that any McLaren involvement in IndyCar would be a long-term investment and not something to just keep Alonso entertained.

He added: “As think I said before, if we were to enter IndyCar, it wouldn’t be just to give Fernando something to do.

“It would be a long-term commitment because we believe in the series and because the U.S. market is an important one for the McLaren Group as a whole.

“I know the situation is frustrating for people, for fans, but there are many permutations. First and most important is, do we do IndyCar at all?

“Then, do we do just the Indy 500 next year and delay a fulltime campaign until 2020? Do we come in fulltime next year? Is it just Fernando that we enter, or is it Fernando plus one?

“I can assure you that nothing has been confirmed so anything else that’s out there is purely speculation.”

Alonso recently said that he would be taking his time over his future as he comes to terms with deciding to leave Formula 1.

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